Writing for Boys: My Approach, My Story, and the Heart of The Ghostlight Chronicles
Writing for Boys: My Approach, My Story, and the Heart of The Ghostlight Chronicles
I'm delighted to be part of the LiteraryWorld community and to have the opportunity to share a little about myself, my writing, and the stories I hope one day to bring to young readers.
I have been writing short stories since I began teaching more than ten years ago. During that time, an idea that started small gradually developed into The Ghostlight Chronicles, a middle-grade supernatural mystery series.
As I continue learning about the publishing process, I'm looking forward to connecting with writers, publishers, agents, educators, and others within the LiteraryWorld community who understand both the craft of storytelling and the journey involved in bringing a book to publication.
Why I Write for Boys
When I think back to my own childhood, I remember struggling with reading. It wasn't because I couldn't read, but because many of the books available to me felt dull, too long, or simply not written with boys like me in mind.
Thirty years later, as a class teacher in Accrington, I began hearing many of the same frustrations from my students. Some boys were reluctant readers because books were "too long," "not funny," or "not about football."
That experience became one of the reasons I wanted to write a series of my own.
I wanted to create stories that boys would actively choose to read: books that felt achievable, exciting, and rewarding. The Ghostlight Chronicles is deliberately structured with shorter chapters and a manageable length, allowing readers to experience a sense of accomplishment while encouraging them to keep turning the pages.
I write primarily with boys aged 8 to 12 in mind, because this is such an important stage in the development of reading habits, tastes and confidence.
Mystery, humour, adventure and a touch of danger can be powerful ways of engaging young readers. But I also believe children need stories that explore emotional intelligence, friendship, vulnerability and courage.
With The Ghostlight Chronicles, I aim to combine thrilling, atmospheric adventures with relationships and challenges that feel real.
My Approach to Writing
My books are for everyone, but I write with a conscious awareness of what can engage reluctant boy readers.
My approach is fast-paced, character-driven, and rooted in curiosity. I believe young readers connect with protagonists who are imperfect, who make mistakes and who learn and grow through their adventures.
I build tension through spooky mysteries, but balance this with warmth, humour and moments of bravery that feel achievable rather than superhuman.
There is also something compelling about returning to familiar characters across a series. Readers can follow friendships as they develop, recognise recurring elements and experience the satisfaction of growing alongside the characters.
That sense of continuity is an important part of The Ghostlight Chronicles.
Age Range
The Ghostlight Chronicles is written for middle-grade readers aged 8 to 12, a formative period when children increasingly begin choosing books independently.
It is also an age when spooky stories can feel exciting rather than overwhelming, and when mystery and adventure can help spark imagination, confidence and, hopefully, a lifelong love of reading.
Subject and Style
The series blends supernatural mystery with heritage settings: old theatres, museums, historic houses, forgotten artefacts and eerie local legends.
My writing is atmospheric but accessible, with short chapters, strong dialogue, humour woven through moments of tension, and emotional experiences that feel authentic to young readers.
My goal is simple: stories that are spooky enough to thrill, but warm enough to reassure.
About Me
I'm a children's writer from Lancashire with a background in education and heritage learning.
Working with young people has had a significant influence on the way I write. It has given me insight into the things children worry about, what makes them laugh, and what captures their imagination.
My work in heritage has also given me a fascination with old places and forgotten stories, something that naturally found its way into the mysteries at the heart of The Ghostlight Chronicles.
My long-term ambition is to secure literary representation, bring the series to publication, and establish a career writing fiction for children.
Researching and Positioning the Series
My fascination with ghost stories began early.
My father, a Scout master, used to tell us spooky tales from his travels, stories we would listen to wide-eyed in the Scout hut at night. That sense of wonder never really left me.
More recently, Danny Robins' Uncanny podcast reignited my fascination with real-life supernatural experiences. Ordinary people recount extraordinary events, often with very different interpretations of what happened.
That idea reflects something at the heart of The Ghostlight Chronicles: strange events can be explored, questioned, and understood in different ways.
As I developed the series, I also researched comparable middle-grade books, including The Peculiar Tale of the Tentacle Boy, Crater Lake, The Haunting of Aveline Jones and The Ghost of Gosswater.
I looked closely at tone, pacing, chapter structure, character dynamics, and the ways these books balance supernatural or spooky elements with humour, accessibility, and emotional depth.
This research helped me refine my own approach and think more clearly about how to position the series when approaching literary agents — particularly its combination of spooky adventure, heritage settings and character-driven storytelling.
Meet the Ghost Hunters
At the centre of the series are the young people who find themselves drawn into these strange investigations.
From the outset, sibling rivalry provides much of the humour and heart. Emily is sceptical and logical, while David is determined to prove that ghosts exist. Their opposing perspectives create tension, warmth and plenty of comic moments.
During their first investigation, they meet Ameena, a fellow ghost hunter who is navigating challenges of her own at school. David connects with her immediately, while Emily is more guarded. Their friendship gradually develops as the series progresses.
Leonard joins the group in Book Two, bringing a lighter energy to the team, along with an unrequited crush on Emily.
Together, the four become a slightly dysfunctional but fiercely loyal team of young ghost hunters, exploring atmospheric locations, uncovering forgotten stories, and trying to make sense of events that do not always have an obvious explanation.
And that, ultimately, is the heart of The Ghostlight Chronicles: mystery, friendship, curiosity, and the courage to step into the unknown.