Cork author: ‘I love telling stories for children. I like fantasy, fairytales, and folklore’

Writing “spooky books” for children is something that author Eibhlís Carcione relishes.

Her second novel, for nine to 12-year-olds, Black Gables,was recently published.

Eibhlís, a primary school teacher on leave from her job to write full-time, is particularly taken with the festival of Samhain when the veil between the two worlds shifts.

“I have a love for darkness,” she says. And there is plenty of darkness in Black Gables, which is possibly the world’s creepiest school.

“It lies at the edge of a dark lake in the village of Black Gables. The school and village take their name from two looming black gables. They are all that is left of an old workhouse where many people died.  The walls between the gables are gone and the gables form a ghostly entrance to the school, covered in overgrown bramble.

“The wind whistles through windows, and beyond is a gloomy lake with its strange waters that change colour.”

The main character is 12-year-old Rosella. Her mother, who was brought up in Black Gables, lost her memory due to an accident.

The family have moved to Black Gables in the hope it will stir the memory of Rosella’s mother. But all is not right at Black Gables school. The principal, Mr Edge, is very sinister and he seems to be communicating with the lake ghouls.

Eibhlís, who has been giving talks at schools during the month of October for the Children’s Book Festival, is ionate about writing.

I love telling stories for children. I really like fantasy, fairytales and folklore. Growing up, I read a lot. 

"I loved Paddington Bear. I read Alan Garner, Joan Aiken and Enid Blyton. When I was in secondary school, studying for exams, I always turned to my books in times of stress.”

Now, the writer is able to indulge her rich imagination with fantastical tales. Where do her ideas come from?

“There’s a lot of writing in my books, about 45,000 words. I thought it would be really fun to write a book about a spooky school. It just grew from there. Once I get an idea, I let it grow. It will be a month or two before I actually write.”

Eibhlís puts much of herself into her books (her debut novel was Welcome to Dead Town Raven McKay). There is, for example, her fascination with lakes.

“The school overlooks a mysterious lake. I just saw the school overlooking the lake one day in my imagination. I then had the idea that the teachers live near the school with the principal in a thatched house. The teachers are very creepy and they have secrets.

“The book is written in the first person so I really got into the mind of someone starting in a new school and her mother’s memory loss. The doctors have said to Rosella that if her mother returns to Black Gables where she grew up, maybe the memories will come back. Rosella used to live in a city (the book could be set anywhere). Her mother never spoke much about Black Gables or her childhood. There are secrets connected with Rosella’s mum.

The whole village has secrets and it is up to Rosella to uncover the mystery. Sometimes, Rosella sees a woman with long hair by the lake.

The school is in a very rundown building, although it has modern equipment such as interactive white boards.

“There’s a teacher on YouTube teaching the pupils maths. One time Rosella is at maths class when a ghoul on the lake flashes (on the screen.) Rosella seems to be the only one who sees the ghoul. Later, at art class, the pupils are told to do pictures of the lake. Rosella’s picture gets watery and the ghoul comes out of her painting.”

Eibhlís has a strong sense of the visual. While her stories are percolating, she takes notes. “I like to plan but the plans can change.”

Before typing up her story, Eibhlís hand writes her book, on the sofa with her two dogs. As well as writing for middle grade children, she is interested in young adult fiction, adding: “I have written young adult fiction that is unpublished.”

She has also published three volumes of poetry in Irish.

Has she got a third novel on the way?

I can’t really say anything yet. I’ m lucky. I have an agent so that’s a great help. I have friends who are writing. They’re talented and gifted people but there is so much rejection.

“I was telling the kids at the Children’s Book Festival that if you want to write, just keep doing it. It can be cruel. You put so much into it. You’re just waiting for somebody to connect with your writing. But if you’re doing something you’re ionate about, you’ll definitely meet someone who likes your work.”

Eibhlís reads widely, not just books for youngsters.

“I love the writing of Shirley Jackson, Daphne Du Maurier, and Stephen King. I read a collection of ghost stories by Jeanette Winterson recently.”

Rosella is a strong character.

“She values friendship, she likes rollerskating and loves going to the cinema. She has a sense of right and wrong.

“When things were going bad with the teachers, Rosella had the courage to speak up. She wants to organise a protest against the school because the teaching isn’t good and things are unfair at Black Gables school. But the book ends on an uplifting note,” says Eibhlís.

• Black Gables (published by Everything With Words) is out now