When JJ Fleming contacted our blog, I jumped at the chance to interview the experienced author about his first book for children, a lightly spooky, loveably quirky, suspenseful middle grade mystery set in the Florida Keys. Though this highly engaging book is set in a storm ravaged version of the “near future,” eager readers don’t have long to wait: Wonders of Shadow Key launches on March 31, 2026 (from Regal House Publishing/Fitzroy Books), a mere two weeks in the future.
Take note: author JJ Fleming, also the Director of Creative Writing at the University of Florida (and much, much more) is generously offering two separate giveaways: a copy of this wonderful book and a zoom critique. To enter (U.S. readers only), leave a comment after the post and let us know if you’re interested in one or both. If you share this post, you’ll earn an extra chance to win!
Laura: JJ, welcome to Writers’ Rumpus! I don’t typically begin interviews by highlighting an author’s bio, but yours is so cool! To repeat two delightful snippets, you’ve been called “marvelously inventive” and “the world’s coolest scout leader.” Can you share what led to those comments, as well as tell us about your work as Director of Creative Writing at the University of South Florida? Feel free to mention your other pursuits and accolades, too!
JJ: Thank you, Laura! Those review quotes refer to a couple of my adult books, The Legend of the Barefoot Mailman and Songs for the Deaf. For most of my writing career, I’ve been writing weird and sometimes funny or satirical stories that appeal to the inner kid in adults. I think of them as tall tales for grownups. With Wonders of Shadow Key, I finally decided to step up and write a story specifically for kids that, I hope, still also appeals to adults.
I’ve been teaching at the University of South Florida for 25 years now, and I’ve loved every minute of working with both undergraduate and graduate students. For many of them, being a writer is a dream, and it’s a privilege for me to help them along that path. When I first started writing, it took me a long time to admit to anyone that I wanted to be a writer. The idea sounded pretentious and out of reach. Now, as a writing professor and a program director, I get to show students that they, too, can be writers and announce it to the world. They don’t even have to make a career of it; they just have to keep writing and keep dedicating themselves to the craft.
The view out my USF window, where I keep tabs on the weather.
Laura: What lucky students they are to get such sage advice. It resonates with me, too, as I’m sure it will with many in our Writers’ Rumpus audience. Wonders of Shadow Key is your first foray into writing for children. What prompted you to write a spooky middle grade mystery? The setting (the Florida Keys beset by constant hurricanes) is so richly drawn, it’s like a character unto itself!
JJ: I started Wonders of Shadow Key during the pandemic. Like most everyone, I felt a sense of isolation and disconnection, and writing a story about that feeling was a way to reconnect and to make sense of the disruption. The story’s backdrop evolved from a pandemic disaster to a near-future climate disaster, but the story remained basically the same: a girl experiencing isolation finds unexpected friendship and a new sense of purpose through the ghost colony she meets at the beach. I’ve had a lifelong love of ghosts, storms, and beaches, so to combine all three into one novel was a dream come true. I should add that as much as I love storms, I’ve lived in Florida long enough (and for a time in the hurricane targets of Louisiana and North Carolina) to recognize the dangers of climate change-fueled weather. The fall before last, my area of Florida got hit by two powerful hurricanes in one season. It’s hard not to think they’re striking more frequently and more powerfully, and it’s easy to imagine a future where the constant threat of hurricanes—and other forms of extreme weather—is the new normal. I still have my fascination with storms, but now with a healthy dose of fear and foreboding. They’re the monsters of the air.
My writing office at home, where the spirit of Kurt Vonnegut watches over me
to make sure I remain unstuck in time.
Laura: I really felt for main character Eleanor, who at 12 years old has experienced creditors banging on her family’s front door (who she dubs ‘the door knockers’), the loss of her closest friends, and complete isolation due to her school being destroyed by the relentless storms. She is especially perceptive, about her family’s struggles and with being able to see and communicate with ghosts. How did you create her and the quirky cast of secondary characters – parents, ghosts, and others? Is there a specific character you liked or related to the most?
