Spooky season has well and truly arrived, so it’s a delight to welcome Eibhlís Carcione into The Reading Realm to talk about her creepy, atmospheric new book BLACK GABLES!

Before we settle down in The Reading Realm and talk about your new book, what’s your drink and snack of choice? 

First I want to say thanks Ian. I’m delighted to be on The Reading Realm.

I love coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. My favourite snacks are roasted cashew nuts and the occasional square of chocolate.

Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about Black Gables?

After her mother has an accident and loses her memory, 12-year-old Rosella Frawley and her dad return to her mother’s hometown of Black Gables, a dark foggy village at the edge of a ghastly lake. She’s worried about starting a new life and a new school and soon her worst fears are realised. Black Gables School is full of creepy teachers and their weird pets.

The Head Teacher, Mr Edge is beyond sinister and he seems to be communicating with the lake ghouls. Rosella knows that time is running out and she must discover the secrets of Black Gables and help her mother before something terrible happens.

How would you say Black Gables is similar to Welcome to Dead Town, Raven McKay? How is it different? 

Both books are ghostly and gothic. They both have plucky girls as protagonists. In Welcome To Dead Town Raven McKay Raven is searching for her missing parents. In Black Gables Rosella’s parents are with her. But like Raven the family situation is complicated because Rosella’s mum has lost her memory.Raven encounters some kind, creepy supernatural beings when she is in danger but in Black Gables most of the supernatural beings are out to get Rosella.

All of your stories have a spooky feel to them. Have you always enjoyed spooky, scary books and films? 

I grew up in a windswept seaside town where I often heard ghostly sounds that made me run with my heart in my mouth. A lot of my weekends and summers were spent walking in a forest near a ruined castle or wandering the beaches watching the waves for a selkie or a ghostly pirate.

I have always loved scary stories. When I was around eight my friends and I would tell ghost stories to each other in a neighbour’s loft. There was a box in the corner which we called the coffin. The loft was a dark place with spiderwebs and musty smells. Our voices echoed as we told our stories. It was the perfect place for spooky story-telling. And to us those evenings were better than anything else.

When my grandfather died, I stayed at my gran’s for a few weeks because she was lonely. She loved ghostly stories and I would sit for hours listening to her stories about fairies and ghosts. These stories have stayed with me and have inspired me to tell my own  dark tales.

I was very quiet as a child and I took everything in. I remember being afraid of shadows on the stairs. I remember hearing scratching in the ceiling in the bathroom. A few years later, we found out that there were bats roosting there. In this case there was a reason but usually I found there were no explanations and that intrigued me.

Irish folklore, fairytales and mythology inspire my writing and bring me to unexpected places.

Some of my favourite children’s books are ghostly and gothic: The Witches by Roald Dahl, The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. Some of my favourite movies are also quite scary! An American Werewolf in London. Interview with the Vampire, Beetlejuice, The Wolfman (1941) and  Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931).

What would you say to parents who feel their children shouldn’t read spooky books in case they get frightened? 

I think all children love a good scare within reason. Why else would children want to tell ghost stories round a campfire? Because it’s just good fun.

There are many scary and chilling moments in these books that keep children at the edge of their seats. Children love this feeling and want this feeling. Children are given the chance to experience fear alongside the protagonists as they battle dark supernatural forces, creepy monsters and villains.

From an early age children try to make sense of their world. Some children are afraid that there is a monster under the bed. Some listen to the sound of the wind and rain, the creaky branches, the yowling cats and the croaky song of a night bird and get sweaty and panicky. Once children start school they have to immediately navigate new fears. Scary books can help children make sense of the world and empower them to face their own fears.

Adults often shield children from the truth. I remember spending quite a lot of time as a child with my ear to doors listening to whispering adults. I was trying to make sense of things, trying to make connections. I longed for explanations and the truth. I remember when my rabbit Snowy wasn’t in the hutch, I was told she ran away. I remember being uncomfortable about that. I had a sense that there was more to Snowy’s disappearance. A year or two later I found out that a neighbour’s cat had killed Snowy.

Of course children need to be protected from traumatic things, but I also believe they need to hear the truth.

Can you recommend another children’s book you’ve enjoyed? 

I’ve just read Phil Hickes new book Shadowhall Academy The Whispering Walls and I loved it. I also loved Keedie by Elle McNicoll and Heartseer by Rowan Foxwood. I have a big TBR pile. New books by R.L. Stine, Kate DiCamillo, Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Carolyn Ward, Yvonne Banham and more.

Finally, can you describe Black Gables in three words and then three emojis? 

Spooky

Uncanny

Quirky

👻🏫💀