Trick or Treat with Ethan Long!

Hi, werewolves, mummies, and vampires, too! What's better than fun-loving monsters at Halloween? Fun-loving monsters for every holiday, of course! We're thrilled to have Geisel Award-winning author and illustrator Ethan Long with us today sharing a look at his popular book series, Fright Club. The Fright Club series features Vladimir the Vampire, Fran K. Stein, Sandy Witch, Virginia Wolf and others monsters as they celebrate Halloween, Fangsgiving, and Valenstein's Day, too. Want to know more about Ethan, his authoring and illustrating skills, PLUS want to know if he's offering a trick or a treat? Read on if you dare...

Q: Hi, Ethan! Thanks so much for joining #SeasonsOfKidLit for our Trick-or-Treat event! We’re thrilled to have you with us and hear all about your writing journey and popular Fright Club series.

Can you share a little bit about yourself and your background in writing and illustrating for children? What led you to becoming a children’s book creator? 

A: Thank you for having me! I have been drawing my whole life and had success at a young age. That led me to go to Ringling College of Art and Design and study illustration. I dabbled a little bit with writing, but it wasn’t until I had my first child that I started reading kids books and thought “I could do this!”. There is much more to it than that, but that is the short version.

Q: We’re HUGE fans of monster books at #SeasonsOfKidLit and love your Fright Club series. We especially love how your books feature spooky characters in seasonal settings (i.e. Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day).  What was the inspiration behind your series and what made you decide to pair Halloween-themed characters with other holidays? 

A: My brother had this Halloween decoration of Frankenstein as a kid…it was a door sized plastic poster that hung in the kitchen. I was also a fan of Halloween back in the 70’s with the plastic masks that got all wet on the inside from my breath. I dressed up as Casper the friendly ghost, Superman, Spider man, popeye. There were a ton to choose from at K-Mart.

I just loved the whole vibe and when I thought of the title FRIGHT CLUB as well as the two others, those memories are where I went for my inspiration.

Q: What tips would you give to authors who are looking to write holiday books in a market where we are often told not to?  What would you suggest including in our manuscripts to help them stand out? 

A: All I can say is write from your heart and make it so that an editor reacts to it. Whether it makes them laugh out loud without thinking, or feel something in theri heart that forms a tear in their eye, that’s really all they care about. If they have  that sort of reaction to it, they will find a place for it, edit it, whatever it takes.

Q:  How about for illustrators also looking to break into the industry?

A:  Same. You have to know how to put yourself and your own emotions into your stories and art. Artistic is one thing, but transmuting your emotions into resonating work takes time and patience.

We LOVE these tips and couldn't agree more!

Q:  You have a lot of fun monster-themed books published, perfect for Spooky Season. What are some other books of yours we can check out ASAP? And are there any more Fright Club series books in the works? 

A:  I have three monster books in the Fright Club series and no plans for others in this series. I am doing a lot of collaboration which I love more than sitting alone in my studio working by myself. There is a time and place for solitude, but I like the back and forth of collaborating on projects, then submitting them to publishers. It is a social exercise and the camaraderie and energy is amazing.

Readers, want to see what's coming up and in the works for Ethan? Take a look at his "In the Works" page on his website here, including his upcoming Monster Scouts Series!

Q: What’s one question you wish we would have asked you about yourself, writing kidlit, illustrating kidlit, the publishing process, etc?

A: Does it have to be so HARD?

Ha! Great question. If ONLY we knew the answer.

Bonus question: What’s your favorite Halloween Candy? OR What was your favorite costume as a kid? 

Favorite Halloween Candy: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Favorite Costume: I talked about all the plastic masks, but in the 5th grade I spent a lot of money on a Quasimoto Mask which I got a ton of mileage out of for years.

Thanks again for sharing a closer glimpse at your books and processes. It was a true TREAT!

Q: Would you like to leave a Trick or a Treat for our readers?

A: A Trick!

If you want to be a career writer or illustrator you have to have discipline—The discipline to start projects on your own, the discipline to take breaks, and the discipline to know when to stop. Passion and talent are necessary, but without discipline you can burn out or, worse yet, not even get started.

Wow, thanks for such a fang-tastic trick! Well said.

Readers, please leave a comment below to thank Ethan for stopping by and sharing his monstrously cool series with us!

Note: Those who leave a comment on all posts will be eligible to win one (1) of ten (5) Rate Your Story Speed Passes, perfect for quick MS feedback, provided by Agent Mentee Lynne Marie & Author Heather Macht.

About Ethan Long:

Ethan Long is an award-winning and internationally recognized creator of children’s content. His Emmy-nominated Scribbles and Ink is currently an integrated game and video series available on PBSKids.org. He is also the author and illustrator of the popular digital book series of the same name currently available on Epic & Amazon. Scribbles and Ink is in development with WGBH for television. In the book publishing world, Ethan is the author and/or illustrator of over 140 titles, which include Hoggy at Bat, Fright Club, Tickle the Duck, One Drowsy Dragon, Big Cat, Pug, Give Me Back My Book (with Travis Foster), Chamelia and the New Kid in Class, his Happy County series and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winning, Up! Tall! and High!. He is also the illustrator of 5 board books for the best-selling picture book series Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site, written by Sherri Duskey Rinker, as well as the wildly successful Stick Dog chapter book series, written by Tom Watson and the Junior Monster Scouts chapter book series, by Joe McGee.His middle-grade memoir, The Death and Life of Benny Brooks was published in 2023, and received many starred reviews. In the TV world, Ethan was the creator and executive producer of the Emmy Nominated animated short-form preschool series Tasty Time with Zefronk, which aired daily on The Disney Channel and Disney Junior from 2008-2011. He also created the animated short film, Farm Force: Send in the Clones, which won the 2005 Nicktoons Viewer’s Choice Award. After graduating from the prestigious Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida in 1991, Ethan was a family man in Orlando, Florida until 2021 and presently lives just outside of Denver, Colorado. He loves traveling with his wife, Heather, and their three grown children and spending as much time with them as possible. When he’s on his own, he develops ideas, takes one-hour walks, meets friends and colleagues for coffee and lunches, cooks delicious meals, takes mid-day naps, hangs out with his dog, Auggie, and rides his 170 CC motor scooter. 

For more about Ethan, check out his website at Ethan Long-Award Winning Creator of Children's Content.

To purchase Ethan's books on Amazon, or to leave a review for them, click here.

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A special thanks to David Rodriguez Lorenzo for the amazing custom-signatures!