Nick & Nate vs. the Notorious Nose Nabbler
James Seamone
Independently Published (2025)
ISBN: 979-8325077876
James Seamone is a lifelong lover of all things Horror. In an effort to share that love of Horror with a new generation, he has created a few wholesome children’s books that feature creatures, monsters, and other creepy things.
Collaborating with illustrator Ian Etheridge, the two of them have written “The Homemade Halloween Costume Dilemma” and “Christmas Incorporated” starring Tiffany, Maddy, and friends.
Ian’s illustrations also brought James’ “Nick & Nate vs. The Notorious Nose Nabbler” to vibrant life.
James is the author of Sci-Fi/Horror novel “The Belize Experience” and has had several short stories published in various anthologies.
Living in the Canadian Arctic, James spends the really cold days writing. He is currently working on a number of writing projects in various stages of development.
Hi James! Welcome to Reader Views! What is Nick & Nate vs. The Notorious Nose Nabbler about and what was your inspiration behind the story?
Thanks for having me. Well, originally it was just a silly story inspired by a random moment at a friend’s house. Since then, I have had a young reader tell me that maybe they will pay more attention when their parents are warning them about something.
Were Nick and Nate based on real people, or did they just arrive fully formed in your head, ready to chase a noseless menace?
They were inspired by real people for sure. Ophelia and Astrid are the young children of my friends, Megan Rose and Bryan. They were hosting a game day, and a bunch of us were hanging out. I heard someone say “got your nose” followed by Ophelia squealing like kids do when having fun. That kernel of an idea just rolled around in my head for a bit. On another game day occasion, I noticed how the rest of the friend group interacted with the kids. We would all charge into battle for those girls. Nik is tall and intimidating but secretly has a heart of gold. And Nathaniel is taller but not very scary at all. These two were playing with the girls on separate occasions, and I heard the terms Uncle Nate and Uncle Nik. Then all the N’s swirled together for Nick & Nate vs. The Notorious Nose Nabbler.
Your book is wildly entertaining, but it also sneaks in some Canadian geography. What went into picking the locations Nick and Nate visit, and how much of that was about blending fun with learning?
Truthfully, the learning was unintentional. I just had this idea of these two gentle giants chasing this little nose goblin all across the country to get the girls their noses back. The locations were pretty random, I had originally wanted to have a stop in each Province/Territory, but was worried about the story getting too big. I guess this leaves room for a sequel.
Some pages turn into full-on scavenger hunts! What inspired that ‘Where’s Waldo’ style, and how did you balance it with keeping the story moving?
The thought of a cross-country chase made me think of locations. Of course, there had to be landmarks/tourist locations with lots of people. It would be a pretty quick tale to have them find the Nose Nabbler alone in a field. My daughters (Tiffany and Madison from my other books) loved the Where’s Waldo and Eye Spy type books. So, when I thought of places with lots of people and activity, that’s where my mind went. Not quite on the waldo scale, but still quite fun to help the heroes find the creature.
The funky word styles throughout the book really draw attention—how did you decide which words to highlight and how?
I really don’t know. I was playing with fonts while writing the first drafts, just to make it more exciting. I think I went over it and rewrote it a hundred times before I was happy with it. Most of the credit goes to the Illustrator, Ian Etheridge, who did an amazing job bringing it to life and putting it all together.
There’s a strong read-aloud quality to this book. Was that something you focused on—creating a book that would be as much fun to read out loud as it is to read quietly?
I have always been a book lover. I used to love reading stories to my kids, getting them to love books too. It was not really a conscious decision on my part. It’s just how these books are supposed to be.
What do you hope kids take away from this story—aside from nose-related paranoia and laughter?
Mostly, I just want them to read and have fun. Books can take you to different worlds and open your imagination. I would love to see more children enjoying books.
There also seems to be an underlying message that parents/guardians/whoever might seem like they are nagging, but they love you and want to keep you safe.
Your collaboration with illustrator Ian Etheridge seems to be pure magic. How do the two of you work together creatively—do you write first, does he draw first, or is it a constant back-and-forth?
Ian is an artistic genius. Whenever I have gone to him with an idea, no matter how badly I first describe it, he has been able to see what I do and bring it to astounding life. With The Homemade Halloween Costume Dilemma and Christmas Incorporated it was a full-on 50/50 collaboration with lots of back and forth, creative discussions, and rewrites. Knowing what each other is capable of made creating the Nose Nabbler pretty painless.
You’ve worked on other children’s books with Ian as well. How does Nick & Nate vs. The Notorious Nose Nabbler stand apart from your earlier books like The Homemade Halloween Costume Dilemma or Christmas Incorporated?
