Cover Reveal: SCRITCH SCRATCH, by Lindsay Currie

Hi Lindsay! I’m so excited to be part of the street team for SCRITCH SCRATCH, your second middle grade novel that comes out on September 1, 2020. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Hi, Kathie! I’m thrilled to have you on the team, and thank you for hosting me today! I’d love to share more about SCRITCH SCRATCH as it’s one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written. My main character, Claire Koster, is really into science. Because of this, she often finds herself at odds with her father, who runs a ghost tour business in Chicago. While Claire tries very, very hard to have nothing to do with his ghost bus – Spirits – one evening she is required to ride along and help out because his normal assistant is ill. 

*Cue terrible things* 

Just when Claire thinks she’s survived the night without any serious problems, she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There’s something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour… he’s gone. Claire tries to shrug it off (perhaps she’s letting her father’s ghost stories get to her), but then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her. Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something…and Claire needs to find out what before it’s too late!

It sounds SO good, I can’t wait to read it! What inspired you to write this story?

Great question! I’m very inspired by Chicago history – especially “forgotten” history. I like to research and occasionally, I’ll come across an event or legend that is so fascinating I have trouble forgetting it. While I can’t give away what specific event or story inspired SCRITCH SCRATCH, I can tell you that I think you’ll be inspired to do your own research into it when you’ve finished reading. I’ll be including an author’s note that will provide additional resources as well! 

Did you have any input on the cover, and who is the illustrator?

I did! Sourcebooks has been fantastic to work with so far. As a publisher, they seem genuinely invested in me, my career, and my happiness, so they’ve shown me everything along the way for thoughts/feedback/approval. The cover designer/art director is Nicole Hower, who I am grateful to have been paired up with because WOW. Her vision for the cover of SCRITCH SCRATCH is just perfect. Eerie with a hefty dose of Chicago and so many little details that you can hardly stop looking! 

OK, let’s show do the big reveal for everyone to see!

This is a SUPER creepy cover, and I love the colors! I think it’s really going to appeal to young readers.

Thank you! I agree with you and feel very fortunate to have been handed such a winning cover for this book. Did you notice the shadow on the bus and the eerie face in the moon’s reflection on the ground? Simply wonderful. 

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about your book?

LIndsay: Yes! This book is the first one I’ve ever written to get a map! It will be a wonderful tool for readers to cross-reference the clues in the book with the stops on the Spirits bus tour. I love the idea of readers having a way to actually research alongside my characters so they can try to unravel the mystery of who is haunting Claire, and this map (revealing soon!) should allow that. Stay tuned for an interactive version on my website after the book releases, too. 

Ooh, that’s great, so many young readers love maps! Where can readers go to find out more information about you and your writing?

My website is a great place to start! www.lindsaycurrie.com 

Thanks again for letting us be part of your cover release, and helping to spread the word about your book.

Thank you for hosting me, Kathie. I’m so honored!