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Author Interview with Jamie Sumner on Wish You Well

By Karen Reeder on August 31, 2026 / Articles, Author Interviews

Interview with Middle Grade Author Jamie Sumner

Karen Reeder: Thank you for joining us today. Can you tell us a little bit about Wish You Well?

Jamie Sumner: Absolutely. I’m Jamie Sumner, and I write middle grade novels. Some are in verse, some are in prose, and I have a graphic novel adaptation of my first book coming out in about a year, which I’m really excited about. That’s been a lot like working on a script—hard and amazing.
Wish You Well is written in prose, but the premise is anything but traditional. Three kids meet at a hospital picnic. If you’ve been lucky enough not to spend much time in hospitals, you may not know about these picnics, but hospitals sometimes hold annual events for families and kids dealing with chronic illnesses, or for children who spent a long time in the NICU. Nurses and families come together, check in on one another, and celebrate how everyone is doing. The main character, Violet, is thirteen, and she absolutely does not want to go. She’s slowly going blind because of macular degeneration, and she doesn’t want to be reminded of it. She just wants to be a normal kid, so the picnic feels like this huge red flag highlighting her illness that she doesn’t want to talk about. So the day of the picnic, she’s in a bad mood. While she’s there, she witnesses a kid choking on a hot dog. Luckily, he’s surrounded by nurses who perform the Heimlich and save him. That’s how she meets Wyatt, who’s had a heart transplant, and Noor, whose mother is the nurse who rescued him.
Wyatt becomes the instigator of their friendship—or really, their scheme. Violet complains about how the wish foundation keeps trying to get her to apply for a wish, but she says that’s for babies. I don’t want to do that. Wyatt and Noor tell her they get those wish foundation things too.
Wyatt points out that they would each get three wishes, so he comes up with this grand idea: they pool their wishes and have one epic year filled with three huge adventures. The catch is that they have to pretend to be best friends, even though they just met. Violet and Noor aren’t exactly warm-and-fuzzy personalities, so Wyatt is the one who tries to bring everyone together. It’s a little like The Breakfast Club: three very different kids are stuck in this scenario and they team up and have to pull it off.

KR: I love the unlikely friendship, the attitude, and the grumpiness. Your voice pulled me in immediately. I kept thinking, I need more books like this. Do you have an unlikely friendship in your own life?

JS: Actually, I had… no one has asked me that question yet, that’s interesting. And it comes full circle. So, one of my best friends now, who I never would have guessed we would become close friends, was actually my son’s nurse in the NICU. So, my son Charlie has cerebral palsy, and he is 14 now. And, he was in the NICU for about 10 to 12 weeks when he was first born, and he ended up coming home with a trach, he had oxygen, he later got a G-tube, many surgeries, lots of stuff going on when he was a baby. And it’s really important, if you know, you know, like, to request someone who you think is good to be their primary nurse, the nurse that is… if they’re on call, they’re gonna be asigned to your baby. So, I ended up requesting Mary and she just seemed very cool under pressure, she and Charlie, like, meshed. Even though he was, you know, 3 weeks, 4 weeks old. This means every day when I’m there, she’s there.

So, we became friends, and then her husband who is also a nurse who works at the Veteran Hospital and he and my husband and Mary… we all became friends. They would come over and Mary would babysit Charlie when I went back to work as a teacher. You can’t do better than the primary NICU nurse taking care of your kid when your go back to work. I threw her a baby shower when she had her first baby, so… it’s so funny how that happens, and it’s kind of like friendships born out of…necessity? Really more, situation or circumstance. Mary and I, we actually texted last night, so we’re still best friends.

KR: That is so great. I love it. You’ve talked briefly about this, can you tell us more about how the setting for Wish You Well is something personal for you?

