This week YA Author Erika Engelhaupt took over our Twitter as a part of our weekly Thursday Twitter Takeover. Erika Engelhaupt is the author of Gory Details: Adventures From the Dark Side of Science. (See YEM’s interview of Erika Engelhaupt here.) See highlights from the takeover below.

Hi there! My name is Erika Engelhaupt, author of the book #GoryDetails, and I’m taking over YE’s Twitter tonight! I’ll talk about weird/gross science and the life of a science writer. Send me all your #bookish or #sciencenerd questions til 6 ET #YAauthorTakeover #askanauthor pic.twitter.com/waUw0FEFsf

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

A little about me: I’m a freelance science journalist, and I live in beautiful Knoxville, Tennessee. I’ve worked for @NatGeo and @ScienceNews, writing and editing stories about all kinds of cool science. #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/W6WE44YDiI

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

My book #GoryDetails from @NatGeoBooks is full of true stories about gross and creepy science. It has forensic science (think CSI and Bones), weird experiments (like head transplants), and all kinds of creepy crawlies (like face mites!) #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/2CwkyaS67p

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

People often ask how I got to work at @NatGeo — I know, dream job, right?! I always loved science and nature, and studied biology in college. My first writing gig was writing for newspapers. Here I am reporting on (and smooching) dinosaurs for the Philly paper: pic.twitter.com/0EbCYHfbVv

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

I was a huge reader as a kid, especially anything about science or mysteries. So when I got the chance to start a blog, I knew right away it should be called Gory Details and have all my fave weird science! #YAauthorTakeover

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

And then I was thrilled to turn my @NatGeo blog into a book for @NatGeoBooks! They surprised me when the book came out by making the #GoryDetails cover glow in the dark – so spooky! Watch it go… #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/Rvakhk2IEL

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

One of my favorite things about writing #GoryDetails was working with the artist Briony Morrow-Cribbs. She drew the awesome cover art, plus amazing illustrations for each chapter . #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/tCtM6a1GBZ

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

For the chapter on creepy crawlies in #GoryDetails, the artist even worked in a picture of my face, covered in — of course — lots of creepy crawlies! #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/zsVrLkla60

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

For the cover of #GoryDetails, we looked at all different color schemes and selected the green on black. Think we picked the best one? pic.twitter.com/ipxdfttD5V

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

And now #GoryDetails has been translated into German, Polish and Chinese. Here's the German cover, which translates to "The Secret of the Disembodied Feet"! That is based on a story in the book about, you guessed it, feet that washed up mysteriously on beaches. pic.twitter.com/o6gbfHaaRf

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

When did my inspiration for #GoryDetails come from?

I noticed all the science books I read had titles like Blood Work and That's Disgusting! I realized I was fascinated by science that had elements of the gross, weird or spooky.

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

What was the best part of writing a book?

Getting to travel and see so much weird & cool science stuff! Here are a few of my favorites:
1. This lab in Texas that is perfecting the farming of maggots as a food source. (Luckily, for farm animals, not people). #GoryDetails pic.twitter.com/h1kDKQzVaP

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

Another favorite trip for #GoryDetails was seeing these amazing dollhouse-sized miniature crime scenes used to train detectives in Baltimore, built by Frances Glessner Lee in the 1940s-50s. pic.twitter.com/hd3vZDhAzo

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

The one trip I was OBSESSED with doing for #GoryDetails was visiting a lab that studies face mites, to see the mites on my own face! We all have them living in our pores, but almost no one ever gets to see them. But I did! This is what they look like under a microscope: pic.twitter.com/PjqnW6HhuU

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

Sometimes people ask me why I like stuff that makes people say "ew" … and the answer is that I like it when it's interesting! I think we can all learn so much if we're curious about the world around us. Even when it's kinda gross, like face mites!

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

What did it feel like when my book #GoryDetails was released for everyone to read?

So, so good! It was also such a relief, because the pandemic had delayed the book’s publication for nine months. It was like waiting for a baby to be born! #YAauthorTakeover

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

One of the greatest feelings for a first-time author is seeing their own book in a bookstore. I love bookstores and can get lost for hours browsing through books. So walking into a store and seeing my own book feels both really weird and wonderful! #YAauthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/tSBrhgXir1

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

What's my advice for someone who wants to become a writer?

Don’t let anyone talk you out of your dreams! Some people will tell you that you can’t make a living as a writer, but that’s not true — it just takes passion and hard work.

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

Here's a weird fact not in my book #GoryDetails… Nearly half of all known animals on Earth are parasites! I wrote about parasites and the idea of saving endangered parasites for @NatGeo recently. I was amazed how important they are to the environment!https://t.co/GC7EnX5N8J

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

What did I learn from writing #GoryDetails?
I learned to trust my own creativity and instincts. I realized that if I find something really fascinating, other people probably will too. #YAauthorTakeover

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

I love writing about creepy crawlies and find them fascinating — like maggots, roaches, blowflies and rats — but I'm still squeamish about them! Roaches give me the shivers. BUT – did you know they can withstand 900 times their own body weight? #GoryDetails #YAauthorTakeover

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

I wrote my book #GoryDetails for the kid in all of us. At every age, I think we are all curious. Sometimes people think that being curious about "gross science" is just for kids, but I don't think we should lose our curiosity as we grow up! #YAauthorTakeover

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

One quote from #GoryDetails that means a lot to me:
"It all starts with being willing to ask a question that might raise eyebrows." #YAauthorTakeover

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022

And that’s a wrap on tonight’s #twittertakeover! Thank you to everyone who followed along, and to @YoungEntmag for letting me talk about #GoryDetails and gross science! Find me @GoryErika and https://t.co/nxTP9hy5h3

— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) January 27, 2022