Patrick Carman: I Write Books I Would Have Read as a Kid

Patrick Carman has authored 40 novels with over five million books in print across 23 countries, including The 39 Clues, Skeleton Creek, The Land of Elyon, and Floors. He is also the creator of “Aftershock,” a #1 fiction podcast on Apple and iHeart, and co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of GoKidGo, where he writes, directs, and produces every GoKidGo show.

Mr. Carman is an inexhaustible public speaker who presents at events including the National Book Festival, the LA Book Festival, and the American Library Association national conference. He has spoken live to over a million students at over 2,500 schools across the country. Follow him on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

Patrick Carman

In this interview, Patrick discusses how growing up on oddball comedies helped inspire his new children’s novel, The Terror in Jenny’s Armpit (The Bonkers Series), his advice for other writers, and more!

Name: Patrick Carman
Literary agent: Jennifer Joel, CAA
Book title: The Terror in Jenny’s Armpit (The Bonkers Series)
Publisher: Blackstone
Release date: March 5, 2024
Genre/category: Juvenile fiction
Previous titles: Land of Elyon series, 39 Clues, Skeleton Creek series, Floors, Dark Eden, Pulse trilogy, Atherton trilogy, Mr. Gedrick and Me, Fizzopolis trilogy, 3:15, Towervale, Voyagers, and more.
Elevator pitch: There’s something in Jenny’s armpit. And it’s getting bigger.

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What prompted you to write this book?

I grew up watching cheesy 1970s television and reading oddball books like The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh, The Rats of Nimh, and everything by Roald Dahl. I was also reading a lot of trash—scary comic books, Mad Magazine—and sneaking into movies like Alien and Blazing Saddles. It was a heady time in the city for a kid! Throw “Fantasy Island,” “Tales from the Crypt,” Young Frankenstein, Meatballs, House of Mystery comic books, and Life of Brian into a blender and you get … The Terror in Jenny’s Armpit! Which is to say, a strange story that’s also funny.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

You might think getting someone to publish a book called The Terror in Jenny’s Armpit would be quite a bit of work over 10 or 20 years. But you would be wrong! It actually took 30 years. Also, I’m lying. I was as surprised as anyone at how quickly the series got picked up because let’s be honest, the whole idea is bonkers. Maybe that’s why it works: It’s so weird an editor can’t say no. These days, I generally write a book before I go to a publisher, and I knew Dan Ehrenhaft at Blackstone from some previous projects—this seemed like something he would like, and he got it right away. I didn’t take it to anyone else, so it closed over the course of a month or so. Liner note: I still don’t know how to pronounce Dan’s last name and I’ve known him for 20 years. It would probably help if I asked him.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

This book has an animated show that comes out at the same time as the book, so I realized (a little later than I should have) that the book should probably look like the show. Luckily everyone knows I don’t really know what I’m doing, so it all worked out in the end with a lot of help from other people. I also learned that mid-sized publishers are different from big publishers in ways that make sense for someone like me. A mid-sized publisher is more nimble and more open to new ways of doing things. It’s good to have more freedom, but it’s also more responsibility.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I’m ALWAYS surprised by where books go. It’s like I have a throughline all figured out, and in the end things sort of start and end like I thought they would, but the rest is often very unexpected. Characters, if they’re any good, will do things you don’t expect them to do. Once they start doing what they want, you’re along for the ride, hanging on for dear life, and hoping you wake up from the fever dream and there’s a book at the end. Usually, it works out. With this book, the characters were way funnier than I thought they would be, so the book became more of a comedy than a horror story about a monster growing out of a kid’s armpit (which is also hilarious).

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I write books that I would have read when I was a kid, and I was a tough audience. If it didn’t grab me in the first few pages, I went back to comic books and “Batman and Robin” reruns. I’ve also visited over 3,000 schools and seen about 1 million kids. So many kids don’t read just for the fun of it anymore. I hope kids laugh, mostly. I hope they have a good time. I hope they get done and wish they could keep reading.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Do it because it’s fun. Life’s too short to do it for any other reason because writing is hard. But it’s also fun! 

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