This week, things are gettin' creepy as we talk to author Ronald L. Smith. Smith has a knack for imbuing his middle grade fiction with a little bit of that "X-Files vibe." And that dark, mysterious sensibility is certainly on display in his newest book, The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away, which is about a young kid who's convinced he's been abducted by aliens. On this episode, we talk about growing up as a military brat, why bullying recurs as a theme throughout his books, the role of adults in kids' stories, playing in the Marvel sandbox, and Baltimore.