The Honor Society is the debut mystery novel by Writers Guild Award–nominated television writer Glenton Richards, who has written for The Expanse and Fargo. Geared towards middle-schoolers and anyone who loves a good story, this fun book has engaging characters with a lot of heart. What is it about? Think- Harry Potter meets Spy School!
I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of the book in November and had a hard time putting it down. I’ve been telling all my friends with kids about it and am excited about it’s release next month (February 17th, 2026)! Glenton and I used to work at the same entertainment company many years ago, and it’s a joy to see his talents crossover to books. Below is my Q+A with him about The Honor Society. I’m also hosting a giveaway of the book on Instagram!
Q. What inspired you to write The Honor Society?
A. I grew up loving fun adventure and mystery stories, whether they be in books or TV shows or movies. Around the time I started working on Fargo, I heard about a school that was teaching students about the Homeland Security Department and my mind immediately went to “Oh, that totally sounds like a cover for a spy school!” And my mind just went into overdrive from there, haha.
Q. Are any parts of your book drawn from personal experiences (i.e. boarding school, classes, professors) or interviews with people who have had those experiences?
A. Yes and no. I didn’t go to a boarding school, but I did go to a private school that shares some inspiration with the school Archie goes to. Also, I grew up in a single-parent household, so in some ways, I drew from that inspiration to shape some of Archie’s early character development.
Q. Your experience as a television writer definitely shines through in the book. You worked on The Expanse, which is a science-fiction series based on the novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey. Do you write with a television show or movie adaptation in mind?
A. Actually, I’d love to see The Honor Society adapted in some way to either TV or film. Either works for me, I’m not picky, haha. But what’s fun about seeing a book get adapted for TV or film is that it opens up the story for a whole new audience, which is really cool.
Q. The character, Archie, with supporting characters Min, and Teagan, all have heart, and are very likeable. Did any characters surprise you by evolving differently than you expected?
A. In some ways, they all evolved slightly differently than I expected. I worked early on to give the characters an interesting backstory, but as I started writing the book their characters took interesting detours that I think added even more flavor to their stories, which I was excited to see.
Q. What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A. I hope that readers feel like this was a fun story first and foremost. Second, I hope that readers — kids especially — take away the idea that even if you don’t feel like an outsider, there are other people out there who feel the same way, and you can always find friends by being a friend.
Q. Did you encounter any major roadblocks while writing, and how did you overcome them?
A. OMG yes! Coming from a TV and screenwriting background, I found early on that writing books is VERY different than writing a TV show or a movie. So my novel went through many rewrites early on as I not only honed my story, but also learned how to become a better author. And you overcome all of that with just persistence. It’s like the saying goes: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The same goes for writing a book.
Q. What advice would you give to young writers (or adults!) who want to write a book?
A. Read a lot! Reading opens your mind to new and interesting ideas and even if you don’t like a story, you can figure out how to make your story better in contrast. And as far as writing, I’d say just be consistent, whether you’re working on a short story or the next great epic. Being good at anything is all about being consistent.
Q. If you were to choose a “dream cast” for this book. Who would it consist of?
A. Oh that’s tough for the kids since young actors can age up so quickly. I honestly haven’t given that much thought! But if any readers think of some good actors for these roles, let me know! 🙂
Q. When can we expect book 2?
A. I’d say look for book 2 of The Honor Society by summer 2027!
Enter the giveaway on Instagram!
See post on https://www.instagram.com/westsidemommy
The Honor Society links
Glenton Richards, Author website
https://glentonrichards.com/
The Honor Society Series on Instagram (@thehonorsocietyseries)
https://www.instagram.com/thehonorsocietyseries
The Honor Society on Amazon [my Amazon affiliate link]
https://amzn.to/4aHWXrj
