About this item
A darkly hilarious contemporary realistic young adult novel about growing up and finding your place in the world, perfect for fans of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Running With Scissors. DARIO HEYWARD KNOWS ONE THING: He's never going back to Moldavia Studios, the iconic castle that served as the set, studio, and home to the cast and crew of dozens of cult classic B-horror movies. It's been three years since Dario's even seen the place, after getting legally emancipated from his father, the infamous director of Moldavia's creature features.But then Dario's brother invites him home to a mysterious ceremony involving his father and a tribute to his first film - The Curse of the Mummy's Tongue. Dario swears his homecoming will be a one-time visit. A way for him to get closure on his past - and reunite with Hayley, his first love and costar of Zombie Children of the Harvest Sun, a production fraught with real-life tragedy - and say good-bye for good. But the unthinkable happens - Dario gets sucked back into the twisted world of Moldavia and the horrors, both real and imagined, he's left there.With only months to rescue the sinking studio and everyone who has built their lives there, Dario must confront the demons of his past - and the uncertainties of his future. But can he escape the place that's haunted him his whole life?
About the Author
Derek was born in New York City, and raised in Westchester County, NY. In grade school Derek wrote short stories about stuff like aliens and submarines and magical strawberries. He would frequently send story ideas to computer game companies, which would always result in an awkward phone call informing Derek that, at eight years old, he was too young to be put on their payroll. In high school, Derek published an underground humor magazine (sold in local stores) that caught the attention of the New York Times, who wrote a profile on him at the tender age of 14.Derek studied English, Theater, and Creative Writing at Northwestern University. Derek started off as a playwright and screenwriter-his first play was produced in New York City right after he graduated college-and went on to receive an MFA in acting at the Yale School of Drama. As a classically trained thespian (Derek's favorite word) , Derek has performed on stages across the country, and appeared in numerous TV shows and films, working with two Academy Award winning film directors (who probably have no recollection of working with Derek) .Derek has taught at a film school in NYC, worked the front desk of a yoga studio, and had a very short stint as a DJ in a Lower East Side club (if you tipped him well enough, he would pretend to have that New Order B-side no one ever heard of) . He began writing YA fiction a few years ago.Derek currently lives in Brooklyn, where he writes fiction full time, wanders the waterfront staring at the Manhattan skyline, plays video games, and buys lime green hoodies made out of locally-sourced hemp.SCREAM ALL NIGHT (HarperCollins/Balzer Bray) was Derek's debut YA novel. His second YA novel, SWIPE RIGHT FOR MURDER, was released on August 6th, 2019, from Little, Brown/JIMMY Patterson.You can find Derek online at www.derekmilman.com, and on Twitter/Instagram: @DerekMilman.
