Ghosts and giggles in Catherine Doyle's new Scare B'n'B series
About Author
Expect plenty of spooky spectral silliness and hilarity in Catherine Doyle's new Scare B'n'B series!
Catherine Doyle grew up beside the Atlantic in the west of Ireland, reading great Irish myths and legends. She studied Psychology and has an MA in Publishing, but knew she wanted to write.
Her debut middle-grade novel, The Storm Keeper's Island, was inspired by her ancestral home of Arranmore Island, and the adventures of her sea-faring ancestors. She now lives in Galway, although she also spends a lot of her time in London and the US. She enjoys watching movies, running and travelling.
Interview
April 2026
Ghosts and giggles in Catherine Doyle's new Scare B'n'B series!
Expect plenty of spooky spectral silliness and hilarity in bestselling author Catherine Doyle's new Scare B'n'B series, in which sworn enemies Ted and Frankie must come together to save their family's hotel business. There are ghosts and japes aplenty and the twists, turns and whip-sharp writing will keep readers hooked and turning the pages!
ReadingZone caught up with author Catherine Doyle to find out what inspired Scare B'n'B's ghostly goings-on and its Tartarus Hall setting. We also have a Creative Challenge from the author for young writers!
More about Scare B'n'B: Spooky silliness reigns in Catherine Doyle's new series as Ted and Frankie team up to save their hotel from a ghostly duke and his restless spirits.
5* Review: "A brilliantly written, heartwarming tale of family and fun, with a sprinkling of ethereal naughtiness."
Catherine Doyle's Creative Challenge: Create your own ghost!
Imagine an old house with its own unique story. Make up a troublesome ghost that wanders its dusty halls: where has it come from, why has it decided to linger on, and what will it take to help it finally cross over?
Q&A with Catherine Doyle
"Ghosts on BBC is so funny. I thought it would be fun to write something like that for children,
where they get to be the heroes."
1. Can you start by telling us a little about yourself, loves and loathings, and what treats keep you at your writing desk each day?
Sure! I love storms, I'm terrified of spiders (as in: will run screaming from a room if I see one!), and I like to treat myself to a little bit of chocolate (Minstrels or Maltesers), and a LOT of coffee when I'm at my desk.
2. What's your new book and series, Scare B'n'B, about?
It's about Ted and Frankie, former sworn-enemies and now step-siblings, who find themselves in an unlikely alliance when their parents pool their money and decide to turn an old haunted manor house into a thriving boutique hotel.
Since Ted and Frankie are the only ones who can see ghosts, they must team up to save their family hotel from a ghostly duke and his band of restless spirits. It's a little bit scary, but mostly it's funny, silly and adventurous!
3. What helped inspire this story about sabotaging ghosts? Have any television programmes or films helped you develop this world?
I loved Casper when I was younger, and Ghostbusters! And of course, Ghosts on BBC is so funny. I thought it would be fun to write something like that for children, where they get to be the heroes.
4. Who are the two children at the heart of the story and why did you decide to feature a blended family?
There's Ted, who loves chess and reading, is a little bit shy and spooks quite easily. He's very close to his mum, Salma, who brought him up for most of his life. Then there's Frankie, who's loud and brash and adventurous and doesn't mind breaking the rules. She has a moody older brother called Luke (teenager), a lovably batty Nan, and a dad called Eugene, who's a bit madcap.
When Salma and Eugene get married, the family comes together to live in Tartarus Hall. It was important for me to feature a blended family because I think it's a normal reflection of our world (well - except for the ghost part!!)
5. So about the ghosts running amok at the hotel - who are they and do you have any favourites?
The ghosts running amok are the original crew from over 300 years ago, the ones that stuck around when the manor house went up in flames. There's the maid, Nell, the groundskeeper and his dog, and the Duke and his spoilt sister, Arabella.
My favourite character is definitely the Duke. He's vain and dramatic and totally out of touch with reality, which makes him a really fun villain to write!
6. The characters - real and ghostly - are brilliant. How do you develop your characters as a writer? Do you get to know them as you write them, or do you want to know them before you start to write?
I usually begin with one or two well-formed characters, who sort of pop into my head with a personality ready to go. In this book, the Duke came first, floating at the window of Tartarus Hall, looking out at the cars trundling up the driveway. I had such a strong sense of him immediately, and I knew he'd be great fun to write.
Ted came next, and Frankie made sense as a foil to him - someone who likes to break the rules he works so hard at keeping, and challenges him in her own way.
7. Is the setting, Tartarus Hall, based on somewhere you have visited, or is it all made up? Have you ever seen a ghost yourself, or visited somewhere you felt was haunted?
I looked at lots of pictures of fancy old houses for inspiration for Tartarus Hall. The closest one is a place called Bletchley Park. I've never seen a ghost (thankfully), but I've visited a fair few ancient Irish castles over the years and I've definitely felt a faint spookiness or presence there. Not scary, exactly, more cool. Like history seeping out through the old stone walls, footsteps in the long grass or old voices threaded in the wind.
8. Scare B'n'B with its bickering children, antagonistic ghosts and creepy capers is funny rather than scary. Why did you take this approach, and what is your favourite moment in the story?
Despite its title, I didn't want Scare BnB to be too scary, because like Ted, I, alas, am a scaredy cat. It's more fun to write funny stories, so it felt like a natural choice for me. My favourite moment is definitely the Scrabble scene!
9. What else do you have planned for Tartarus Hall?
Ted, Frankie and the gang will be back in Scare BnB 2: Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun, which comes out in the Autumn. Think: celeb wedding gone very wrong!
10. What are your favourite things to do to relax when you manage to escape the writing desk?
Sleep, take a walk down by the sea, sleep, go to the cinema, sleep, and, read a book, and more sleep!
Scare B'n'B
