Writing Middle Grade Horror with Kaela Rivera

About this episode

The episode discusses writing horror for middle grade readers with insights from authors Kaela Rivera and Shelly Brown.

In the third and final episode of this series with Kaela Rivera, Jason Conforto, Chad Morris, and Shelly Brown talk about writing horror for middle grade readers. Kaela and Shelly both have novels in the genre, and they discuss how to balance scares with heart, tension with age-appropriate storytelling, and what makes spooky stories resonate with younger audiences. It’s a fun and insightful conversation about crafting chills for young readers.

People in this episode

Host: Brandon Mull

Guest: Kaela Rivera

Topics covered

• middle grade horror
• writing
• storytelling
• young readers
• crafting chills

Keywords

• middle grade
• horror
• writing
• storytelling
• young audiences
• scares
• heart

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Manticore Media

More episodes of Mulling It Over - with Brandon Mull

• Epic Fantasy & Outlining with Christopher Paolini · June 2, 2026 · 44 min
• Independent Publishing with Aaron N. Hall · May 5, 2026 · 48 min
• Heritage & Storytelling with Kaela Rivera · April 21, 2026 · 48 min
• Learning Disabilities with Jason Conforto · April 7, 2026 · 45 min
• Resistance to Revisions with Kaela Rivera · March 24, 2026 · 48 min
• Changes & Interest with Chad Morris & Shelly Brown · March 10, 2026 · 48 min