For Hudson Siemens, “the darkness” is what makes a story good.
The 9-year-old Salem student has been a fan of spooky tales since he started reading, devouring Goosebumps titles and books in the “I Survived…” historical fiction series focused on major disasters.
Siemens recently graduated from power reader to Salem’s likely youngest published author. His debut book “Camp Turmoil,” self-published through Amazon in November, tells the story of three brothers whose hopes for a fun summer go awry when the abandoned theme park where the camp takes place reveals horrors ranging from snakes to boulders falling from the sky.
“It just clicked that I wanted to start writing a book,” said Siemens, who’s a fourth-grader at Four Corners Elementary School.
The 26-page book has nine chapters aimed at readers Siemens’ age. He worked on the story for about a year at home and in class during free reading and writing time.
As an early Christmas present, his mother, Courtney, commissioned an artist to draw the cover art, which shows an empty Ferris wheel against a dark sky and landscape of evergreen trees.
So far, Siemens has donated one copy of the book to the Salem Public Library, and the family plans to give another to the Keizer Community Library.
His fourth grade teacher at Four Corners has also ordered a copy and plans to read it to the class. A few friends have copies too.
“Matt says it’s really good. I’m not sure about Lucas yet,” Siemens said.
The book stars Aden and his two younger brothers, fictional characters based on Siemens and his brothers, who are 7 and 5.
“Aden and his two brothers soon realize that the myths surrounding the once bustling theme park, Torture Lane, now turned summer, camp aren’t just stories at all,” the book’s summary reads. “People turning into snakes, boulders raining from the sky, evil entities coming from the darkness. Read along as Aden, Taylor, and Beau learn how to put their bravery and courage to the test.”
Copies are available on Amazon for $7. With six votes so far, the book has a perfect five-star rating.
Courtney Siemens said her son’s desire to publish his writing has been persistent. She’s also a reader and a horror fan, and the two like to go to the bookstore together.
“I think it’s amazing. I’m so proud of him,” she said.
Siemens said he wants to be an author and is already planning a sequel to the book.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