With the HHCD, I went to Ian with a draft for an ABC-style book of Horror movie monsters. “A is for Alien” type thing. It was fun and interesting, but not very good. We decided to partner up and create something better, and we did. Then Ian came to me with a plot outline idea for a follow-up/sequel, and together we wrote Christmas Incorporated. A fun and spooky little chapter book for young readers. While we love our creations, it was difficult getting them noticed enough to pay the bills. So, we moved on to other endeavors. With Nick & Nate, I came to Ian with a finished manuscript and hired him to work his magic. Ian does an amazing job, and we seem to be in sync with a lot of things. It makes working with him quite painless.
Were there any parts of the story that changed dramatically from first draft to final book?
Originally, the Nose Nabbler was a masked figure sneaking through the night like some sort of fancy burglar. In fact, the image the girls think of early on in the book is the original sketch idea for him. Like I mentioned earlier, I think I rewrote it somewhere around 100 times. It has changed a bit every draft.
If you had to describe the Nose Nabbler’s personality in three smells, what would they be?
The Nose Nabbler is probably quite mischievous and greedy. I could not begin to think of what that would smell like. However, what people don’t know is that noses smell like sausage. Since the Nabbler has a sack of schnozes and a nose hair cloak with him at all times, he reeks of Sausage, Pepperoni, and Hot Dogs. I know that is not his personality, just facts.
You balance a slightly spooky tone with laugh-out-loud humor. How do you find that sweet spot, and do you write jokes that make you laugh first?
I have been a Horror lover for as long as I can remember so I tend to put Horror elements in everything I write. I also grew up watching the campy, cheesy Horror movies from the 80s. The ones that were just funny, intentionally or not. So, I find that Horror and Humor go hand in hand. As for me finding that sweet spot… just lucky, I guess. I write the story bouncing around in my head.
The jokes are really just my personality leaking out into what I create. “Laughter is good for the soul” and “laughter is the best medicine” are two things I agree with totally. I mean, with all the real-world horrors out there, its either cry or go mad. I choose neither. I prefer to laugh and be happy. Maybe, I can bring happiness to someone else by making them laugh too.
You’ve said you love horror—how does your love for the genre influence the tone or character creation in your children’s stories?
We were all afraid of the dark as children or had a monster under the bed. And we have all seen a kid cry at some point because someone ‘took your nose.’ So, what would be scarier for them than to have some monster creep in at night and steal their nose? I get to introduce children to a creature/monster that is quite scary when you really think about it. But I get to introduce them to this terrifying creature in a way that is silly and fun.
Do you think kids are naturally drawn to the slightly spooky and strange? How do you decide where the “too scary” line is?
Of course they are. Every town has a haunted house, creepy woods, or some sort of local legend that all the kids are fascinated by. Daring each other to ring the witch’s doorbell or cross the troll bridge. We are all drawn to the unknown either out of curiosity or fear. Personally, I am not a good judge of where that line of too scary is. I let my daughters watch spooky movies when they were way too young to watch them. I don’t think it messed them up too much…
Do you envision Nick and Nate coming back for more weird and wild adventures? Is this the beginning of a series?
At this point, I cannot say for sure. I would like to see them come back for another monster hunt in different Provinces/Territories. We will see if and when inspiration strikes.
You live in the Canadian Arctic—how does your environment influence your creativity, especially on those really cold days you spend writing?
It is beautiful up here, but it presents its challenges too. We can’t just drive to the mall for shopping and to get things mailed, sometimes it can take a few weeks or more. In fact, this is what ultimately shaped The Homemade Halloween Costume Dilemma. Ian does a lot of creating and uses anything on hand to do it. He has verified that all the costumes in that book can be crafted with cardboard, glue, markers, and whatnot. That lack of shopping availability also inspired the super mall in Christmas Incorporated.
The weather plays a big part in influencing my work. You are sitting in your living room with candles lit because the power went out. All you can hear is the wind howling, almost screaming, outside because of the 70 km per hour blizzard blowing outside. You look out the window and see vague shapes constantly moving on the other side of the windowpane. Not because it is nighttime, but because the snow is swirling so hard that it is creating darker patches in the night. It is a great opportunity for your mind to go wild with spooky ideas.
What’s next for you? Are you working on another book? Will we see more from the Nose Nabbler universe or something completely different?
There are a couple of callbacks to the HHCD and Christmas Inc in this book so who is to say that they are not all in the same universe already?
In fact, I have a manuscript about a little boy who thinks a man in their neighborhood is a monster and is telling his mom all the things he has heard about it. This could very easily be the same world.
I am also putting together an anthology of Canadian horror that is not intended for children.
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