Mortified
Written by Kristy Jackson
Illustrated by Rhael McGregor
Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Virtual Author Visit – January 10th release (Video)
Hooked on Books Interview from Teachers on Call – Kristy Jackson (released April 1, 2025)
BOOK SYNOPSIS
It’s nothing short of a catastrophe when someone secretly signs up Belinda Houle, the school’s shyest kid, to audition for a play.
Belinda turns to Sally—her unflappable best friend and resident witch—for help. Belinda doesn’t believe in magic, but if Sally says she has a spell for confidence…well, it couldn’t hurt to try it. Could it?
What follows the spell is a series of disasters so disastrous they would have been funny—if only they weren’t happening to Belinda! From eating dog food, to losing her hair in a straightening mishap, to wrecking a mural and ending up with globs of paint on her head, things get worse and worse for Belinda until she must face the facts: One piece of bad luck can be explained away, but this? This is a straight-up curse!
Can she break the curse before the dreamy Ricky Daniels takes notice of her crooked wig?
More importantly, can Belinda battle the very thing she hoped the spell would take away: her embarrassment?
KRISTY JACKSON
Kristy Jackson is a communications professional and the mother of two boys. Her work draws inspiration from her Cree and German background and a long list of embarrassing moments of her own. Her short fiction has been published by CommuterLit, Kids Short Stories and Quick Brown Fox. Kristy Jackson runs a program that delivers books to children in seven remote Indigenous communities in Canada. She also volunteers for a non-profit dedicated to improving literacy in her community. Mortified is her debut novel.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: https://www.kristyjackson.ca/
Facebook: @KristyJacksonWrites
Twitter / X: @KrisJackson99
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mortified
RHAEL MCGREGOR
Rhael is a graduate of 2D animation from Seneca College, writing and directing the short film ‘Dracudate’. Their self-published work in comics began in 2018 with the release of their comic ‘Tinder’. They have been a part of several anthologies including ‘Woman in the Woods’, ‘Indiginerds’, and ‘When I Was Me’. Their most recent published works as an illustrator include ‘Mortified’ from Harper Collins, and ‘Little by Little: You Can Change the World’ by Highwater Press. Rhael McGregor is a Winnipeg based, Métis & Queer comic artist. They’ve been in the indie comics scene since 2018 with their debut comic ‘Tinder’ and have recently stepped into the publishing world with their work on the books ‘Mortified’ from Harper Collins and ‘Little By Little’ by Highwater Press. Rhael’s work mainly revolves around Indigenous and Queer literature in Fantasy or Sci-Fi settings, focusing on representation, the connections between people, character growth, and spreading joy.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: www.rhaelmcgregor.com
Instagram: @raysdrawlings
Twitter / X: @raysdrawlings
LinkedIn: rhael-mcgregor
