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School Library Journal vol. 70 no. 2 Feb., 2024. Julie Shatterly, “AVERLING, Mary. The Curse of Eelgrass Bog.”. p. 92.
BookPage Jan., 2024. Brinkley, Nicole. , “The Curse of Eelgrass Bog.”. p. 28.
Publishers Weekly vol. 270 no. 42 Oct. 16, 2023, , “The Curse of Eelgrass Bog.”.
Mary Averling grew up across England and Canada, never far from the woods. She has degrees from the University of Victoria and Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Since she can’t stay away from libraries for very long, she is currently working toward her PhD in Ontario, where she lives surrounded by all the magical, spooky, heartfelt books she can find.
Author Interview: Mary Averling and The Curse of Eelgrass Bog Giveaway and IWSG Post
Happy New Year and Happy Wednesday! Today I’m excited to start out 2024 with an interview with debut author Mary Averling about her MG fantasy The Curse of Eelgrass Bog. It sounds like it has great world building and memorable characters. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
Dark secrets and unnatural magic abound when a twelve-year-old girl ventures into a bog full of monsters to break a mysterious curse.
Nothing about Kess Pedrock’s life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family’s Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon’s head in a jar named Shrunken Jim).
But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse—and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog.
Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she’d ever expected, and she’ll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it’s too late..
Before I get to Mary's interview, I have my IWSG post.
Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
The awesome co-hosts this month are: Joylene Nowell Butler, Olga Godim, Diedre Knight, and me!
Optional Question: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors?
I’m not published and not on BookBub so I can’t answer this question. Sorry.
I don’t have much else to talk about this month. I haven’t been on a good writing schedule for months because of other commitments and some lack of discipline. I hope I get into a better writing groove this year. I just started writing regularly last week. So far, I'm doing good.
Interview With Mary Averling
Hi Mary! Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
Thank you for having me! I currently daylight as a PhD student in Ontario, though I’ve lived across Canada and England. It might sound clichéd, but writing isn’t something I chose—it’s something I’ve always loved, and I couldn’t tell you exactly where it started. I wrote my first middle grade novel during my undergrad at the University of Victoria, and was fortunate enough to be chosen as an Author Mentor Match (AMM) mentee by the fantabulous Heather Kassner. Even though that book never sold, it connected me to me wonderful agent, Kelly Sonnack. And the rest is history!
2. That’s awesome that you were chosen for the author mentor match program. Where did you get the idea for The Curse of Eelgrass Bog?
I was always a “look at this!” kind of kid, and was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by wild places: forests, muddy fields, sluggish old rivers. I remember pretending I’d found unicorn horns and unnatural creatures in the field behind our house. I knew I wanted to write a story about a “look at this!” girl, but in this case, I wanted the strange things she discovered to be real. The rest was stitched together from some of my other favourite things—museums, secret societies, mysteries, hidden worlds—then I added a talking head sidekick (for good measure), and the book unspooled from there!
About Your Writing Process
3. You’re also working towards your PhD, which I’ve heard is a very time-consuming process. What is your writing schedule like? How do you stay productive, especially now that you most likely have to write a manuscript on contract?
It does often feel like juggling eggs! My schedule tends to shift depending on uni deadlines—often, I’ll do school work during mornings and early afternoons, then write as much as I can in the evenings. Perhaps counterintuitively, I think the best thing for my productivity has been giving myself permission to be more flexible. My second contracted book was written on deadline, and as a chronic snail writer, I was petrified by the prospect of having a ticking clock behind me. Luckily I have a very understanding editor! But I realized that some weeks I’d have a “school brain” where I didn’t want to write, and other weeks I’d be head-over-heels for my creative projects—so instead of trying to squash myself into a strict schedule, I listened to those feelings and let myself work wherever the passion was! Of course, I still need to be aware of deadlines and expectations, but trusting the process helps keep my love of writing alive instead of turning it into a chore.
4. It’s reassuring to know you were able to juggle it all, especially since I’m a slow writer too. Share about your world-building process. What tips do you have for other writers creating a new world or new town as the setting of their story?
