Machelle Berglund, soon to start going by the pen name of Shell Green, is a story teller by nature. They have often told themselves stories growing up, using marbles and legos to build their worlds. In their spare time, they play plenty of Dungeons and Dragons with friends, draw silly critters, snuggle with their many cats, and dabble in photography.

Machelle uses they/them pronouns, however they are open to any and all. They’ve published three poetry collections with several more on the way.

Currently, they’re part of a crowdfunding campaign, called The Book Bazaar, via Backerkit. Their project, Fairy Seasons, is an anthology of terror and delight.

To see more of Machelle and what they do, follow them on their socials. Primarily, they’re on Bluesky. On occasion, they write articles on Medium. And extra rare occasions, they’ll poke around on other socials, too!

Machelle can be found at:
Bluesky: @spookyxpickle.bsky.social
Linktree: linktr.ee/spookypickle

Tell me what inspired you to write your book?

Well, I’ve had many, many inspirations. For my first three, I’ve just always written a lot of poetry. So, it came more easily. That’s a less nuanced explanation, of course.

For my current project, Fairy Seasons, I’ve been inspired by my love of fairytales and folklore, as well as various media like The Last Unicorn, anything I’ve seen that’s associated with Jim Henson, and so much more.

How hard was it to get your first book published?
My first book, Whimsy and Weirdos: Poetry for the Unique, co-authored by Andrea Standifer, wasn’t that hard to publish. The hardest parts were the befores. So, that’s getting the poems together, designing, layout, etc. I had my partner put together the initial layout. I did the design elements and cover.

I didn’t know much about anything back then. I know a little more now (just a little though).

Originally, we used KDP to publish a paperback only version of the book. And KDP was super easy to use.

I’ve since taken all of my stuff off of KDP and transitioned to Draft2Digital

How long did it take to write?
Whimsy and Weirdos took a quarter century to write. Ha ha.

I say that because, well, it had several poems from different periods of my life.

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?
Yes! I have plenty of playlists made by other people that I compiled into a playlist. I have certain favorites. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG8tzvWhjWEdAx1Ojzhsg1GYVMgG20UeA&si=nfwMmNxpgEBkcCd8

I know it’s youtube… I’m switching over to something more ethically sound. I’m mourning some of the cool playlists I currently listen to the most when writing.

How many publishers turned you down?
Currently: none. But that’s only because I haven’t submitted much. Two of my poems were accepted into the South Dakota Poetry Society’s Prairie Pasque Fall Edition.

I am waiting to hear if I’ve been accepted into another poetic thing. So, maybe I’ll get my first rejection. I hope not, though!

What kind of reactions have you had to your book?
Usually I get the response of “Oh, isn’t that cute” or something like that when people who aren’t interested in reading them see them.

However, there are some who see them and have that look. The one where you know they love what they see.

My second book, and first solo foray, Through the Shards of My Heart, has had the most positive reaction in terms of reviews.

I think, when it comes to poetry, the right ones love it deeply. Most people prefer to hear me read my poetry out loud in order to appreciate it the most. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback when I read it out loud.

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?
My favorite reaction was a very recent review from a fellow writer, E. M. McConnel (linktr.ee/Eryn.mcconnell). It was for my third book, The Shadow on the Wall.

Their review really makes me want to lean into the “cozy horror” thing. I have plenty of ideas. I just have some other things to finish first.

What can you tell us about your next book?

Oh boy, I sure can say many things!

Fairy Seasons is an anthology of poetry and prose. The theme of fairies ties everything together. Some of the stories and poems are mostly sweet and very cute. Those are generally in the “Seelie” section. The rest of the stories fall somewhere between eerie and terrifying. Those ones usually end up in the “Unseelie” section.

I’m currently working on the writing, but I have an awesome cover done by Thomas S Brown (thomassbrown.com).

To get updates on Fairy Seasons, follow the project on backerkit!

Link to that is here: backerkit.com/c/projects/machelle-berglund/fairy-seasons/launch_party?stay=true

Do you take notice of online reviews?
Yes. I’d like not to, but I don’t get many reviews. Though, it does take someone telling me they did a review for me to know.

I do sneak a peek every now and again and occasionally get a surprise.

Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?
Yes, I certainly would. I’m kind of a multi-genre writer anyways. I dabble in poetry, SFF, and horror. I can try other stuff too, maybe.

I like to be well-rounded in my storytelling.

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?
Currently, I’m a custodian. It’s kind of nice. I get to listen to stuff while I make the world a cleaner place. And I get to think about my writing.

Of course, there does come that ever familiar problem writers have when they finally sit down to write – all the words scatter and the mind goes blank.

Before becoming a custodian, I worked at a cheese factory. It was a pretty solid job. However, the 12 hour shifts absolutely killed me.

