By Stephanie Bearce, Author of The Secret of Moonrise Manor

“I think everybody has a bent, and the key is to follow that bent. So much human wastage comes from people who are doing things with their lives that they really aren’t happy with.”

–J. Carter Brown

I was that kid. The one who would rather read than be forced to talk to humans. The nerd with the prize-winning fossil collection. (Purple ribbon at the state fair!) The girl who corrected her fourth-grade teacher when she said live birth was a trait of all mammals.

I mean seriously – if I hadn’t said something my classmates would have grown up ignorant of monotremes. And a life without platypuses would be sad.

I was odd, socially awkward, a total dork. All the stereotypes. And yet, I was happy because my family understood my bent. They encouraged me with fossil hunting expeditions, trips to museums, homemade science experiments, and lots of library time. They didn’t force me to play sports or dance. (although that may have been to protect others from my klutziness…) I was allowed to become the person I was created to be.

When I was writing The Secret of Moonrise Manor, I wanted to show that kind of family acceptance and encouragement. Raven is a quirky kid. But in her family each person is accepted for who they are and the bent they have. Raven loves forensic science, but her sister is into theatre and singing. Both girls are encouraged to explore their interests.

Each one of Raven’s friends has their own bent. Eric is an adrenaline seeking computer geek. Cosmina is interested in all things mystical and magical, and Miles is working to discover his own talents.

I hope that readers will see themselves reflected in the characters and understand that they too have natural talents and interests. They were born with a bent, and they should explore that bent to see where it takes them.

I also hope that friends and families will encourage people in their lives to explore their interests. Embrace your inner geek. Chase the salamanders, explore the haunted castles, build the crazy robot. You never know what an amazing life or career it will lead to.

You might even become an author.

NEW! The Secret of Moonrise Manor: A curious girl named Raven—think Wednesday Addams meets Sherlock Holmes—uses her budding skills as a mortician and a scientist to investigate an old and mysterious death at her small town’s haunted hotel.

Stephanie Bearce is a history detective and a science nerd who loves turning her discoveries into books for kids. She is an award-winning author of thirty-five traditionally published nonfiction books; The Secret of Moonrise Manor is her fiction debut. Stephanie frequently presents at conferences, schools, literature festivals, and libraries around the country. A winner of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award and the SCBWI Work in Progress Grant, Stephanie’s books have also been selected for the NSTA Recommended Reading List.