An Epic Journey: A Guest Post by Morr Meroz

By Morr Meroz / February 2, 2026 at 12:01 am

Brace yourself: an epic adventure is about to begin. In a perilous snow-covered land, a wolf cub, a leopard and a wildcat must join forces to face the unthinkable. Read on for an exclusive essay from author Morr Meroz on writing Our Monthly Pick, A Blood Moon.

Paperback $14.99

A Blood Moon (Snowlands #1)

By Morr Meroz
Illustrator Collin Fogel

In Stock Online

Paperback $14.99

In the heart of the Snowlands, prey and predator alike mysteriously disappear as three outcasts join forces for the adventure of a lifetime in the first book of the heart-stopping Snowlands series — perfect for fans of Wings of Fire and Warriors!

Writing books was never really on my radar. Before I considered writing books, I had always wanted to make animated movies. That was the dream.

So I moved across the world to study animation in New York City at the School of Visual Arts, trying to turn that dream into a reality. And I got pretty close, too: I was one of two finalists for an internship at Pixar. It felt like my big break . . . but as you can probably guess, I didn’t get it.

But I didn’t panic. I kept making animated short films, worked at some of the best animation studios in the city, and about a decade later, I decided it was time. I was going to write my first animated feature film.

The idea came from a nature documentary about snow leopards. It followed a mother and her cub on their final journey together before separating forever. I couldn’t stop thinking about that moment. What happens if the mother doesn’t want to let go? What if the cub isn’t ready yet?

That’s when Snowlands was created.

It began as a simple mother–daughter story and slowly grew into an epic journey through wild, snowy mountains, featuring rival wolf packs, dangerous territories, monkey tribes, and even a cult of maniacal sheep.

At this point, you might be wondering, Wait a minute. isn’t Snowlands a book?

It is! But that wasn’t the original plan.

After finishing the screenplay, I ran headfirst into the reality of getting an animated movie made, especially one as large and expensive as Snowlands. But that meant years of pitching, endless meetings, and no guarantee it would ever happen.

I didn’t want that.

So I asked a different question: What if I made it a graphic novel instead? I could tell the story on my own terms, get it into readers’ hands, and if it ever became a movie one day, great. Either way, my story would be out there.

I self-published Snowlands: A Blood Moon in 2021, working with a small, dedicated team for over a year. The response from readers was encouraging, but I knew I couldn’t grow the series alone. I had bigger plans, and I needed a publisher to make them possible.

That’s where Scholastic came in. They were an obvious fit for Snowlands and helped develop it into a full series, expanding the world and characters far beyond my original plans.

I still love animation. As a parent of two, I get to watch a lot of it. But whether Snowlands ever reaches the big screen or not, the story is already exactly where it belongs. I hope you’ll read it and fall in love with the Snowlands, as I have, because this is just the beginning . . .