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Trick or Treat with I. M. Eerie + Treats Inside!
Hi, readers and writers, and I SCREAM lovers of all kinds! We have an extremely eerie treat for you today. I. M. Eerie is here with us sharing his deliciously dreary MG book, The I Scream Truck!
When a boy becomes suspicious of a mysterious new ice cream truck in his neighborhood, his curiosity leads him to uncover strange nighttime deliveries and a sinister secret that could put him in serious danger! If you're looking for a terrifying read this season — you must sink your teeth into this tale!
Want to know more about I. M. Eerie and his chilling book, PLUS want to find out what Treats he's passing out? Read on...if you dare. 🍦👻
Q: Hi, I. M. Eerie! Thanks for Trick-or-Treating with SeasonsOfKidLit.com! We’re thrilled to feature you and hear all about you and your eerie MG books! What inspired your story, The I Scream Truck, and can you share a little about its path to publication?
Thanks for having me! The title inspired the story of The I Scream Truck. I thought: What would an ice cream truck called The I Scream Truck look like? Who would own it? What would they serve? How would a child who’s terrified of spooky things react to it suddenly appearing in their neighborhood? And from there on, the story pretty much wrote itself!
The I Scream Truck had a long and bumpy road (drive?) to publication. My first iteration of the book was written many moons ago! It got me two separate agents (including my current one) and died two times on submission to publishers. It wasn’t until after my first published book, Open Wide, was released that my current publisher picked up The I Scream Truck to be the sequel. I’m so happy to see it out in the world in printed form finally. So, if you’re a writer reading this who’s had a book die on submission, don’t give up hope!
Thanks so much for sharing this with us. What haunt-tastic encouragement!
Asking too many questions about the new ice cream truck puts a boy on thin ice in this entry in the bone-chilling middle grade horror series An Eerie Tale, perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Christopher Pike.
Q: We love your fang-nificent pen name! Can you tell us how you came up with I. M. Eerie?
A: I’m sorry? Pen name? I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re—ah, yes. I can see how you’d get that idea with my initials and all. See, I was born Ignatius Malachi Eerie—I. M. Eerie for short. If my name were a pen name, I guess you could say it sounds like someone took the publishing industry’s advice to "brand yourself" a little too literally when they first started out. And pen name or not, it definitely helped capture agents’ attention during the query process, so I’m very grateful for that.
Q: Your book is a horror story for young readers - how fun! How do you balance fun and fright for kids? What’s the most challenging part of this process?
A: I believe one of the biggest offenses you can make as a kid lit author is to talk down to your readers. So, to be honest, I don’t hold back at all on the scares (and if you’ve read both my books, you know that!). Sometimes my editor will have me cut back on overt blood/gore, but that’s about it. Kids today can handle a lot of scares—and they’re asking for it!—so I try to really deliver for young horror readers. In terms of balance, I’ll say that in my books, all that horror is coupled with a great dose of humor. But having humor present doesn’t make my books any less scary. In fact, I think that juxtaposition makes the scary parts even more terrifying!
Q: What was your favorite part of working with your illustrator?
A: My cover was illustrated by the very talented Andy Smith (https://www.asmithillustration.com). All props go to him— I had absolutely nothing to do with it, haha! Andy did the cover for Open Wide, as well. Both times, I’ve been totally surprised and in awe at the design. I really hope I get to work with him more so he can keep surprising me!
Q: What other books of yours can we check out ASAP or keep our eyes peeled for?
A: If you enjoyed The I Scream Truck, be sure to check out the first installment in my An Eerie Tale series: Open Wide. It actually has a fun Halloween connection! The main character, Eddie, has to visit the eccentric new dentist in town after he gets a cavity from eating too much Halloween candy. It’s an eerie good time!
You can also check out my short story, Chore Wheel, in Shane Bradley’s upcoming middle grade horror anthology Odd Things To Read At Night, releasing October 13th. Proceeds from the anthology are being donated to an animal shelter, so it’s for a good cause!
I have many other projects in the works, so keep an eye on my social media (Instagram & Threads are where I’m most active) or my website for release-related announcements.
We're dying to see more books of yours hit the shelves!
Q: What is your character’s favorite fall or Halloween treat, and why?
A: Easy! A frozen treat from The I Scream Truck (in particular, a cup of Mr. Twisty’s famous Rotten Candy Italian Ice).
Q: What is your favorite Halloween candy that you’d love to see in your goodie bag, and what candy would you immediately swap (or toss)? How about your MC’s?
A: I’d be very happy to see some Sour Skittles in my goodie bag. As for what I’d swap… that would have to be chocolate. (*Gasps heard around the world!*)
I’d swap anything chocolate for something fruit-flavored. I’m not a chocolate guy. John, the main character in The I Scream Truck, is a big fan of sugar, so he’d welcome any candy, chocolate included.
Q: Would you like to leave a Trick or a Treat for our readers?
A: I’m offering a treat—well, two, actually! I’m happy to provide one lucky reader with copies of Open Wide and The I Scream Truck signed by yours truly.
Woah! What a ghoul-iciously sweet treat! Thanks so much for joining us today. It was a pleasure getting to know you more and hearing all about you and your books.
Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter I. M. Eerie's giveaway, 1) leave a comment below to thank him for stopping by and 2) share his post on social media. We'd love to see some spooky GIFs, too!
Please note: This giveaway will be shipped within the U.S. only.
*Special Reminder: Those who like, leave a comment on, and share all posts will be entered into a drawing and be eligible to win:
One (1) of five (5) Rate Your Story Speed Passes, perfect for quick MS feedback, provided by Editor Lynne Marie and Author Heather Macht and/or
Books from Heather's Treat Bag (see below)!
Winners will be drawn and announced on 10/18. Head back to the blog then for the official announcement!
About I. M. Eerie:
I. M. Eerie lives alone in an old Victorian house on top of a hill. His hobbies include playing the organ, taxidermy, and scaring children through his writing. If you hear screams coming from inside his house, do not be alarmed—those are just the sounds of a scary movie. His An Eerie Tale series is published by Aladdin Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. He is represented by Lynnette Novak at The Seymour Agency.
Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imeeriebooks/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imeerie/
Twitter: https://x.com/imeeriebooks
Website: https://www.imeerie.com
REMINDER: The 2026 SOKL Book Awards Contest is LIVE! For more, visit: 2026 Book Awards | SeasonsOfKidlit
Kids will love this book! Thanks for sharing your story of persistence!
I shared on Instagram
What a fun story for MG readers! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your inspirational story, and congrats on the novel.
I will be keeping an eye out for that MG anthology. I love a good ghost story!
Having just learned of the An Eerie Tale two book (so far) series, I was thrilled to see the possibility of winning both books as a treat from the author! I’ve got my fingers crossed and will definitely be advising the elementary/MG librarians in the district where I retired to check out both books for their collections!
Congratulations and thank those parents for the name! That's a hoot!