Ibarra V. Gomez

Day 7 of #SCBWIArtober2025 and the word is FUZZY. Ok, so technically this is a wooly bear caterpillar - but he’s just so fuzzy!

#kidlit kid lit art

His parents may call him Michael, but his friends call him Monster. He's had it with his weird monster-obsessed teacher and decides to take revenge.

The twists are many and the gross factor is elevated but a sudden finale bogs down the story as chapters are sacrificed to the ongoing HorrorLand arc.

Drawing of dancing ghosts and a mouse. Nightime. Floating candles. Three ghosts playing instruments.

Midnight | #scbwiArtober2025 Day 6: Candle 🕯

Abby and her brother have no choice but to go live with their Uncle Jonathan. His house is huge, but kind of creepy. And there's something strange about all of the Egyptian stuff in there...

The mummy books are reflective of the aging mythological Egyptomania that has long past out of memory.

Okay let's do this - Oct 1 - middle grade horror books you should read DAY ONE

When i decided i wanted to write middle grade, I knew I needed to read some modern ones and this was the first book I picked up. It was incredible.

No cars. No voices. Nothing but the sound of breathing and clothes rustling. For us, a fanciful story. But for four teenagers, a horrible nightmare.

This author knocked it out of the park! The story captures the feel of an Outer Limits episode while also transposing the formula for younger readers.

was updating my portfolio and I don't know if I've ever shared this. Ingrid's transformation from wolf to human, from the prologue of the Wolf and the Witch

The Bloodnights and the Howlers have been neighbors for a long time, but for some reason, they don't get along. It doesn't matter to 12-year-olds Max and Jade, at least not until the deadly attacks that occur around the full moon.

A spooky werewolf story set during Halloween! What's not to love?

My previous work featured a mix of character ages, and now my stories all feature 12-year-old protagonists. But! This is a good reminder that older characters don't just have to conform to tropes. I'll make sure I keep this in mind as I introduce older supporting characters.

#HorrorWritersChat

Thank you to Cait for the kind words! 🥰🥰🥰

Writers, you know how much it means when another author says they wish they had written something. 🫶🥹😭

Ooh I'll join #HorrorWritersChat.

I'm Ibarra V. Gomez, I write middle grade horror stories, and I'm 42. I've written for a while but it's my first time writing for younger readers. It's fun getting to both write the stories but also read them. There are spectacularly spooky kids' books out there!

Shelly has lived in Triton Bay all her life. But things suddenly change and before she knows it, Shelly dives deep into the depths of a darkness she can't imagine.

What a turn! I'm such a sucker for a heavy-hitting twist and it was incredible to discover one in a book based on a Disney story.

Digital illustration of a group of teens eating on a city rooftop and greeting a friendly dragon

Digital illustration featuring a family of cozy crocodiles

Digital pixel art illustration of a bear running a busy cafe filled with other animals

Digitally illustrated comic page montage of two friends enjoying summer

Got a gig for one of your favorite(???) illustrators/ cartoonists with a knack for silly gators, making sporty graphic novels, and all around joyful and colorful stuff? Boy do I have a website and email for you!!
🩷Jaymebrodie.com
🩷Jaymebrodie@gmail.com

Nicky is focused on one thing: find out what happened to his friend Aaron. His dad says they've been sent to live with a distant aunt, but there's been creepy evidence to the contrary.

Reader beware, the lore is deep! It's best suited to those who've played the games and read previous books.

Meet the New Host of Reading Rainbow: Mychal the Librarian After 20 years, Reading Rainbow is back! The new host is Mychal the Librarian, who has been spreading library joy online for years.

bookriot.com/new-host-of-...

YAY, #ReadingRainbow is back AND with @mychal3ts.bsky.social as host!!!

#ReadingRainbow #KidLit #Books #Librarian #Readers

The illustrious Behre family is perfect. Upstanding members of their community. Then the murders start and in spite of teen Sunny's best efforts, people keep getting killed.

Wow! This is a dark and incredible examination of secrets and tragedies in a family, all wrapped up in a spooky YA novel.

