So I've always wanted to be a writer as well as I've always wanted to be a teacher.

In fact, when I got into teaching, when I decided I wanted to be a teacher, the first question was, I don't know what I'm gonna teach.

I don't know anything.

But that's what you go to school for, of course.

So I went to school, I studied literature, I studied writing, and that's why I started out as a high school English teacher.

- All right.

So your first books, I call it the Rabbit series.

Your first book was "Rabbit in Red," which is an interesting title, but it's a horror novel, right?

- [Joe] Yes, "Rabbit in Red."

There's a shout out to the "Halloween" franchise.

If anyone's a super fan of the "Halloween" franchise, you'll know what that name means.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

So just a little fun.

There's this scene where John Carpenter in "Halloween" zooms in on a matchbook and it just says "Rabbit in Red Lounge."

And when I first started writing "Rabbit in Red"... so I'm a super geek when it comes to scary trivia.

You know, I could tell you everything about Stephen King and eighties and nineties spooky movies, and I thought, what am I gonna do with this knowledge?

I put together a book that was a tribute to what I love.

And so it's packed full of trivia.

And so anyway, when I saw that, I never... you know, titles are kind of a fun thing to play with.

I had a working title, I called it "Rabbit in Red Fright Fest" back in the day until I re-watched "Halloween" for the 10,000th time and saw that and thought that's an Easter egg that other fans are gonna appreciate, I hope.

- Yeah, that's great.

So your first novel is a horror novel.

Now there's different kinds of horror novels, obviously, there's your Stephen Kings.

Geared more towards adults.

You've written other books besides horror ones that are geared towards young adults.

Are the "Rabbit in Red" series, is that geared towards young adults?

- Young adults and adult fans too.

So I think there's a big audience who likes, like me, who enjoys reading stories that remind them of their youth.

And so, although I aim specifically, I create young adult characters, I like playing with young adult characters in my story, especially spooky ones.

'Cause there's something fun.

The way that I look at it is think about a teenager who still has the imagination to believe ghosts are or something, right?

But is old enough to fight back and do something about it.

That to me is the sweet spot: belief in a supernatural, but an adult enough ability and logic to do something about it.