Upas Street: Shocking Specter - Book Tour and Giveaway

​Do you dare enter Dr. Frankenstein’s la-BOR-uh-tree? 

Upas Street: Shocking Specter
The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries Book 6
by Sherrill Joseph
Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal Mystery

​Do you dare enter Dr. Frankenstein’s la-BOR-uh-tree? 
 
A fearless quartet of teen sleuths, the Botanic Hill detectives, travel to Llanfair, a fictitious Welsh village in present-day California, to solve the mystery of the Shocking Specter.
The green-glowing apparition reportedly roams the countryside, setting fire to buildings and meadows during the new moon. The occurrences began shortly after a motion picture stagehand Scotty Roberts’s accidental death by electrocution in this case inspired by the filming of Universal Pictures 1931 classic horror movie Frankenstein.
Supernatural?
Coincidence?
Or is criminal activity at work?
And why, nearly a century later, has the Shocking Specter returned?
 
Readers will enjoy learning about real-life horror film star Boris Karloff, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, other key players in the movie’s production, and some early Hollywood cinematic history. Our fabulous four might need to kick some monsters to the curb to solve this challenging mystery!
  
For ages 9 to 14. Adults like this series, too! My present-day Middle-Grade mysteries have a twist of history, this time, harking to the filming of 1931's Universal Pictures classic horror movie Frankenstein. It is not within the Young-Adult genre that serves ages 14 to 18. 
  
What readers are saying:
 
“Follow our detectives to the fictitious Welsh settlement of Llanfair, California, as they chase a green-glowing specter and get caught up in a riveting mystery that will introduce young readers to the magic of old Hollywood horror movies. Kids will stay intrigued from start to finish.”
--KIMBERLEY KRAMER, Literacy Specialist, Saint Katharine Drexel Academy, San Diego, CA
  
“I loved this book and could not put it down! I loved learning about the Hollywood monsters from the old-time days and meeting the people of Llanfair. You will not be sad that you chose this book to read.”
--SOPHIA O., age 10, San Diego, CA
  
“As a professor of History of Film and Monster and Character Makeup Design, I was intrigued from the first page of this book! The Golden Age of Hollywood is brought to life in the eyes of the young protagonists through their exploration of Universal Studios’ Frankenstein franchise. Joseph not only captured my attention with the charm and intelligence of her four detectives but had me searching for clues and secret messages (Easter eggs) to unravel this horror-movie-inspired mystery. Joseph includes facts about Boris Karloff that I did not know, which delighted me to no end. Jack Pierce may have never received an Oscar for his iconic makeup designs, but he gets a wonderful tribute through this exciting story. A must-read for mystery lovers and film buffs of all ages.”
--SHARON LYNN, award-winning author of A Cotswold Crimes Mystery series; aka SHARON BOLMAN, Senior Professor of Digital Video and General Education, University of Advancing Technology, Tempe, AZ
 
 
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​From Chapter 16, “Burning Thoughts”

Background: The four Botanic Hill detectives are having dinner with their Llanfair hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Llewellyn. There was one night to go before the new moon and the specter’s likely appearance, so this evening should be relaxing . . .
​
The detectives took turns filling the couple in on all the clues and leads they had gathered so far. As usual, Lanny was quick to remind everyone that evidence was scarce so far, but they hoped they were on the right track.
The diners also discussed the day’s unlocked-door issue at the tower museum and were glad the problem seemed under control now. But it would be critical to find out who made a duplicate key and why.
As Moki was reaching for dessert, a powerful, clanging sound began.
The Llewellyns pushed back their chairs immediately and headed for the front door.
Mrs. Llewellyn turned around to the detectives. “It’s a warning bell coming from the village church. Something terrible must have happened! Come with us, quickly.”
Everyone abandoned the dinner table and bolted outdoors. Smoke was already clogging the air, and the group heard a roaring sound. But they continued toward the source. Soon, they joined other villagers, who were shouting and gathering in the town square.
The detectives noticed a large wooden structure on fire! The fire brigade was on the scene trying to douse the tall flames.
“What’s burning?” Lanny asked anyone who would answer.
“Our St. David’s Day festival stage!” said a young woman with a catch in her voice. “We thought building it early would be a good idea, but . . . ” She shook her head.
Lanny looked at the squad. “Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yep,” replied Lexi. “The Shocking Specter did this to distract everyone. It’s on the run--a day early!”
Lanny exhaled. “Ugh! And it’s got a jump on us.”
Rani tugged on Lanny’s sleeve. “Then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go after it.” The athletic girl raced ahead without waiting for a reply. Her three friends followed.
The Shocking Specter likely had a good head start, so the squad decided to go right to the cemetery and tower, ignoring the pond and bridge. The detectives traversed the grassy field in record time. No villagers followed them. Upon reaching the cemetery, Lanny told Moki and Lexi to check there while he and Rani would see if there was any trouble at the tower or its back door.
Soon, the four met between the two destinations.
Lexi held up a large corpse candle. It was a duplicate of the one Lanny had found in the pond, only hers was sparkling a bright red. “We found it by Scotty Roberts’s grave! And congratulations, Moki, for not complaining about returning to your least favorite spot in Llanfair.”
Without waiting for Moki’s reply, Rani said, “The tower museum’s door is still locked, thank goodness, but the doorknob’s loose as if someone’s been tugging on it. And we found a speck of its costume on the bush going down the steps!” She smiled and held up a few threads of fabric, brilliantly glowing green in the dark.
“Hey, guys. Look out there!” Lanny said, pointing.
Far off in the deserted meadow, running northwest toward the dense woods, was the Shocking Specter. It glowed a ghastly green from head to toe, shimmering and pulsating like an animated, computer-generated image. Just as Lanny was going to suggest they follow it, the apparition vanished— as if its lights had been switched off!
​