Always, above all, have fun with it! My worlds are inevitably stitched together from things that make me excited or curious—bogs, museums, wild places, in-between spaces. Readers are remarkably attuned to an author’s passion for certain settings, no matter how familiar or strange. If you write what you find fascinating, readers will latch onto that excitement too! Especially when writing for children, I think it’s also important to consider how your character might view their surroundings. What might draw their attention? And what would they likely not pay attention to at all? My protagonist, Kess, is forever keeping any eye out for unnatural objects like bones or magical fossils—she loves worms and crawly things, but she probably wouldn’t notice more mundane details like car models or out-of-date kitchen appliances. Keeping this perspective in mind definitely helped me ensure my world-building felt cohesive!
5. What was a challenge you faced in writing The Curse of Eelgrass Bog when you were working on it with your agent or editor? What did you learn from it?
Endings are the bane of my existence. Even when the rest of the book was in submission-ready shape, I had to work through several extra rounds with my agent to stick the landing. One day, I’ll know how to end something without wanting to throw my laptop out the window! Another challenge was ironing out the magic system—both my agent and editor encouraged me to really think about how the eponymous curse functioned. It made me realize that “just because” is never the most interesting answer when thinking about why magic and supernatural elements work the way they do. There’s so much possibility for thematic tie-ins! When all the pieces click into place, it really does feel like magic.
Your Road to Publication
6. Kelly Sonnack is your agent. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?
Kelly! My superstar! I first started querying in 2018 after working through AMM; the landscape was very different back then, but I was lucky enough that after six months, I found myself with four offers of representation. I’d initially queried a different agent at Andrea Brown Literary after a referral from one of my professors, who was also represented by ABLA. That agent wasn’t looking to sign more novelists at the time, so she graciously passed my materials to Kelly—and I’m so glad she did! All four agents were brilliant and it was a difficult decision, but ultimately, Kelly’s enthusiasm, business acumen, and vision made me certain that she was the perfect partner.
Unfortunately, that first book never sold. We made it to acquisitions and received an R&R that fell through after the editor left the industry, but after a year, we decided to pull it from submission and focus on EELGRASS BOG. That book was a whole other story! We received a pre-empt after six weeks, which ended up turning into an auction. I’m still pinching myself that multiple editors wanted my weird little bog book!! In July 2023 we officially sold to Gretchen Durning at Razorbill, and I haven’t stopped smiling since.
7. What an awesome road to publication story. Share a few tips on how to get through going on submission from your own experience getting a publishing contract.
I think this is the default advice, but seriously—keep working on something else. Drafting EELGRASS BOG while on sub with my first book was a lifesaver, and it meant we could immediately switch focus after it became clear that my first book wouldn’t be my debut. It’s also important to surround yourself with people you trust, so you can share commiserations and celebrations throughout the trenches. It’s a lonely process—and it can be hard to remember to keep your eyes on your own paper sometimes—but community is so, so precious and important. We’re all in this together!
Promoting Your Book
8. What are doing to celebrate the release of your book and to promote it in general?
Since release day is happening over the holidays, I’m lucky enough to be at home with my family. My lifelong dream is to walk into a bookstore and see my story on a shelf—and that’s the plan for release day! I’m hoping to visit a few of my favourite local indies (followed by a ridiculously decadent dessert somewhere, of course). My university department is also planning a launch party later in the month—should be exciting!! Apart from that, I’ve been reaching out to schools, libraries, and festivals in my area, and doing the usual social media trumpeting. Oof, and I’ve got a couple of podcast interviews scheduled in a few weeks … we shall see how they turn out!
9. What’s your advice to aspiring authors and those who have their first publishing contract on building their social media platform and getting ready for the release of their first book?
Do whatever makes you happy. Seriously. Except in very select cases, social media won’t “move the needle” and it isn’t worth burning yourself out for those extra clicks and views—unless you enjoy it, of course. It’s also so, so important to support your fellow authors. If you want boosts, boost your colleagues! Shout about the books that make you excited! Social media is a much more joyful place when we uplift each other, and ultimately, it’s the best way to get people excited for your story, too.
10. What are you working on now?
I was fortunate enough to have a two-book deal with Penguin Kids, so I’ve been working with my editor on my next middle grade (slated for release Spring 2025)! I can’t share much yet, except that it’s a dreamy, surreal, spooky ghost story about doorways and endless summertimes and unspoken things. I can’t wait to share more soon!
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Mary. You can find Mary at: @maryaverling on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram, or at maryaverling.com.
