Each week, an accomplished published author takes over the YEM Twitter account for Thursday’s Twitter Takeover. Each week, the YA author will answer questions, tell stories, and give advice on our social media. This week young adult author Roy Schwartz will be taking over our Twitter account.

Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, Roy grew up a voracious reader of everything from Israeli novels to British plays to American comic books. He taught himself English from comics and cartoons, which is why he’s comfortable using words like “swell.”

He served his three-year draft in the IDF in counterterrorism intelligence, reaching the rank of SFC, NCO. Following, he wrote for Ynet, Israel’s largest news website.

His love of writing brought him to New York, where he graduated magna cum laude from The New School University with a BA in English, majoring in creative writing, and cum laude from NYU with an interdisciplinary MA in English (focusing on 19th-century British and 20th-century American literature) and social thought. He interned for Marvel Comics.

Roy has written for newspapers, magazines and websites in the US and abroad. He’s also taught English and freshman seminars at CUNY, the City University of New York. He is a writer-in-residence at the New York Public Library.

Roy Schwartz recently released his debut novel, The Darkness in Lee’s Closet and the Others Waiting There. The book, perfect for middle school readers, has elements of darkness and fantasy. A macabre adventure set in the world of the dead, it’s a thrill ride full of frights and frolics that can only be overcome with the strength of family, friendship, and faith in oneself.

Roy is offering YEM readers an exclusive YEMDLC50 code for 50% off the digital copy, plus YEMALL35 for 35% off all other Aelurus books, until the end of May. Visit: https://aeluruspublishing.com/the-darkness-in-lees-closet. For the Twitter takeover, we’re raffling three signed copies to participants, so be sure to follow along!

To read an except from The Darkness in Lee’s Closet and the Others Waiting There, click here . For YEM’s exclusive interview with Roy Schwartz,  click here.

Roy is also the author of Is Superman Circumcised? How Jewish Culture Shaped the World’s Greatest Hero (working title), a nonfiction book coming soon from McFarland. Click here to read Ten Crazy Things You Didn’t Know About Superman by Roy Schwartz.