BRANDON TERRELL
Childrens Book Author
COMING SOON- July 2026
Scars in the Sky was Brandon's Creative Thesis for MFA from Hamline University - soon to be print on demand. Published by his family and friends
Brandon had a career as a work-for-hire writer. Scars in the Sky was the story of his heart and his greatest novelistic achievement.
Tell us about this book - in Brandon's words from a 2019 Interview //
My creative thesis is a middle grade historical science fiction novel titled Scars in the Sky.
It’s about two kids — a boy named Junior and a girl named Daisy — whose small Iowa farm town is invaded by aliens on the evening of October 30, 1938, the same night as Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds radio broadcast. The story takes place over the course of that single night, and is told from both characters’ points of view. It’s my attempt to include a number of things I love — the idea of real terror juxtaposed with imagined terror, the theme of science versus faith, classic science fiction and horror novels and movies, the books of Ray Bradbury and Stephen King, and television shows like The Twilight Zone — all rolled up in one project.
AUTHOR BIO
Brandon M. Terrell (B.1978 - D.2021)
Brandon Terrell was a talented storyteller, authoring of nearly 100 work for hire books, ranging from action-packed sports stories and graphic novels to spooky tales and mind-boggling mysteries.
Brandon received his undergraduate degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and his Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. During his time at Hamline, Brandon was awarded the Herman W. Block Award, a scholarship judged by Kate DiCamillo, a National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.
Brandon was a passionate reader, Star Wars enthusiast, amazing father, son, uncle, friend and devoted husband. He worked as an assistant director and producer on numerous independent films and commercial productions as well as a writer for the Choo Choo Bob Show.
Brandon's stories continue to live on through his work and the readers who discover them.
IN OTHERS' WORDS
“
Scars in the sky is rich, not only in its wonderful concept and plot, but in theme and emotion and character as well. Brandon's language is at once lyrical and spare, and the nuance and complexity in this novel takes my breath away.
“
Brandon is a writer not afraid of the hard work of revision. And that hard work yields sentences and whole paragraphs packed with so much energy I’m surprised they don’t glow in the dark.
Whenever I read something from Brandon, I know I’m in for a great ride! The adventure, the suspense, the surprising twists are all there, perfectly laid out, like a row of timed firecrackers. He makes me care about his characters. Then he surprises me and shows a deeper layer to their personalities.
