Aaron Reynolds has a passion for kids’ books and seeing kids reading them. He regularly makes time to visit elementary schools, where his hilarious and heartfelt presentations keep kids spellbound. He lives in Chicago with his wife, two kids, three cats, and anywhere between zero and 10 goldfish, depending on the day. Troubling Tonsils is the first book in a spinoff series from the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal–winning Creepy series, consisting of chapter books for older readers.
In Troubling Tonsils, Jasper the Rabbit is back from his adventures in previous books. A little older and wiser, he collects creepy stories to share as cautionary tales. If you’re ready for some chills and chuckles alike, tune in as Jasper weaves the yarn of Charlie Marmot and the particular pickle he found himself in. See, Charlie has a problem: His tonsils have become infected and have to come out. No biggie, right? But when he decides he wants to keep them in a jar for show and tell, things get creepy.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the New York Times bestseller list, Reynolds said: “I don’t know that you can predict what will become a bestseller.” He added, “Troubling Tonsils had a better chance because it was part of an existing bestselling series. But beyond that, it’s a little like trying to predict where lightning will strike. Not helpful, I know, but there it is.” Prior bestsellers from the Creepy series included Creepy Carrots, Creepy Pair of Underwear, and Creepy Crayon, all of which not only made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list upon release but return to bestseller lists around spooky season each year.
Reynolds doesn’t build his platform through social media and instead focuses on coordinating school visits, which he said typically lead to 100–300 book sales per visit and make a significant impact. “Because the book is part of an existing franchise, yes, the publisher was quite intentional about giving it a number of strong marketing strategies that helped it along to success,” he added. The series has secured placement in Scholastic Book Clubs and also has a Barnes & Noble exclusive edition.
“My one lesson is write for yourself. These books work for me, first and foremost. While I’m delighted that they have found their audience, I was the first audience. And I don’t create new ones just to get another book out there. I have to love the story, first and foremost,” Reynold said. “Making a living in this industry takes a lot of time and a lot of luck. But luck favors those that keep showing up, bringing their best, willing to learn, grow, adjust, and get better.”
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, a young adult dystopian novel titled Departures (August 10, 2021). When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to DIY MFA and BookRiot, and co-hosts the Fantasy+Girl Podcast. Learn more at her website.