Queen’s PhD Student Mary Averling published widely
Author sits down for roundtable at Grizzly Grill
CATHERINE MARCOTTE
FEBRUARY 16, 2024
ARTS
,
LITERATURE
IMAGE BY: HERBERT WANG
‘The Curse of the Eelgrass Bog’ is Averling’s middle-grade debut.
Being a young, newly published author isn’t exactly as Mary Johnson, second-year English PhD English student, imagined it.
On the evening of Feb. 12, almost six weeks after her debut novel’s release with Razorbill, a now retired imprint of Penguin Random House, the Department of English invited students and community members to celebrate the launch of The Curse of the Eelgrass Bog at the Grizzly Grill.
A captivating children’s middle-grade tale, The Curse of the Eeelgrass Bog follows 12-year-old Kess Pedrock, a girl whose life in her family’s Unnatural History Museum is anything but ordinary.
When new girl in town Lilou Starling starts poking around the museum, things get even stranger. As Pedrock teams up with Lilou to uncover secrets that have long been hidden, they must confront the bog—a place haunted with witches, demons, and unlikely friends who help them realize how badly they need to come together.
When Johnson, who uses the penname Mary Averling, sat down for a roundtable discussion with Queen’s professor and author Sarah Tsiang and author Maggie North, she spoke candidly about the ups and down of writing as a graduate student and navigating the publishing industry.
While publishing a first and writing a second novel amid graduate coursework is an impressive feat, Johnson remained modest about her accomplishments.
“I try to do creative work when I’m feeling creative, and academic work when I’m feeling academic,” Johnson said at the roundtable.
Although Johnson’s dissertation work focuses on , she said in an interview with The Journal she uses a “different brain” for each writing practice.
While she doesn’t have strict writing rituals, Johnson notes it helps to keep her writing life separate from her school life. She works on her books in her bright, sunny, plant-filled apartment while saving her dissertation work for her office on campus.
Looking into the business side of publishing is just as important as reading a wide repertoire of books, Johnson tells students hoping to be published.
“Publishing can be predatory […] The most important thing is to surround yourself with good people you can trust,” Johnson said.
Though she spoke kindly about self-publishing, Johnson said it wasn’t for her.
“You really have to do all the work yourself,” she added. “The cover, the publicity, et cetera.”
Although companies like Amazon allow writers to publish and distribute books themselves, Johnson, who signed with her literary agent just after she had completed her full first manuscript as an undergraduate, wanted a more traditional experience.
“It depends on what you want out of [publishing]. For me, it was important to see my books on the shelves of bookstores.”
Since traditional publishers distribute to bookstores already, the responsibility doesn’t fall to the author, unlike in cases of self-publishing, where new authors may struggle to have their books stocked by major stores.
Despite the relative ease of now having a team of people behind her at Penguin, Johnson said at the launch it took longer than expected to get her first book out.
“People said to me, ‘you’re young, it’s going to happen for you,’ but then it took way longer.”
The first manuscript Johnson wrote has not yet been sold, but she’s hopeful it will one day find a home. By the time she found the right editor at Razorbill for The Curse of the Eeelgrass Bog, she was already pursuing graduate studies.
“Publishing is on fire,” she said. “There’s always drama […] The publishing industry is trying to figure out what it needs to be.”
In our post-pandemic, hyper-digital age, even publishers as big as Penguin are rethinking their approach to putting books out.
“It was a shock to see my original imprint, Razorbill, fold,” she added.
While Johnson’s next book is still forthcoming with Penguin in early 2025, it won’t be under the same imprint. As publishers strategize the future of the industry, Johnson’s experience underlines how aspiring authors may need to patient, not to mention flexible.
The Curse of the Eelgrass Bog is available wherever books are sold.
AVERLING, Mary. The Curse of Eelgrass Bog. 256p. Penguin/Razorbill. Jan. 2024. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780593624906.
