At Tundra Books, we want you to get to know and love our authors as much as you know and love their books. Our creator spotlight series will introduce you to the people behind some of your favorite titles . . . this week, say hello to Deke Moulton!
About the Author:
DEKE MOULTON is a writer currently living in the US Pacific Northwest. They are a former US Army drill sergeant and trained as an Arabic linguist during their time in service.
Fast Five with Deke Moulton:
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I would give anything to live on a kibbutz again! This is how I lived up until I was 6, and I just loved the closeness of everyone and the way that everyone contributes. And maybe that’s why both of my books are actually about collaborative living? In Don’t Want To Be Your Monster, we have two moms who operate what’s essentially a half-way house for young vampires trying to leave bad situations and start a new life, and in Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf, we’ve got a werewolf extended family living together on a wolf sanctuary / kibbutz!
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better?
Sitting down in a comfy chair, wrapped up in a blanket, a warm drink in one hand (coffee in the morning, green tea in the afternoon) and a great book in the other, with my dog curled up in my lap. Oh my gosh, it’s small and simple but it’s just pure contentment.
Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
I actually don’t eat breakfast but I do drink a big cup of coffee (on an empty stomach, ugh, I know it’s bad!). So between lunch and dinner, I honestly love lunch so much more! It’s usually my biggest meal of the day, and I get really creative with it because often it’s the one meal I only make for myself! I love vegetarian cooking, so I will do lots of rice / bean / lentil type meals. I try out new recipes. I make up my own. It’s just a wonderful meal!
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
I would say my very first punk show was probably the best one I’d ever been to. It was in 1997, I think, Anti-Flag at the Metro in Chicago. The show was sold out and I just walked up to the security guard and asked if we could come in anyways. I guess my chutzpah paid off because he let me and my friends in! I loved it. I’d been listening to punk for a while just at home on CDs so being in a big venue with so many other people, all screaming along to the songs and moshing – it will always hold a special place in my heart!
Who would win in a fight: vampires or werewolves?
Okay, I am so sorry to all my werewolf fans, but I am definitely going with vampires here! Unless the werewolf calls for a fight at high noon (but then that would be a forfeit on the vampire’s part so not really winning the fight). Werewolves are awesome and I think if I had to choose which one I would be, it would be a werewolf, but vampires have super-healing powers and are pretty much immortal (just avoid the sun, wooden-stakes-to-the-heart and really dedicated vampire hunters). So if it came down to physical battles, vampires are going to win. At the very least, if things got close, our vampire could jump up into a tree or something and taunt their werewolf opponent!
Books by Deke Moulton:
Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf
By Deke Moulton
304 Pages | Ages 10-14 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781774880524 | Tundra Books
Benji Zeb has a lot going on. He has a lot of studying to do, not only for school but also for his upcoming bar mitzvah. He’s nervous about Mr. Rutherford, the aggressive local rancher who hates Benji’s family’s kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. And he hasn’t figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford’s stepson, who has been bullying Benji pretty hard at school, despite Benji wanting to be friends (and maybe something more). And all of this is made more complicated by the fact that, secretly, Benji and his entire family are werewolves who are using the wolf sanctuary as cover for their true identities! Things come to a head when Caleb shows up at the kibbutz one night . . . in wolf form! He’s a werewolf too, unable to control his shifting, and he needs Benji’s help. Can anxious Benji juggle all of these things along with his growing feelings toward Caleb?
Don’t Want to Be Your Monster
By Deke Moulton
304 Pages | Ages 10-14 | Paperback
ISBN 9781774880517 | Tundra Books
Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it’s morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They’re vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family. Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in his life (well, immortal life) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late?