**Don’t miss the rest of the series!**

​Find them on Amazon! 

Sherrill Joseph was a shy kid whose BFF was Nancy Drew. From her, the author learned to seek adventures, be kind and fair, help others everywhere, and become a mystery author someday.
Convinced early on that she was an architect in a former life, Sherrill was receptive to the magic of her Southern California neighborhood’s historic houses. To this day, she dramatizes those old “castles,” filling them with mysteries, staircases, a ghost or two, and exaggerated occurrences.

The author graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from San Diego State University. Once retired in 2013 after teaching kids for thirty-five years in the San Diego public schools, the inner child in Sherrill created the multi award-winning Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series so her grandkids and all kids can gallop with her and her four forever-thirteen-year-old sleuths in their standalone cases after clues to nab the bad guys.
 
 
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Q: How did your childhood experiences with reading and writing influence the creation of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series?
A:  I was a shy kid with poor reading skills in my early elementary school years. But then in the fourth grade, I discovered Nancy Drew mysteries in my classroom’s library corner. I couldn’t stop reading them and remain convinced that the girl sleuth helped me become a better reader. I walked to my neighborhood library weekly to get as many books as possible, which was only five. All my allowance money went toward buying those mysteries. I still proudly display the entire set in my living room bookcase. That same school year, I started writing mini adventures for my hero and BFF so I could control the level of danger she encountered—“No Nancy! Don’t go down those dark cellar stairs!” I even made shoebox dioramas of scenes from her mysteries. The Hardy Boys and Phyllis A. Whitney mysteries followed. Nancy Drew inspired young me to become a published children’s mystery writer someday. She’s my best literary friend and writing muse.

Q:  Is any of your writing inspired by your actual life?
A:  Yes, mostly from my ongoing childhood! Mysteries have always been my favorite reading and writing genre. Therea re snippets of memories that influenced each of my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries. For example, in Book 1, Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets, I employed a memory of visiting my great-aunt. She lived on a canyon and had an old, mossy pond down some steep stone steps. Many trees created a dark, mysterious world there for me. A cousin told me a big black snake hid in the pond and came out at night. In Book 2, Eucalyptus Street: Green Curse, I recalled childhood-book mysteries with secret passages and characters hunting for something hidden. In Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, I wrapped a mystery around one of my favorite writers, Edgar Allan Poe. In Book 6, Upas Street: Shocking Specter, I showcased my love of Universal Pictures 1931 classic horror film Frankenstein and its inimitable star Boris Karloff as the monster. As a kid, I used to watch those old horror movies on television’s Shock Theater on Saturday nights. I often collect plots ideas on my daily walks in my neighborhood of vintage, historic homes.

Q:  Why the mystery genre, and why do you write cozy mysteries for kids?
A:   I have loved the mystery genre since I discovered Nancy Drew Mysteries at the age of ten. I would finish my schoolwork early so I could pull my book out of my desk and escape to “Nancy Land.” I used to write short mysteries starring Nancy and her friends and vowed that someday, I would write mysteries for children. Kid cozies offer kids a safe place to try on problems and work out solutions. There is crime, but minus the gore and dark peril, so squeamish readers won't be turned off. Instead, young readers can focus on the actions of likable, role-model amateur sleuths who want to help right wrongs to ensure justice is served. There are often intriguing twists and turns in cozies, lots of clues, food, pets, a red herring or two, and a believable solution to wrap things up with a smile for everyone except the villains.

Q:  What do you mean when you say that you write kids’ mysteries with “a twist of obscure history”?
A:  I love infusing tidbits of ancient to more recent obscure history into my present-day mysteries to bring the amazing past to life. I do this is potentially help my readers know and make more sense of the world, get a well-rounded perspective of cultures over tiem, and show that history is fun, relevant, and worth learning. It’s the teacher in me!

Q:  Why are the main characters in The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries so polite, respectful, and smart?
A:  I write to bring joy to kids’ lives and hearts, but also to show them through my mature, polite, smart, role-model detective characters how to become their best selves and approach challenges with courage and teamwork to develop grit for life.

Q:  What is the “biggest lesson” kids and their gatekeepers can expect to take away from your series?
A:  They can improve their lives, therefore, the world, by showing up for challenges as a polite, respectful, open-minded, critically thinking helper. I feel that all my books have many powerful lessons for kids, delivered in a “sugar-coated-vitamin” manner.

