Creekline House Publishers (April 1, 2026)

There Is Nothing in the Dark that Is Not There in the Light

Set in 1980 Mississippi, How to Fry Chicken & Ditch the Nightlight follows ten-year-old April Ellis as she spends a week of summer in Collins with relatives she hardly knows. Between eccentric characters, fried chicken lessons, and run-ins with neighborhood troublemakers, April has plenty to navigate. But the hardest challenge of all? Facing the dark—and the fears that come with growing up.

Full of humor, heart, and food you can almost taste, this middle grade novel explores belonging, bravery, and the truth that there is nothing in the dark that is not there in the light. While written for young readers, the story has also resonated with adult readers who remember growing up in the South during the 1970s and 1980s.

Shelley Powers is a Mississippi author, journalist, and communications director whose lifelong love of storytelling bridges newsroom precision with imaginative heart. A graduate of Mississippi State University, she began her career in print journalism before working in public relations, curriculum editing, and public-sector communications. Through her Creekline House imprint, she writes stories of wonder, warmth, humor, and courage for young readers, including A Very Strange Reversal of Scales, How to Fry Chicken & Ditch the Nightlight, and the forthcoming Lost & Found in Lantern Hollow, releasing this fall. Shelley lives in Mississippi with her dog, Petey, and an ever-growing garden of herbs and hope.