Today we have Nathan Christopher back to talk about his latest book, When the Witch Wrote Back!, art by Pablo Pino. This is the second published book in the Wrote Back series, with more to come next year!
******
Hi Sara! I’m so happy to be back at PB First Lines, this time to talk about When the Witch Wrote Back! Unlike with When Santa Wrote Back!, where the opening lines helped me discover Jake’s voice and ultimately shaped the entire story, this time I already knew Jake pretty well. The challenge was figuring out what kind of trouble he would get himself into next.
Original First Lines:
Dear Neighbor,
Holy bagumba—a witch on my street!
Are lizards, or children, your favorite to eat?
Final First Lines (published 2026):
Hi new neighbor!
This is amazing—a witch on my street!
Are lizards or insects your favorite to eat?
When I started thinking about a Halloween sequel to When Santa Wrote Back!, I pretty quickly homed in on the concept of a mysterious new neighbor. When I was a kid, I loved the idea that adventure or mystery could be hiding in our completely ordinary neighborhood. My older brother and I were convinced that a house down the street belonged to a witch. (We later became big fans of The ’Burbs, which totally tracks.)
That childhood feeling became the starting point for When the Witch Wrote Back!. But whereas many kids would be frightened at the possibility of living next door to a witch, the always-enterprising Jake would be thrilled. That’s really what I wanted the first lines to establish. Jake has just discovered that a witch moved onto his street, and his immediate response is essentially: This is AMAZING. Then, without wasting much time, he starts asking for things…
Like the opening of When Santa Wrote Back!, the lines changed fairly little between my early draft and the published book. My editor suggested changing “Dear Neighbor” to the more enthusiastic “Hi new neighbor!” I had hoped to come up with a “Holy bagumba!”-ish exclamation of my own (without blatantly stealing from Kate DiCamillo), but never found something that sounded right to me—so I switched to “This is amazing!” And a critique partner wisely suggested that I cut the idea that the witch might eat children (the “children” version never went to my editor). But the rhyme and Jake’s reaction to discovering a witch on his street were there from the beginning.
Naturally, the story went through more changes as I worked with my editor. But while When Santa Wrote Back! grew from 600 words as-submitted to a final 960 words, When the Witch Wrote Back! started at 860 words and eventually landed at 850. (Incidentally, each book I’ve written for this series has been slightly shorter than the last).
When the Witch Wrote Back! is available now, When the Easter Bunny Wrote Back! will come out later in 2026, and I’m thrilled to say that the series has been extended with two more titles: When the Leprechaun Wrote Back! should arrive in 2027, followed by another yet-to-be-written sequel, presumably in 2028.
******
Revision tip: Listen to your critique partners! They’re wise and will catch things you miss. I also love that in just a few words, this first line gives the reader an immediate sense of Jake’s personality. Consider whether it’s appropriate to introduce your main character right from the start and give the reader a taste of the kind of person they are.
Thanks for reading! If you read and enjoy When the Witch Wrote Back!, leave a review! If you need help getting started writing a review, read this blog post.
If you’ve got a book coming out in 2027 and you’d like to be a featured author or you’d simply like your book included in the collection, please let me know!
Check out the PB First Lines archives! There are more than four years’ worth of collections now.
Love this insight into the writing of When the Witch Wrote Back, and LOVE the series! Go Jake!