about

Hi! I’m Ash! I’m a middle-grade author, classroom speaker, and writing mentor.

I grew up in Southern Appalachia (and lived near Chattanooga for eighteen years)! Now I live near the Olympic Peninsula with my wild little family. I have an old dog named Oberon, a ball python called Sophie Hatter, and one mercurial cat.

Strange plants, riddles, campfires, and insects are some of my favorite things! I also love listening to people’s life stories, especially if their experiences are different than mine.

How do you say your last name?

van-AH-ter-loo

Pronouns

I’m trans/nonbinary, which means my gender doesn’t fall neatly into the categories of “man” or “woman.” My pronouns are he/they.

Hobbies and Tidbits

I love music, and I have a degree in music performance. I enjoy delving into odd bits of history, horror movies, reading about natural science and psychology, and I am particularly fond of plant identification and botany. I’m neurodivergent, and I find spending time in the woods recharges my energy better than anything.

What does ‘CATTYWAMPUS’ mean?

It’s an Appalachian word I grew up around that means “a little crooked/not quite straight.” (If art on the wall was hanging crooked, you might say “that painting’s a little cattywampus!”) In my book, this is a play on words in several ways.

Like a lot of people, I grew feeling like a bit of an outsider sometimes, and often worried about doing things perfectly or that being my genuine self was somehow not quite good enough. I liked the idea of creating a story where characters faced their worries and phobias, and worked together to accept what made them unique and powerful!

Who did the artwork for Cattywampus’ cover? A very talented artist named Abigail Dela Cruz!

Who did the artwork for ATOR’s cover? The cover design was by Baily Crawford, and the cover art was by the amazing Steffi Walthall!

Who did the artwork for The Beautiful Something Else? TBSE’s stunning art is by cover artist Leo Nickolls!

Press Bio:

Alder (Ash) Van Otterloo was born and raised in the Appalachian foothills, then made his home for eighteen years as an adult in Eastern Tennessee. He currently resides in the PNW with a pack of wild forest gremlins and a small menagerie of animals. Alder is the author of CATTYWAMPUS, A TOUCH OF RUCKUS, and THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE (Scholastic Press, 2023)

Agent: Sheyla Knigge of High Line Literary Collective