Today, we are In the Middle with Rachel Searles and her Middle Grade debut, The Lost Planet.

The Lost Planet is available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, and bookstores near you.

Q&A with Rachel

What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?

Middle grade books are the books that made me fall in love with reading, with classics like The Prydain Chronicles, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Ballet Shoes, A Little Princess. I read them over and over, adored them, pushed them on my friends, and knew right away that I wanted to write books of my own one day. I’ve tried writing for other ages, even adult, but it’s middle grade that makes me happiest.

If you had a time machine and could visit middle-grade you, what would you tell her?

I was such a little bookworm—I’d probably tell myself to go outside and get some fresh air once in a while! And to not worry about being a nerd, because nerds rule.

Middle Grade Rachel

Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?

No one’s asked me yet what superpower I’d like to have, and the answer to that is telekinesis. It would be like having the Harry Potter Accio summoning charm at my disposal all the time—no more lying on the couch and uselessly shouting “Accio phone I left upstairs! Accio bowl of cereal from the kitchen!” I could just stay under my blanket and make it all come to me, finally.

Oh my gosh, me too! At this very moment, I’d accio pie. Really, at any moment, I’d accio pie. Thanks for being here with us today, Rachel, and congrats!

Rachel Searles grew up on the frigid shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she spent her childhood studying languages and plotting to travel around the world. She has lived abroad in Munich and Istanbul, working as a cook, a secretary, a teacher, and a reporter for the Turkish Daily News. She now lives in Los Angeles with her rocket scientist husband and two cats, and spends her free time cooking her way through the Internet and plotting more travel. Connect with Rachel on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.