.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Trick or Treat with Nick Eliopulos!
- Lynne Marie
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Hi, readers, writers, and catacomb explorers of all sorts! Today, we’re thrilled to welcome the extremely talented Nick Eliopulos—middle grade author of more than 70 books! Nick joins us to share his newest release with Disney-Hyperion, The Cursed Catacombs—a spine-tingling read just right for spooky season.
In a classic fantasy world, Seth, the last apprentice of the great wizard Bristleboor, ventures into the castle’s tunnels in search of a rare flower. With only an imp for company, he faces monsters, puzzles, and hidden truths about his master. In the end, both Seth, and the reader, must decide where loyalties truly lie, and what kind of hero he is destined to become.
Want to know more about Nick and his new book PLUS want to know if he's passing out Tricks or Treats? Read on if you dare...💀💀💀
Q: Thanks for joining #SeasonsOfKidLit for our Annual Trick-or-Treat Event! We’re thrilled to have you and hear all about your book. It’s perfect for the spooky season! Please tell us a little bit about how the idea for this book came to you. Which came first, the idea or the title? Who came up with Roll for Danger - it’s such a cool concept! We can’t wait to play!
A: Thanks! The original spark for the idea was my desire to harness some of what I was learning in my day job as a game designer. At work, I’ve had a lot of fun creating branching dialogues and nonlinear storylines for games, and of course we all see how excited kids get about video games . . . I wanted to try to capture some of the magic of video games (such as the sense of freedom and agency) in what feels like an otherwise traditional middle-grade fantasy adventure.
There’s a long history of gamebooks that do this sort of thing. But with the Roll for Danger series, I’m specifically trying to appeal to contemporary gamer kids. My books are a little more forgiving than most. Even if you fail a roll, the story continues without sending you back to the start.
Q: Your love for the wizard-based fantasy genre is clear. What from your childhood, reading or perhaps even schooling, inspired this love? Likewise, your love for spooky things and catacombs.
A: I came to fantasy pretty late, actually. I started playing Dungeons & Dragons with some friends in my 20s, and totally fell in love — with the game and the whole fantasy genre. Since then, I’ve been a voracious fantasy reader, and it’s my favorite genre to write.
My love for spooky things goes further back to my childhood. When I was growing up, my dad worked as a death investigator, so dinner table conversation tended toward the macabre. Whenever he got called into the office while my mom was at work, I had to go with him. But his “office” was the city morgue! He’d set me up playing Minesweeper on his work PC while he went into the back room. My imagination ran wild about what was happening on the other side of that door . . .
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your process for worldbuilding. What are some things that a writer should consider when building a world?
A: I love worldbuilding, and I’ve found it especially useful to sketch out maps for my stories. Knowing a lot of details about the landscape, or city districts, or the layout of a house might not matter for readers, but it really helps me to ground the characters in a believable space and to understand how they’re getting from scene to scene.
But I’ve also found that worldbuilding can be a bit of a trap, especially for epic fantasy writers. An imaginative person can spend years fleshing out geography and history and politics and magic systems . . . but at some point, you’ve got to get in there and start writing the story!
Otherwise, you’re really just writing a tabletop game setting, which, while awesome, is not a novel.
Q: What’s your favorite spread and why?
A: It’s hard to choose — illustrator Ethan Aldridge really outdid himself throughout, especially with big finale illustrations for all 6 possible endings . . . but those would be spoilers! So I’ll choose an image from early in the book, when Bristleboor the wizard and his long-suffering apprentice, Seth, stand before a tapestry. That tapestry depicts a scene from an ancient battle that ends up having surprising relevance to Seth’s journey.
Q: How do you best get in the writing spirit?
A: Playing the right music is critical to my process. It’s especially helpful for action sequences, but any time I’m trying to set a mood, I try to find the track or album that gets me into that. Video game soundtracks are usually ideal. Right now, I’m getting a lot of mileage out of the music of Clair Obscur: Edition 33. And I’ll never get tired of the Skyrim soundtrack.
BONUS: What’s both your favorite and least favorite candy? I.e. what would you be thrilled to receive in your candy bag, and what would you desperately try to trade?
A: I love Red Hots! Or any cinnamon candy, really. I’m not at all fond of anything that combines mint and chocolate.
Would you like to leave a Trick or a Treat for our readers?
I’m offering a treat! I’d be happy to provide one lucky reader with a copy of Roll for Danger #1: The Cursed Catacombs . . . with bonus swag! I’ll include an exclusive die custom-made for use with the book.
Wow! What a terror-iffic treat! Thanks again for joining us, Nick. We can't wait to sink our fangs into your new book!
Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter Nick's book giveaway, 1) leave a comment below to thank him for stopping by and 2) share his post on social media. Creepy book-themed GIFs are appreciated, too!
Please Note: Books/giveaways will be shipped in 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 & Author Heather Macht and/or
A Query Critique from Agent Lynnette Novak with The Seymour Agency
Winners will be drawn and announced on or about 10/22.
About Nick Eliopulos:
Nick Eliopulos is an author, editor, teacher, and game designer. His writing credits include more than a dozen officially licensed Minecraft books for young readers. He’s also the writer of indie video game Potionomics and co-author of the Adventurers Guild trilogy and the Doomsday Archives series. Nick’s newest series, Roll for Danger, features choice-based, dice-influenced adventures that combine his love of books and games.
For more about Nick, check out the below links:
Website: nickeliopulos.com
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NickEliopulos
Amazon (for book reviews and purchases): Amazon.com: Nick Eliopulos: books, biography, latest update
