The Candlestone Inn Series:

The Case of the Stolen Scarab

The Case of the Stolen Scarab is a middle-grade mystery about two kids whose moms run an old New England inn. It's the first in my CANDLESTONE INN series, published by Two Lives Publishing. In The Case of the Stolen Scarab, Nicky and her brother, Travis, with their two moms, have recently bought and are now about to open an old New England inn. Just before their first guests arrive, they learn that a thief suspected of stealing a valuable scarab from a museum in Boston may be in the area. Then a bedraggled hiker appears on their doorstep, faints—and when he comes to, he can't remember who he is. Is he the thief—or a victim? (Two Lives Publishing; ISBN: 0-9674468-7-2)

NOTE: Fans of the Candlestone Inn series might want to visit the COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) website and the Rainbow Rumpus website.

The Case of the Vanishing Valuables

The next book in the series is called The Case of the Vanishing Valuables. I'm not sure exactly when it's going to be out, but I'm hoping it may be as soon as sometime in the fall of 2007.

Scary Books

The Monster Hunters Series:

Mystery of the Night Raiders

Three friends, Brian, Darcy, and Numbles, become monster hunters, for although they know that adults don't believe in supernatural creatures, they find that doesn't mean such creatures don't exist and sometimes need controlling! In this, the first book in the Monster Hunters series, the three friends battle vampires on Brian's grandfather's Vermont farm. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux; also Minstrel/Pocket Books.)

Mystery of the Midnight Menace

In the second book of the series, monster hunter Brian encounters mysterious and increasingly dangerous goings-on in his New York City neighborhood, starting with eerie howls plus deadly attacks on pigeons and a rat. Eventually he calls on fellow monster hunters Darcy and Numbles, and together the three find themselves battling a determined teenage werewolf! (Farrar, Straus & Giroux; also Minstrel/Pocket Books.)

Mystery of the Secret Marks

Monster hunter Darcy meets an odd new girl at her Maryland boarding school. Soon the school is rocked by a series of unexplained and sometimes funny but very unsettling events, including what seems to be a series of messages in code. Darcy becomes suspicious that this is another job for the monster hunters, and when there's finally an opportunity for Brian and Numbles to visit, the three discover and unmask the poltergeist who is haunting the school—and learn the sad reason for its bizarre behavior. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux; also Minstrel/Pocket Books.)

Mystery of the Kidnapped Kidnapper

Monster hunter Numbles loves reptiles and amphibians and is excited to be visiting Boston's famous science museum with a friend. But when his friend's little sister is captured by a lake monster there, what started out as a fun adventure turns deathly serious—and not just for the little girl either. Numbles soon calls on Darcy and Brian to help in an extraordinarily dangerous rescue that must be kept completely secret. (Minstrel/Pocket Books.)

Mystery of the Watchful Witches

Darcy is pleased to be visiting her favorite aunt, who lives in Massachusetts near where the famous 17th-century Salem witch trials took place. The night she arrives there's a tremendous storm, and Darcy sees an odd figure staring at Aunt Eleanora's house. Unpleasant rumors, one or two odd kids, and a mysterious book make Darcy suspect something sinister is going on. Finally, Aunt Eleanora is accused of being a witch, and Darcy calls on Brian and Numbles to help her prove the accusation is false. That turns out to be harder than the monster hunters expect, and they find themselves hurtling back in time in order to piece together the strange and disturbing truth. (Minstrel/Pocket Books.)

Prisoner of Vampires

Alexander has to write a report for school using primary sources—in other words, he has to use the real thing for his research. But Alexander's subject is vampires! When he goes to an old library to see if he can find books that might qualify as primary sources, a creepy-looking librarian directs him to the crypt, where Alexander finds more than he bargained for and ends up in terrible danger. A William Allen White Award List nominee; an IRA-CBC Children's Choice; nominated for the Indian Paintbrush Award, Wyoming Library Association. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux. )

My Sister, the Vampire

Tim, Sarah, and Jenny are spending the summer in Maine when their parents are called away because of a sick relative. By the time strict Aunt Clara, who has been delayed, arrives to take care of them, vampires have already attacked a neighbor and are now threatening Sarah herself. Aunt Clara or no Aunt Clara, the kids realize they have to disobey before the vampires claim their victims permanently! (Knopf/Bullseye.)

My Brother, the Werewolf

Frankie is sure something weird is going on with her brother, Paul, aka Pig. With the help of her family's computer, she finally figures out what it is. But will she and her cousin Ben be able to save Pig from a truly horrible fate—one from which he doesn't seem to want to be saved? (Knopf/Bullseye.)

Early Non-Fiction Books

Long ago I wrote four nonfiction books for Lippincott's Weird and Horrible Library: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, and Devils and Demons. In a way, they led to all my other "witchy" books, because it was in researching them that I learned about the supernatural creatures I later used in fiction. You may be able to find these books in a library or at a second-hand book sale, but although they're still popular, they've been out of print for a long time.