Cranford Life — December 2023 — 11
Author’s book explores friendships (Continued from Page 10) Room” is a story about a group of friends who find something a bit unusual, even scary, about the new house one of them has just moved into with her family. As to why the story is set in the ’90s, Schiecke says that’s easy to explain. “I don’t like all this technology,” she said. “I wanted to build suspense and I think that’s more doable when there’s no technology. I grew up on an acre of land in Ohio. Where she (the main character) moves is basically based on where I grew up. I love Tim Burton. I liked how he connected with outsiders. Tim Burton tapped into that.” The ’90s references were also a pleasure for her. For young kids, I want them to feel the vibe of the ’90s,” Schiecke said. “It’s a different decade that I think would spur kids to maybe find out who Pearl Jam is. I loved Pearl Jam and I loved Unsolved Mysteries, so it’s fun to put in these little Easter eggs. It was a fun escape for me to go back to the ’90s. Max and Amy are based on my childhood friends. I feel we would have been awesome ghost hunters.” Schiecke said she got ideas from other people as well, which she incorporated into her novel. “The prologue was my son’s idea. He had this vision of this bookcase and this witch. I was like, how am I going to tie this into the story?” But tie it in she did. Even the villain can be traced to her youth. “When I was in high school, there were always these jocks who got all the attention and I wanted him to be the bad guy.” If you read this book — and you should — the ending is sure to leave you wanting more, even a part two. Schiecke says this was done intentionally.
‘I had that dream about the room and I wanted a spooky story and I wanted friends to come together and discover this mystery. I’ve always loved ghost stories and reaching beyond the realm, so to speak.’ — Janelle Schiecke “I’m a big fan of open endings. I love when a book ends and you have to figure out what happens next. I wanted the story to go on. I didn’t want it to end.” “Right now, what I’m writing is something different, but I do think of going back to it. “I do want to either finish it or do a Goosebumps series of stories. I do like writing books for teens. It’s fun to write. You have to put your mind into the mind of a teenager. I wouldn’t want to put my mind into the mind of teenagers in the time we live in, because I don’t feel you get enough suspense.” In the meantime, Schiecke is hard at work on her next novel, something a bit off the beaten path. “My next one is about murder in a midwestern town.” “Ghost Story” can be purchased online at Amazon in Kindle or paperback at http://www.amazon.com.
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