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It was originally called With Love & Mischief, which is the sign-off of the secret society at the heart of the novel, and also the real one at Yale on which it is based. I adored that title, it reminded me of an old Salinger story, For Esmé--with Love and Squalor, and classic literature, which this book takes many of its cues from. When the sub-genre of dark academia began to trend and my book fell into this emerging aesthetic (accidental, on my part) Scholastic asked me to change the title so we went with A Darker Mischief which I think is a good encapsulation of the world of the book and the plot.
What's in a name?
The main character's name is Calixte Ware and he...[read on]
My Book, The Movie: Scream All Night.
Writers Read: Derek Milman (September 2019).
The Page 69 Test: Swipe Right for Murder.
My Book, The Movie: Swipe Right for Murder.
Q&A with Derek Milman.
--Marshal Zeringue