The Hidden Room follows two best friends who, while searching for a neighbor’s cat, stumble upon a hidden room in their building’s basement where they find a cedar chest marked J.K. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

When I was a girl, my mother gave me a decorative wooden chest with a lock that had belonged to her. It was about the size of a jewelry box. I kept all my precious items in it. I had ticket stubs from favorite concerts, school ribbons I’d won, photos from special events, even a ring made out of grass that a summer love gave me. If I had lost that box, all those wonderful mementos would be lost too. I loved reading Nancy Drew mysteries growing up. Turning a forgotten cedar chest into a mystery to be solved seemed natural.

Riley and Ava have different approaches, which frequently help them notice things the other might miss. What did you want their partnership to show young readers about the value of having friends who aren’t exactly like themselves?

I think kids today are under a lot of pressure to perform, compete, and be the best. Through Riley and Ava, I wanted to show that sometimes we accomplish more when we stop trying to do everything on our own and learn to value someone else’s skills. Riley and Ava have different strengths, different ways of looking at problems, and different ways of seeing the world. Those differences often help them notice things the other might have missed. Having a friend who thinks differently can open your eyes to new possibilities and give you a much broader view of the world.

The girls aren’t searching for buried treasure in the traditional sense, yet what they find is extremely valuable to another person. Were you intentionally playing with children’s expectations of what “treasure” means?

I don’t think so. Sure, there are lots of stories of “buried treasure” relating to money or valuables that might make someone’s life easier. But I’ve heard children describe a special rock they find, or an old key, or a friendship bracelet as treasures. My little wooden box full of mementos was a treasure to me.  I wanted to concentrate on the “treasure” of family and the memories of those long past. 

Their apartment building seems like exactly the sort of place that could be hiding more secrets. Are there other stories from Veil Crest Manor that you’d like to explore?

Oh, yes! The second book in the series, The Clue in the Library, which will be out this fall, centers on an old piece of paper Riley and Ava find lying on the floor. It contains a rhyming clue that sends them searching both inside and outside the Manor. In other books, there may be a mysterious noise heard only in the middle of the night, or objects that move from place to place, but the renters deny moving them; perhaps even a ghost or two will appear.

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