Hide and Seeker

Daka Hermon writes books that blend horror elements with deep emotional connections among characters. Her middle grade stories often explore themes of friendship, fear, and the resilience of young people facing supernatural threats. Her first novel, Hide and Seeker (2020), turns the game of hide-and-seek into childhood fears manifesting in a supernatural world called Nowhere. Hermon’s second novel, The Nightmare King (2023), features a young boy plagued by nightmares and a monstrous king after playing a game of tag. Although Hermon writes in the horror genre, she admits that she is “a big scaredy-cat and can’t watch horror movies” (“About Me.” Daka Hermon). 

As an African American writer, Hermon showcases diversity in her work. In Hide and Seeker, the protagonist Justin, Nia, and many of the other minor characters are Black, while Rodrigo is Hispanic, and Lyric is white. Many races and ethnicities are represented in her work, giving her writing an inclusive and diverse quality. Her work showcases Black protagonists who must overcome conflicts—internal and external, supernatural and ordinary. 

Born in Tennessee, Hermon has always been an avid reader and writer. She “spent her childhood huddled under a blanket with a flashlight, reading and writing fairy-tale and fantasy stories” (