Whidbey author pens 10th book in series

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 22, 2026

Christmas is coming to Whidbey Island several months early — complete with a crash-landed elf and the usual dose of the Whidbey series’ mythical fun.

Clinton resident Derrick Sutton, who goes by his pen name, Eldritch Black, has been busy crafting a new tale for young readers. His latest novel, “Whidbey Island Frost Weaver,” releases May 30 as the 10th book in the beloved “Weirdbey Island” series. But instead of being set in the summer, the story will take place in the winter. The seasonal mismatch, Black explained, comes down to the structure of the series itself.

“The last one was Thanksgiving, so it had to be a Christmas book for this one,” he said, chuckling.

The newest story follows an elf whose arrival on the island unleashes chaos, continuing the seasonal arc that has carried the series through Whidbey-inspired adventures book by book.

Whidbey itself remains one of Black’s greatest inspirations. Though originally from London, Black said living on the island since 2008 naturally shaped the world of his books.

“I just find it such a magical place,” he said. “There’s so many cool locations that the stories write themselves really. I get ideas wherever I go on the island.”

Some of those ideas come directly from local visitors. Black recalled that the jackalope featured in his second book was inspired by the abundance of rabbits in Langley.

“Obviously, there’s a real reason for them, but I wanted to invent one,” the author said.

Black said the response from readers has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.

“The support from people on the island has been amazing,” he said.

Still, he plans to wrap up his final book in the series at no. 12, though he may have one-offs. But even as the series approaches its planned ending, readers are already asking for more.

Beyond writing, Black frequently visits schools and libraries on and off the island to speak with students about storytelling and the writing process. His approach to writing surprises some students. He recalled revealing that one of his book outlines was 10,000 words.

“They were horrified,” he recalled.

That extensive outlining is central to his process as he typically spends three weeks just creating the outline, and then wrapping up the first draft in a month.

Outside the “Weirdbey” series, Black recently completed a three-year nonfiction book about writing. Published in March, “The Storycrafter’s Quest” was inspired by students he met during school visits who were working on books of their own.

“Rather than a dry nonfiction book, it’s actually a quest where you’ll get a treasure at the end,” he said. Readers will traverse a “magical castle,” where each room contains a lesson about writing.

Find Black’s books at Madrona Supply Company in Clinton, Wish-By-The-Sea in Langley, Kingfisher Bookstore in Coupeville, PNW Vibes in Oak Harbor and more. Outside of local bookstores on Whidbey, readers can purchase his books on Amazon. Black said that his books will be carried in bookstores worldwide later this year.

Learn more about Black’s work at eldritchblack.com.