JJ: I really wanted to write a strong girl as the main character. Eleanor’s life’s been terribly disrupted, and she hasn’t adjusted to her new normal. She misses her friends and her school and the way her family used to be. The storms have changed everything. Some of her friends have moved to higher ground. Others have lost touch. Her school went virtual and now feels barely like school at all. Her parents lost their jobs, and the banks apparently don’t care that the world’s in crisis; they’re still coming to collect debts. Now, to escape those “doorknockers,” her parents get this idea, ridiculous to Eleanor, to take a “vacation” to an abandoned beach town. What promises to be the worst experience of her young life turns out to be healing and empowering. She discovers her “perceptiveness”—her ability to see ghosts. She learns that ghosts can be friendly, and that she can make friends again. She learns that she has the power to help others, and that it feels good to do so.
As Shadow Key’s little ghost colony took shape in my mind, I wanted fun characters for Eleanor to befriend. I love pirates, so Captain Halsey was an easy choice for me. But I also love The Fabulous Singing Siren Sisters—they hold the whole group together with their powerful voices, and they serve as a lesson for Eleanor that your voice can have power, especially when you join it with others.
This is my cat, Weezie. She makes fire and rules the underworld.
Laura: I especially enjoyed the variety of “How-To” essay drafts Eleanor wrote for Mrs. Tarrimore’s online Language Arts class. Clever titles include ‘How to Make Yourself Feel Worse’, and ‘How to Make a Romance (between lonely ghosts).” Your choice to end with a positive essay title (I won’t spill the beans here) made me smile. What was your process for writing this story, including those clever essays? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Someone who writes on a regular schedule or only when the creative muse strikes?
JJ: I loved writing Eleanor’s essay drafts. That’s one place where her voice really comes out. She’s playful, funny, surprising, and a little sarcastic. She kind of, sort of follows the assignment but has the courage to do her own thing with it. And like any good writer, she’s never satisfied, so she keeps starting over with new and better ideas. By the end, she has the courage and ambition to tackle the hardest how-to essay of all: How to Save the World. Who knows what she’ll write, but at this point, I’m willing to listen!
As far as plotting goes, my strategy is usually to burst out 50 or so pages fueled by inspiration, then step back, see what I have and where it might go. I’ll make a loose outline, mainly as a security blanket, and then I’ll happily stain and rip that blanket as I go. After I finish a complete draft, I’ll re-outline to expose gaps, dull spots, and logical problems. Sometimes I’ll experiment with index cards, one for each scene, and I’ll write out mini-essays about the characters and their motivations and backgrounds—things that may or may not emerge in the story. Then another draft and another and another until I finally get to a point where I think it’s done. I try to keep a regular schedule when I’m in the middle of a long project because I find if I take time off or wait for inspiration, I’ll spend several days just getting back into it and finding the same frame of mind.
When my daughter, romance novelist Hayley Fleming, comes to visit,
we write together in coffee shops.
Laura: I like how Eleanor and her ghostly companions stretched beyond their comfort zones and worked together to fight the encroaching evil at the satisfying conclusion. What themes or ideas do you hope middle grade readers will gain from this novel?
JJ: I don’t expect most middle grade readers will ever find themselves in an isolated beach town surrounded by friendly ghosts and a demonic sea creature lurking offshore. But I think they can relate to the feelings of isolation and powerlessness that Eleanor and the ghosts sometimes have. I hope readers will take away the lessons that Eleanor learns—that you can find friendship and community in unexpected places, that you can join with others and use your voice and your light for good. Even when the struggle seems hopeless, it’s important to keep yourself going—by holding onto your joy and your sense of humor.
Laura: What’s next for you? How can our Writers’ Rumpus readership reach you?
JJ: I’ve just finished another middle grade novel, so I’m about to start shopping it around. I have a partial draft of a third middle grade novel and a full draft of an adult novel, so I’ve got plenty to keep me busy. In late December, I ruptured my Achilles tendon playing pickleball; I’ve been on crutches and in a cast and stuck in a recliner most of the day. I like to stay active, so it’s driving me crazy. The upside is that I’ve got lots of time to write!
Readers can reach me at my website, jjflemingbooks.com, where they can also sign up for my newsletter. The first issue is coming soon!
Laura: I’m sorry about your injury, but I have no doubt your extraordinarily creative mind will remain active even if you can’t be. Thank you for discussing Wonders of Shadow Key with us, and I wish you continued success. Thank you also for offering not one but TWO giveaways! Our winners will be lucky indeed. I’ll post the winners on March 24, so commenters, please check back on that date to see if you won, and if so, which awesome prize!
I have one last and very important point to mention: A portion of the royalties from sales of Wonders of Shadow Key will be donated to The Nature Conservancy, an organization that works to preserve and protect our environment. Cheers to that!
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