Jake C. Rudquist

Jake C. Rudquist is an author based in Minnesota whose stories have appeared in various humor publications. His debut novel, We’re All Dead Here, is a bit more serious than his usual nonsense, and is a tribute to all the scary books he read and loved in childhood. He currently resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and dog.

What is your book about?
We're All Dead Here is a ghost story from the point of view of the ghosts. It asks, what would you do if you were twelve years old and suddenly a ghost?

Who is your book for?
My book was written for middle grade readers because that's the age when I most loved to read. I tried to make it interesting enough for adults to enjoy too.

I'm a parent. How do I get my child excited to read?
Let them choose what they read. If it's a book, great, but it doesn't have to be. If they seem interested in comics and graphic novels, or magazines, or even online articles, that at least gets them reading. I remember reading video game magazines when I was younger. Sure, I loved playing video games, but I grew to enjoy reading about them too. The point is, I was reading!

My child might be open to reading books, but just doesn't know WHAT to read. What would you recommend?
Suggest something that touches on their interests. My book incorporates two things I found fascinating when I was in that age range - the paranormal, and the Second World War. If your child is interested in sports, or music, or gaming, there are definitely books out there about all those things, both fiction and nonfiction.

Once my child starts reading something, particularly a book, how can I steer them towards finishing it?
This is a great question, because all our attention spans are shorter than ever, for both kids AND adults. If your child is reading fiction, you can ask them who their favorite character is and what's happening to that character. In the case of my book, I wrote it so that adults can get something out of it too. It's possible for both you and your child to be reading my book (or something similar) at the same time. With whatever you're reading, you and your child can touch base every so often to talk about what's happening in the story and propel each other towards finishing the book.

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Website:
https://northernspecterpublishing.com/​

Purchase the book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Were-Dead-Here-Jake-Rudquist/dp/B0CNDFK9KX​