Ethan and Olivia thought it would be harmless to check out the traveling carnival before it officially opens. Just poke around the carnival games, see inside the house of mirrors. It's not long before the ringmaster forces them to face his trials.

Games and horror, it's a winning combination!

Today's #watercolor sketch:

Shelves of books that have been request for pickup. I’m sliding Yeti Is Not Ready for School off the shelf.

Dropped by my library to see Yeti Is Not Ready for School! I couldn’t stop smiling when I went to browse for more books. #kidlit #kidlitart

The Tate family could use a change, so when Aunt Amelia leaves them a house they pack up and move into the creepy place. It's old, a bit musty, and may just have a porcelain pest problem.

There's amazing work here to give these characters more depth and pathos than your average middle grade novel!

The covers for the first 3 books in my Arcanium series (River of Crows, Mirror of Wolves, and Stone of Serpents against a light blue background. Text scattered around the covers reads: -portal fantasy -siblings -Chosen One (or maybe not???) -tyrant emperor with dark magic -new friends become there-for-you-always friends -enchanted army of birds --grumpy gardening sorcerer with an apothecary shop -really evil henchman -awesome origami magic -a crow with a white feather -magic manifests differently for everyone -told from multiple points of view

Only ONE WEEK LEFT to get the super-sale pricing on the bundle pack for the first 3 books in my Arcanium series. For less than the price of 2 books, you get all 3 of 'em and will be all caught up when book 4 drops in November! 😊 #BookSky

➡️ shop.nptwrites.com/b/HPTIy
➡️ itch.io/s/159675/pre...

Victoria's family finds the perfect piano to help her practice at home. Everyone loves the way it sounds... until it starts playing when no one is around!

This entry in the Creepers series is less creepy and more sentimental, but there's always room for heart in horror. ❤️

Copies of the book Two's a Charm by Heather Spellman, showing two opposite witchy sisters in a standoffish pose. Various witchy accoutrements (bottles of tiny witches brooms and fake mushrooms) are in the foreground.

Something witchy this way comes!

Author copies!! 🧹✨

TWO'S A CHARM (by me, as Heather Spellman) publishes from PanMacmillan on 9 Oct in print, audio & ebook.

The cover art is by Julia Murray, w/ design from Kieryn Tyler.

macmillan.com/authors/heather-spellman/twos-a-charm/9781035083060

#booksky

Herculeah Jones has a cop for a dad and a private investigator for a mom, so the snoop is certainly strong with her. That instinct leads her to investigate the Dead Oaks house and a mysterious oaf who's nosing around.

It's a lean, quick mystery that shows you're never too young to suspect everyone.

I'll be in Redmond on October 11 for Bigfoot Kids Book Festival! Just look how adorable their mascot is!!

Surprising no one, I'm a big fan of the spooky episodes of The Simpsons. The variety of stories in here hearkens back to classic horror tales, a fantastic mix of artists, and leans into more gory and outrageous premises than what might be allowed on TV. I'm excited to read volumes 2 and 3!

Illustration of four young boys, all different races, colors, hair styles, and are sitting on the front porch of a house for a photo shoot. Their two dads are in the foreground, in shadow. One is trying to get the boys' attention while the other is holding a camera, trying to take a picture.

Illustrated this MG book cover years ago that ended up not being chosen (the publisher decided to go another route) - posting this because I'd love to do more book cover work. Not just for MG but YA, too! I'm open.

(Yes, I'm available. Like, now.)

Mysterious kids show up in school one day wearing bizarre uniforms. No one knows where they came from. Twins Jess and Josh follow the clues into a dark place beyond imagination.

Stine’s knack for twists shows through in this fun comic tale about the dark underbelly of your average middle school.

THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY i knew the numbers for seattle/king county because my friend checked haha but i wasn't sure if that was just because it was all my local friends doing it! libraries are so good

Lacey and Cal are stepsisters who haven't exactly become close. But now they have no choice but to work together to fight something that threatens the very fabric of reality.

It's an impressive first outing and an exciting way to kick off this series of horror fantasy stories for younger readers!