Aden Polydoros is the author of young adult fantasy and horror. His gothic fantasy, The City Beautiful, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award and was a finalist for the Lambda Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Cybils Award, and the 2022 World Fantasy Award. His middle-grade fantasy, Ring of Solomon, is now available from Inkyard Press.
Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:
After accidentally summoning the king of demons with a secondhand ring, Zach becomes entwined in a centuries-old conflict that may spell doomsday.
Favorite book when you were a child:
As the youngest child in the family, I found myself reading my older siblings' books. My favorite books were the Goosebumps and Nancy Drew series. I can see my love for horror and mystery filtering into what I write today. As a reader, some of my greatest pleasures in reading horror, mysteries, and thrillers came from trying to unwind and solve the puzzle at the story's core. As an author, I find myself getting a similar thrill from constructing a plot that has those same elements of storytelling.
Your top five authors:
This is a tricky one. Although I'm constantly expanding my favorite author list, I have to admit, it's hard to relinquish the place in my heart devoted to the authors I loved as a teen: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Angela Carter, and Alice Hoffman. These authors shaped me as an author, and although my interests and tastes have shifted in the years since, I still find myself influenced by their works and the impact their writing had on me as a youth. My newest favorite author is Andrew Joseph White.
Book you've faked reading:
Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. It was the honors English book in ninth grade, and I don't think I ever actually finished it for that class. Knowing Arizona's educational standards, and the way that book would have been taught, I think that was a good thing. Coming back into it later, as an adult, and reading for curiosity and research, gave me a different perspective, particularly on the handling of Fagin's character.
Book you're an evangelist for:
Definitely Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White. I utterly adored this book. It's lingered with me since I read an ARC. More recently, thinking about the book and the themes of resistance and survival at the plot's core reignited my passion to continue writing and advocating for queer and Jewish readers. With the recent transphobic legislation and the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes and rhetoric, I feel like that book in particular is such an empowering story for trans, queer, and marginalized youth.
Book you've bought for the cover:
Extasia by Claire Legrand. I find the cover so compelling. There is something so eerie about the color scheme and the girl's expression. While I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, I can already tell from the cover and blurb that I'm going to love it. I've always been drawn to cinematic and atmospheric covers, like those you would see on a movie or video game, and Extasia hits those perfect notes.
Book you hid from your parents:
To be entirely honest, my parents never controlled my reading. By the time I was in third grade, I was reading at an eighth-grade level, and by fifth grade, I had moved into adult horror and thrillers. I'm glad that my reading wasn't supervised or censored, since that allowed me to read more complex books very early on and gave me the language skills that would later aid me as an author.
Book that changed your life:
Intensity by Dean Koontz, because it was one of the first books I read by him, and the protagonist's behavior during her predicament has lingered with me and given me strength during the times I needed it. The book was dark, violent, and had a plot that left me tied to every word, but it was the themes of survivorship, resilience, and healing that resonated with me at the time. Those messages have stayed with me to this day.
Five books you'll never part with:
There are so many books I adore, but these have to be the ones (aside from others I've mentioned by my favorite authors) that I'll keep coming back to over and over again.
A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft, with its lush, exquisite world-building and deep characterization. I adored the alchemy system in the book and the way that Saft draws Jewish history and folklore. The banter between the characters is also fantastic.
White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi is a spellbinding and beautifully written gothic horror novel that explores the history of British colonialism, nationalism, and trauma through its portrayal of a sentient haunted house.
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White for obvious reasons.
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. I fell in love with this horror anthology that reimagines fairy tales and folklore. The way that Carter juxtaposed such lush, sensual language with horrific imagery has deeply influenced my own writing as a gothic horror author.
Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman. While it's not his most well-known book, I absolutely adored the way that he used the setting and world to reflect the main characters' trauma and emotional state.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Lisey's Story by Stephen King. It's probably my favorite book of his, and I can still remember reading it in one night, during a hot and listless summer in my teens.