Theresa Schultz, Middle Grade Author

My father came from Ireland, where folklore abounds. That means there are a lot of stories about ancient entities, leprechauns, screaming banshees, and magic. The Irish are famous for their literary accomplishments, from epic novels to heart-wrenching tales of woe. And … maybe even a riddle or two. Here is one of my father's favorites:

On yonder castle wall

A living creature gave its call

Its head was flesh and its mouth was horn

And such a thing was never born.

Can you guess what sort of creature it is?

I love creating a world and filling it with characters I have imagined. There is nothing as exciting as taking these characters under my wing, putting them in awkward or difficult circumstances, and then watching them find a way out of their troubles.

First, I have to give my main character a clear goal – something that means a lot to them, so that they will work hard to achieve it and never give up.

Sometimes, I wish I could be nicer to them, but the best stories thrive on conflict, so throwing a bunch of obstacles in their way lets us root for them as they navigate the challenges they face.

Of course, your characters should be likeable. Occasionally, you may read a book where a bad guy in the main character, but I don't want to root for him to win. I want the good guy to succeed. I would be disappointed if the bad guy won the day.

If I've done my job properly, my characters become real to me, almost like family. I cry when they get hurt and laugh when they've done something funny. I cheer them on. And when I'm writing a scene, sometimes they do something unexpected, not something I had planned for them. When this happens, they truly do seem real.

When Jake Culpepper's pa goes West in search of a new life and then mysteriously disappears, it's up to twelve-year-old Jake to reunite the family. He talks his brother Charlie, eight, into running away from their aunt's farm and traveling half way across the country to Carson City, Nevada, where the boys begin the adventure of a lifetime. Jake and Charlie team up with their Uncle Max, a private investigator, who agrees to travel with them to Bodie, CA, the roughest, toughest town in the West and the last place their pa was last seen alive. First though, they must solve the mystery behind a haunted house in Aurora, NV, a town on the way to becoming a ghost herself.

Along the way, they encounter several colorful characters: a superstitious man with a story to tell, a ruthless bandit with a sentimental streak, and a pretty little girl who sets Charlie's heart afire – not to mention the "ghosts" of the old Colgate mansion. Stagecoach robberies, falling chandeliers, booby traps and a midnight trip to a cemetery are some of the adventures Jake and Charlie must survive before they can even begin to look for their pa.