Victoria Simcox's Interview and Review of ~The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow~

The Begonia House keeps its secrets. 

 Fear Not The Unexpected

Everyone knows that. Everyone, that is, except for clever eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow, whose family has just moved in. Being the Senior Investigator in the Detective Mystery Squad, more commonly known as the DMS, she’s ready to uncover the mysteries hidden within the strange manor. As the investigation gears up and the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, the DMS enters into a world where anything is possible, and the danger is most definitely real. Follow along with Fairday and her friends, as spooky meets lovely in this twisting tale of dark secrets and hidden pasts.

  Author Bios:

Jessica is a quintessential New Englander, harboring a need to be near the ocean and a personal desire to experience the four seasons every year. Now at the age of 39, she lives in New Fairfield, CT with her fiance, James, her dog, Jack and her cat, Bill. 

Author Bios:

 Stephanie lives with her husband in a quiet town, though not as quaint as Ashpot. She has been a fifth grade teacher for over ten years and learns something new every day. When she isn't working, Stephanie spends her time writing, reading, and traveling. 

My Review 

Looking for a read with a curious and captivating adventure, then I highly suggest The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow. From the very first page I was intrigued to read on. Twelve year old Fairday Morrow, her mom, dad and baby sister move from the big city of New York to an old mysterious house in Ashpot, Connecticut. At first Fairday is not too excited about the move and the fact that she will be far away from her best bud, Lizzy, but once she steps foot into the timeworn, secretive house, the wheels in her inquisitive mind begin to spin. Things don’t seem so bad after all, now that she can put her detective skills to use. She will begin on her own but can hardly wait until Lizzy can come to stay and then the two of them can explore and inspect together. Throughout her adventure, Fairday will discover puzzling rooms, littered with turn of the century furniture, fixtures, and chilling pictures on the walls with people in them whose eyes shift to and fro. Also, strange, glittery, high heeled sneakers and a mysterious walk-in wardrobe. There is much more in this read, including Faiday’s, somewhat eccentric/happy go lucky father, whom I got a kick out of. Being a middle grade writer myself, I always love to read other middle grade books. This one was wonderful from beginning to end. I would recommend it first to tweens, and if you are older like me and enjoy this age level and genre then I definitely recommend it to you as well.

 Interview with the authors

 

 How did you start your writing career?

  

Jessica:  

I have always loved stories, for as long as I can remember. I would say after I got over the devastation that I was probably not going to be an astronaut (terrible at math)

becoming a writer was the only other thing there was for me to be.

I started looking for a literary agent for my children’s story, Ruby Begonia and the High-Heeled Sneakers about five years ago. Since the story has transformed into the middle grade book, The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow, the pursuit has become much more involved.

Stephanie:  

Since I was a little girl I have loved reading and creating stories.  When I was younger I thought I would be a teacher during the year and spend the summer writing books (yes, that is plural).  I obviously didn’t understand how much time teaching and writing would actually take. Ever since Jessica asked me to co-author The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow with her I have been actively pursuing my dreams of being a writer.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing your books?

Jessica:  

I learned a lot about myself and about discipline in writing. I am sort of a free-form writer, and it is absolutely essential to keep everything in tune and orderly to progress. Stephanie is the master of organization, so I am very lucky to have her as my co-author. Most of the time, instructions and lists sound to me like the adults in Charlie Brown, whoh, whoh, whoh. However, after working on this with my awesome writing partner, I embrace the list : )

Stephanie:  

I have been surprised by the amount of time Jessica and I spend discussing Fairday and her friends and coming up with ideas.  Most of our conversations now center around our writing and blog.  I never knew how much fun it would be to write a book with someone else who shares my same vision and makes work fun. Also, I have been pleasantly surprised to find support for my book in places I never expected. Thanks to all of our supporters.

What is your favorite meal?

Jessica:  

Hamburger, med rare, slice of tomato, mayo, ketchup (preferably from Denmo’s in Southbury, CT) with a side of onion rings and a root beer or cream soda.

Stephanie:  

Hmmm...This is a tough one.  Pizza is one of my favorite foods (specifically Ernie’s or Pepe’s from New Haven, CT). My favorite meal would either be pizza or chicken cordon blue, with a side of mashed potatoes, and broccoli. YUM!  

You just won a huge lottery what is the first thing you'll buy?

Jessica: 

 A horse.

Stephanie: After I took care of all my bills and helped out my family and friends, I would love to travel, so I guess it would be plane tickets to some fabulous place : )

Tell us about a favorite character from a book. 

Jessica:  

Morpheus & Death from the Sandman series. Neil Gaiman twists his stories and  characters into the fabric of myth and folklore, bringing them to life in a new way. I think that The Sandman is wonderfully original.

 
Stephanie: 

HarryPotter. I loved seeing the magical world through his voice. I had a connection to his story, and felt like I was right there with him every step of the way. 

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

Jessica:  

For some odd reason, the Dead Sea. Also, I would love to visit a really secretive island paradise someplace in the Pacific- maybe the Cook Islands.

 
Stephanie:

I love to travel and have driven across the United States 3 times. I have seen all but 4 of the states- but hope to one day have seen all 50. I have travelled out of the country as well, but not to very many places. I would LOVE to get to spend time visiting every country and checking out all that this amazing planet has to offer. My dream is to travel to as many places as possible. Next up I would love to visit Italy, France, or Sweden.

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