Q:  Are The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries a series or standalone books?
A:  Both. The books comprise a series, but they stand alone, meaning they can be read in any order. I reintroduce the four detective characters and other important recurring characters in each book. But I connect the books near the beginning by referencing the former case the detectives solved, then mentioning the next case upcoming at the end. I modeled this style after the Nancy Drew mysteries. Don’t worry. There are no spoilers!

Q:  What inspired the name “Botanic Hill” for your mystery series?
A:  I grew up and still live in the same historic neighborhood where some of the streets have botanicals names, e.g., Upas Street, Palm Street, Quince Street. In fact, when I was a little girl, I thought that if I lived on Nutmeg Street, something magical would happen to me! I have never lived on Nutmeg Street, but that idea and the charming street names inspired me to create a hill where all streets, A to Z, would be named after botanicals.

Q:  Please tell us about the Botanic Hill detectives.
A:  I purposely created my teen detective characters to be mature, responsible, and polite; they are meant to be role models for kids. I fashioned them after my own fifth-grade students and twin cousins. I feel that kids are smart, amazing human beings, and often underestimated by adults. My smart, polite detectives are Lexi Wyatt and Rani Kumar, the two girl sleuths; Lanny and Moki Kalani are the two boy detectives. Each is thirteen years old. They are intelligent, respectful, tech-savvy, resourceful teens who value doing good deeds within their community. They take on cases involving serious crimes that have stumped law enforcement.
 
Alexia “Lexi” Wyatt is the twin sister of Detective Lanny. She loves poetry and song lyrics, is tender-hearted, positive, the first to cry, but is fearless when pursuing the villain. She has an annoying habit of squeezing the forearm of anyone near her when she gets nervous. The twins’ parents are famous in their careers as an archaeologist (Dr. Ian Wyatt), and an art historian (Dr. Rebecca Marlton). Lexi and Rani are best friends.
 
Rani [pronounced “Ronnie”] Kumar, like me, has lexical-gustatory synesthesia: We taste or smell something when we hear a word or name. Rani loves to wear saris since they remind her of her native India and her grandmother, who makes them for her. She is smart and athletic. Rani’s father is Dr. Devi Kumar, a professor of geology at the local university. Her mother is Gajara Kumar, a manager at the local airport for Far Horizons Airlines. They, along with Grandma, moved to California from India when Rani was five years old.
 
Lanyon “Lanny” Wyatt is the twin brother of Detective Lexi. He loves old movies, Sherlock Holmes, and vocabulary building. Lanny is the head of the Botanic Hill Detectives agency from nonstop, logical thinking. The others consider him a “brainiac.” They call him “Lanny the Lexicon” when he defines words. His name Lanyon was my grandmother’s maiden name.
 
Moki Kalani is a transplant from Hawai‛i to California. He is a foodie and the comedian of the group, who often doesn’t appear to be listening but still absorbs the essentials of a situation. He moved to California with his father, Sergeant Daniel Kalani with the local police department, when he was eight after his mother was killed in a car accident in Honolulu. Moki and Lanny are best friends.

Q:  You and your detective character, Rani Kumar, have synesthesia. What is synesthesia?
A: Synesthesia is my superpower! Synesthesia is a mental ability, or condition, that two to four percent of the world’s population is born with. Synesthetes have extra connections in their brains between senses that aren’t normally joined. This allows a crossover of the senses to occur, and one sense comes through as another. For example, Rani Kumar and I have lexical-gustatory synesthesia, the rarest form (0.2% of the world’s population). We taste or smell something when we hear a word or name. For example, Rani says her name makes her taste raw green beans. My name Sherrill makes me taste cherry jelly. My last name Joseph makes me taste a Mounds candy bar (coconut and dark chocolate). Not all tastes are pleasant, however, and we can’t control the taste and aroma sensations that occur. Basically, we experience the world in a different way from most people. Research reveals that synesthetes are often creatives, e.g., Billie Eilish, Lorde, Beyonce, Pharrell Williams, Duke Ellington, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Geoffrey Rush, Leonard Bernstein, Franz Liszt, Richard Feynman, Marilyn Monroe, Vladimir Nabokov, Arthur Rimbaud, Vincent Van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, and Aristotle. Synesthesia has enhanced my ability to write more descriptively. It is often hereditary, but I know of no one in my family who had or has it. Sometimes, that makes me feel lonely. Perhaps that’s why I created a character with synesthesia.

Q:  Which of your four detectives is the most like you? How do these personal connections enhance the authenticity of your characters and stories?
A:   All four detectives are like me to some extent: I have Lanny’s love of reading, words, old movies, and detective stories. Lexi and I are both emotional, “hands-on,” love literature, and try to be positive. I am a twin as are Lanny and Lexi. I have Moki’s dry sense of humor, love of pineapple, and fear of snakes. And Rani and I are both lexical-gustatory synesthetes. But all my detectives have much more courage and poise than I had at their age. I hope my young readers will take after them! I believe that many authors put something of themselves into their characters and stories, which can help create a more authentic experience for the reader since the writing comes from experience and knowledge. 

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