“I’ve always loved spooky stuff,” says Ally Russell. “I’ve always been a cryptid person.” Her debut novel, It Came from the Trees (Penguin Random House, July 2024), confirms her love of creatures from folklore, with its focus on Bigfoot legends.
“I watched Unsolved Mysteries as a kid, and my interest bloomed from there,” she recalls. “I’m also really intrigued by missing persons cases, especially ones that happen in the woods. In the city, there’s always a path left behind by what technology you use. But in the woods, you’re out there by yourself and anything can happen.”
Her interest in cryptids, mysteries, and horror stories set in the woods came together in the idea for her first novel, while a Consumer Outreach Specialist at Candlewick Press. Though the concept intrigued her, she found it challenging to find the time to write.
Then, the pandemic hit.
“I didn’t have to commute to work anymore. I didn’t have any more excuses not to write. My best friend and I decided to do our own NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month], and check in with each other every day,” she says. That was the push she needed to write her manuscript. Later that year, she participated in #PitMad, a [then-]Twitter competition where writers post tweets about their works in progress for agents to read. She received interest from nine agents, including her current agent, Paige Terlip ’19MA, another alum of the Simmons Children’s Literature program.
The Road to Simmons — and the Publishing Industry
Russell first learned about the MFA in Writing for Children at Simmons University while working at a textbook publisher. “My co-worker was a student [in the program], and I asked her to tell me everything she learned,” recalls Russell. “My favorite stories were from her Children’s Book Publishing class with Adjunct Professor Anita Silvey.” Following her interest in the children’s book field, she applied and was accepted to the program. “It was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” she says. “I enjoyed my time at Simmons.”
After completing the program, she dove into the publishing industry, working at Candlewick as a Consumer Outreach Specialist. In 2022, Russell became the Marketing Manager for Nosy Crow, Inc., the US wing of Nosy Crow Ltd. in the UK. “It’s a small team. There are seven of us now,” says Russell, who works remotely from Pennsylvania. “It’s effectively a startup, needing to build everything. It requires each of us to wear a lot of hats. If you ask a question, you’ll probably be the one to answer it.”
In her role, Russell does brand marketing, writes press releases, attends conferences, and crafts marketing plans with colleagues. She focuses on managing advertising, print and digital, publications and sales. “It can be quite exhausting, but it’s fun! I’ve learned a lot about publishing by being part of a startup. I’ve definitely grown my career and skill set at Nosy Crow.”
A Nuanced View of Children’s Literature
Russell’s studies at Simmons not only prepared her for the publishing industry, but altered the way she looks at children’s literature.
“Prior to attending Simmons, I really enjoyed the nostalgia aspect of children’s literature. It was important to me, but I didn’t fully understand how much depth there was [in these books],” she recalls. “Getting that historical knowledge about publishing helped me understand the foundation of the industry. It has impacted how I work in publishing, to know why certain things are the way they are — both the positive and negative, like the reasons behind the lack of diversity in this industry. It all informs my approach, and how I make decisions.”
Now, she can see how the nostalgia of childhood limits people’s perceptions of what children’s literature can offer.
“We all have idealized notions of childhood. That often prevents adults from seeing the value of certain genres, like children’s horror. But kids want to be creeped out!” Russell recalls her own reading habits as a child, when she felt a lack of options once she was done reading R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. She remembers “closing Stephen King books because they were too much for me. I’m trying to write for that version of me. I try to write with that balance in mind, writing for children without coddling them. The nice thing about a book is that you can close it if it’s too much for you.”
The Simmons Impact on Children’s Literature
While the seeds were planted in her childhood interest in the macabre, they were developed at Simmons. “My education at Simmons helped dispel the myth that children’s literature is happy, easy, light. It prepared me to have more meaningful conversations about children’s literature with adults who don’t understand the value of kids’ books or children’s horror. It impacts how I talk about it, and how I write,” she says.
And the Simmons network in the field is vast: In addition to her literary agent, the editor for Russell’s second book (currently in progress) is also a Simmons graduate.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with at least a dozen Simmons alumni, through publishing and writing,” notes Russell. “It’s nice to have that shared framework. When I encounter another Simmons alum, I know that the conversation about children’s literature will be different. You can dig into certain frameworks, and the critical approach comes out in the way we discuss it.”