Gr 4-7--Twelve-year-old Kess Pedrock's older brother Oliver has given up on the upkeep of the Unnatural History Museum, but not Kess. She is determined that her parents will return from their research trip in Antarctica to a well-maintained museum. This task is proving to be nearly impossible with the museum falling apart around her, plus she hasn't discovered any new monster exhibits to lure patrons. Until she has an interesting visitor, Lilou Starling. Kess feels an instant kinship with Lilou and visits her at home where she lives with her two dads. It turns out Lilou's grandpa left her an old map of Eelgrass Bog with specific instructions: "Beware the witches. Break the curse. Save the society." Kess has been warned to stay away from the bog, but the lure of solving Lilou's mystery is too strong. Foreshadowing is strong as Kess has murky memories of her past. Delightful characters abound, such as Shrunken Jim, a talking demon's head in a pickle jar (brine included). Setting details are equally eccentric; the girls discover a strange house that appears at the mouth of the Drowned World tunnel with eight iron legs and crouching "like a mechanical spider." Readers will be anxious to follow where this mystery leads. Lilou and Kess's relationship deepens to genuinely liking one another. Characters read as white. VERDICT A fetching, heart-stopping read with quirky characters, over-the-top depictions, a sinister setting, and the deep roots of family love.--Julie Shatterly
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Shatterly, Julie. "AVERLING, Mary. The Curse of Eelgrass Bog." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 2, Feb. 2024, p. 92. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784714379/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b19cd7c0. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
* The Curse of Eelgrass Bog
By Mary Averling
Middle Grade
The Unnatural History Museum may be falling apart, but it's Kess Pedrock's home and contains almost everything she loves: magical skeletons from Eelgrass Bog, her petulant and perpetually busy brother, and her best friend Jim, a demon trapped as a jarred shrunken head. Only her parents are missing, but maybe, when they come back from their trip in Antarctica, they can save the museum. Until then, it's up to Kess.
One day, the museum finally receives a visitor: a girl named Lilou Starling, who later reveals that her grandfather died and left her a mysterious map with a cryptic puzzle scrawled on its back. This puzzle can only be solved by venturing into the bog itself. Despite Jim's warnings, Kess sets off with Lilou, determined to both save the Unnatural History Museum and impress her new friend. But between the burning watch fires and eccentric witches, Kess discovers that more of her life is tied up in the bog than she could ever have anticipated. Digging too deep might destroy the one thing she's trying to save.
Mary Averling bewitches with her debut middle grade novel, The Curse of Eelgrass Bog (Razorbill, $17.99, 9780593624906), which straddles the line between slimy and sweet, concocting a fantasy world that balances snarky demons, magical bogs, concerned witches and awe-inspiring serpents.
The mystery left behind by Lilou's grandfather will keep even the sharpest readers on their toes, leaving them gasping as the perfectly paced story comes to a head. Averling handles Kess' emotional struggles--particularly her fluttery feelings toward her newfound friend, as well as her sense of obligation toward and longing for her missing parents--with a nuanced yet optimistic lens that will endear Kess to readers.
Whimsically creepy, The Curse of Eelgrass Bog will delight middle grade fans. Readers who love fantastical stories--or digging for magical bones in the dirt--should add this to their shelves.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 BookPage
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Brinkley, Nicole. "The Curse of Eelgrass Bog." BookPage, Jan. 2024, p. 28. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A775549647/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=28941328. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
The Curse of Eelgrass Bog
Mary Averling. Razorbill, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-593624-90-6
Twelve-year-old Kester "Kess" Pedrock and her older brother struggle to maintain their family's Unnatural History Museum in eerie Wick's End while their scientist parents are in Antarctica; without a steady flow of paying customers, the facility grows more decrepit daily. Determined to attract new visitors, Kess endeavors to find a rumored "undiscovered monster" on the outskirts of creepy Eelgrass Bog. Despite feeling drawn to the area, Kess is strictly forbidden from visiting by her best friend Shrunken Jim, a companionable demon's head in a jar who warns that the bog lies atop the Drowned World, an eldritch realm of megafauna, "half-rotten" creatures, and ghastly witches who have succumbed to its dark, all-consuming magic. But after newcomer Lilou Starling--who gives Kess a "warm, sludgy feeling"--asks for Kess's help in breaking a mysterious curse, the pair quickly realize that the answers they seek lie deep wirhin the heart of Eelgrass Bog, prompting them to venture into the Drowned World. While the engrossing mystery wraps up too early on, debut author Averling laces the overall setting with beguiling magical elements that make for an inventive adventure. Characters read as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, A ndrea Brown Literary. (Jan.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Curse of Eelgrass Bog." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 42, 16 Oct. 2023, pp. 57+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A771914089/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fbc5a052. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.