Which author(s) inspire you?
Currently, a lot of the author friends I’ve made really inspire me. Andrea Standifer is always an inspiration. I might not have started this journey without her.

The group known as The Inkslingers are an everyday inspiration.

They’re awesome, honest, and really, really cool. They sure do know how to sling some ink!

What is your biggest motivator?
To create. I think that’s been my biggest motivator. I just have a need to create stories and art. It builds up, maybe not too different from a cyst. But like, the cyst is filled with not puss, but art.

Eventually, that cyst of creativity pops. And if I don’t address it, it festers.

So I gotta create!

Speaking of things that fester… Here’s a photo of my cat Fester!

What will always distract you?
Everything. Oftentimes, I get in my own way, too.

I’ve always been distractible. While Social Media has its pros, the cons of it aiding in the destruction of my attention span and that of others is pretty criminal.

I’m working to reclaim my attention span. I do this by trying to avoid screens a little bit each day. I also read from physical copies of books. Ebooks are wonderful and convenient. However, I reeeeally just don’t want to look at screens all the time.

Paperbacks and hardcovers are wonderful excuses to not do so.

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?
So far, generally all the say – for better or worse.

I did the covers of the first three books myself. For Fairy Seasons, I hired someone. I told them the things I wanted and got exactly that – and more. Gosh that cover is so gorgeous!

Were you a big reader as a child?
I’d always like to think I was. I was certainly considered a big reader. A lot of people around me considered me a reader. However, I usually read the same Garfield comics over and over.

I always meant to read other things, but I just really liked the Garfield fat packs. They lended me comfort in some rough times. If I come across them, I’m often tempted to just sit and read them again and again.

What were your favourite childhood books?
I really loved Stellaluna, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and others. I especially loved Riki Tiki Tavi because mongoose! How could I not?!

There’s others, of course. I tend to not have great memories of childhood, though.

And, of course, I did mention Garfield. Lots of Garfield comics were my favorites.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?
Yes! I have two favorites. The one in my town, Brookings Book Company, is amazing! They’re an inclusive place with a cat and so many awesome book pics. They have a lot of graphic novels, too. They introduced me to the wonderful Bad Hand Books.

Then, my second favorite is in a town about an hour away. I have a bit of driving anxiety so I don’t go there much. The Full Circle Book Co-op has delicious beer, books, and cool events all the time. I love them!

Any plans or projects in the near future you can tell us about?
I’m part of the Book Bazaar of 2025. It’s a really awesome thing to be a part of! I’ve learned a lot about building strong, crowdfunding campaigns. And I’ve met a lot of cool people.

The Book Bazaar, for those not in the know, is something of an online book fair for indie authors and small publishers. We rally to get our projects funded.

For both trad and indie published individuals, community support is so important. However, indies don’t quite have the team behind them that trad authors usually do. For indies, it’s generally themselves doing all the tasks that are usually broken down into departments.

It can get a little overwhelming.

However, I think the Book Bazaar does some amazing stuff.

There’s so many cool projects!

Check it out here: backerkit.com/c/collections/book-bazaar-2025/coming_soon

Any events in the near future?
Many! Depending on when this comes out, there’s The Book Bazaar. That runs from November 12th to December 3rd. Well, the funding stage, anyways.

Beyond that, I’ll be doing plenty of updates on Fairy Seasons and plenty of writing.

On December 5th and 6th, I’ll be one of the artists that’s part of the Art Collective at the Washington Pavillion. It’s in Sioux Falls, SD, USA.

Here’s their facebook page for more information: facebook.com/artcollectivesf

Any words of wisdom to leave us with?
Stay spooky and strange. Please. I like spooky and strange people.

And, if you think you can’t be an artist or a writer, think again! Maybe you won’t be the best one, but you can still do the thing. It takes time, practice, passion, and dedication to the craft.

I’ve been writing my whole life and have been finally getting somewhat good. Same for drawing.

I don’t do it to make money. It’s funny to say that since the goal is to be able to do this full time as a career. I joke that I work a second job that I don’t get paid at (art). But, there’s something within that just wants to make cool stuff. And if this doesn’t turn into a money-making career, that’s fine. I’m not going to stop doing what I love because of that.

Hustle culture (and capitalism) make people (and still me at times) feel like they always have to turn their craft into something that makes money. Or that their art has to contribute monetarily to society.

It doesn’t. You can just make stuff. Badly or good. Doesn’t matter. Just have fun. Craft your art. Let your passions shine when the tides bless you with the creative spirit.

And don’t berate yourself when those waters ebb away for a while. It’s part of the natural cycle. They’ll come again.

All right y’all! Spooky Pickle out! I wish you kind mornings and joyful nights!