Author Spotlight: Joel McKerrow
We're thrilled to finish our 2025 Lit Club 4 Kids line-up with a bang (and a bite of chocolate)! Our final featured author is the incredible Joel McKerrow, author of Heist 1: The Great Chocolate Caper, a story full of heart, humour, and a dash of mischief. We caught up with Joel to chat about his writing journey, funny habits, and what he hopes readers take away from Heist.
What made you want to become a writer?
I became a writer because I love how stories impact both the reader and the writer. After many years of being obsessed with reading and watching movies and TV shows, I had become super intrigued about how these writers were able to bring about such an emotional response from me. So, I put pen to paper and tried to do the same. Could I share stories in a way that would impact people… that was my goal with both my poetry and my fiction stories.
Do you have any weird or funny writing habits (like needing a certain snack or only writing in your socks)?
I have to be hanging upside down, or the words don't fall out of me. Ha. Just kidding. My family would say that my writing habit is that I start to write, and the rest of the world disappears. They could bring a circus into the room, and I would be oblivious. I lose myself in my writing and then resurface hours later.
What's one fun fact about you that most people don't know?
I once went to a Turkish tea cafe in Montreal, Canada. The owner poured me a tea and asked me for a story. I told him I was a poet. He asked me to perform a funny poem for the whole cafe. I did. The chef at the cafe invited me to perform at his comedy night that night. As it turns out, it was actually the International Montreal Comedy Festival, and I was performing at the Gala night to thousands of people at The Metropolis, where Lady Gaga had performed the week before. That was a fun day.
If you could hang out with any author (alive or from the past), who would it be, and what would you do together?
I would love to hang out in The Eagle and Child pub in Oxford, which is where both CS LEWIS (Narnia) and JRR TOLKIEN (The Lord of the Rings) had their writing group together called - The Inklings. So I'll hang with both of them together in their writers group, that sounds pretty amazing!
What's one thing you hope readers remember about Heist?
That no matter who they are, or what they feel they are good at, or not good at, there is always a place for them. Heist is about kids who probably shouldn't get along, and often don't, BUT they also find a sense of belonging and of family. I hope readers remember that sense of belonging and find it in their own lives too.
Thanks, Joel!
A big thanks to Joel for sharing his time (and stories!) with us. We can’t wait for Lit Club 4 Kids members to dive into Heist 1: The Great Chocolate Caper, the perfect way to end the year with laughter, adventure, and a reminder that everyone has a place where they truly belong.