Bill Borders included in anthology of scary stories from each state

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators recently released an anthology containing a scary story that hails from each of the 50 states in the U.S., plus one each from Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico — and included among them is a contribution from local writer and illustrator Bill Borders.

Illustrated by Solomon Hughes and published by Godwin Books, The Haunted States of America features a diverse range of authors sharing dark, mysterious stories from their home states, each with their own shade of horror. Subjects include haunted bridges, spooky camping outings and paranormal activities sure to give you goosebumps.

Borders, who contributes the “Laughing Matter” comic in each edition of the Sandpoint Reader (see Page 23), was tapped for Idaho’s entry in the scary anthology. Borders’ story “A Legend Resurfaces,” is all about Lake Pend Oreille’s famous monster, the Pend Oreille Paddler.

In his story, Borders shares a haunting tale about young Elliot and his dog Bo rowing his boat through the inky waters at night, only to encounter the legendary lake monster. Or was it just a dream?

When SCWAI announced it would publish an anthology of each state’s scary stories, Borders said the choice of a subject was easy.

“Of course, I thought of the Paddler,” he told the Reader. “That’s the story I wrote. I think they got about 1,200 entries from all around the country and they picked one from each state.”

Borders said he wanted his story to mingle the local lore and truths from our region, so he included details such as the main character carrying a bucket of huckleberries and tidbits about the “shadowy testing site” at the U.S. Navy base south of town. Most of all, it’s a bit of a love letter about our wonderful lake.

“We have such a giant lake and so many people don’t know about it,” he said. 

Writing scary stories for a young adult market is a bit like threading a needle, Borders said, because the writer can’t be too graphic or dark, but must also produce goosebumps.

“It’s not a picture book meant for 4- to 6-year-olds,” he said. “It’s meant for eighth- to 12th-graders, so you can dial it up a little bit.”

This isn’t Borders’ first foray in children’s literature. His book A Horn is Born came out in 2020 and followed the story of Old Shoehorn, who lived a humble life backstage in a room where musicians prepared for their performances. 

To purchase The Haunted States of America or A Horn is Born, check with your local booksellers, or visit online book merchant sites such as amazon.com.