JS: It’s very personal, but I also think it’s universal. If you’re the parent of a child who’s spent time in the hospital—or if you’re part of the sandwich generation and have a parent who’s frequently in the hospital—you’ll understand it. After Charlie came home from the NICU, he continued seeing lots of specialists. He had surgeries, seizures, tests, sleep studies, and more ambulance rides than I ever wanted to experience.
We live in Nashville, so Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital became this place we knew intimately. I know the smell. I know where the good snacks are. I even know when the cafeteria locks the cold-drink doors because they won’t sell them between these two hours. We spent so much time there, and they were so good to us. I really wanted to tell a story set in that world because it’s something you can’t imagine if you haven’t been in it. When you’ve been through it, you recognize all these little details and think, Oh, yeah. I know that. I wanted readers who have lived through it to feel seen, but I also wanted people who haven’t experienced it to understand that world better and develop more empathy for children—and really anyone—who has had to spend a lot of time in hospitals dealing with chronic illness.

KR: Yes. It’s so important to build empathy.
I have to tell you, I was completely hooked by this story. I cried while reading and could hardly keep going, but had to find out the ending. That seems to be a theme in your writing. I’ve read several of your books, and they all carry these really big emotional themes. What draws you to writing that way?

JS: You mentioned voice, and I think voice is the thing that comes to me first in a story. I start with the character’s attitude, their vibe, who they are. I don’t really plot everything out in advance. I spend a lot of time getting to know my characters, and then I figure out the major plot points. Sometimes I abandon those, too. I let the characters lead me. Because my books are middle grade and because of the situations I put my characters in, they’re certainly adventure stories, but the emotional journey is always the bigger journey for me. That’s the part that makes you care, that makes you tear up, and that makes you not want to put the book down. Those are also the books I love to read. Sometimes you want a book that’s mostly plot, and that’s great. But other times you want to be pulled in and actually feel something. Those are the kinds of books I tend to write because my characters feel very real to me. I hear them. I get to know them. And I’m a pretty emotional person, so that probably plays a part in it, too.

KR: I’ve thought a lot about voice while reading this book, especially with Violet. Then Noor has such a distinct personality and Wyatt has that lovable quality that brings everyone together. When you’re first developing a character, how do you find their voice?

JS: Usually it starts with a line of dialogue. I’ll hear something in my head, and it’s very clearly something that this character would say. That becomes the thread I follow. Voice can also come through music. Sometimes I make a playlist for a character. That song or playlist captures the character’s vibe, and if I ever lose the voice while I’m writing—especially if I’ve gotten too caught up in the plot—I can listen to the music and find my way back.
For Violet, the voice was very early-Alanis-Morissette. She’s angry, but she doesn’t always know why, so when people get too close to her, she takes it out on them. But underneath all of that, she’s kind and she really needs love. That’s where Violet came from.

KR: I love that.
What would you wish for?

JS: Oh, gosh. That’s such a great question. I can’t believe I’ve never asked myself that while writing this book. I’d combine two things, because apparently that’s what you’re allowed to do with a wish. I’ve never been able to go on a writing retreat because of Charlie’s situation. I don’t like to be away from him for more than a night or two. And I also have twins in seventh grade. But I’d love to go abroad—specifically to Italy—and do a writing retreat that also includes a cooking class. I love the idea of writing while also cooking, getting to use your hands, eating great food, and being immersed in the Italian countryside. Wouldn’t that be incredible?

KR: Absolutely. You’re immersing yourself in all the senses and emotions, which would probably create an amazing story, too.

JS: Exactly. And the wish would have to include knowing that Charlie was okay. Otherwise I’d just be worrying the whole time, and I couldn’t really let myself relax and write.

KR: Let’s do a lightning round.
Favorite writing snack?

JS: Trail mix—specifically the California kind with dried banana chips.

KR: What do you do right before you sit down to write?

JS: Go for a run. It clears my head, and that’s usually when I figure out what’s coming next in the chapter.

KR: Your book is divided into summer, fall, winter, and spring. Best thing about summer?

JS: The kids are out of school and we have no schedule. It’s incredible.

KR: Best thing about fall?

JS: Everything pumpkin. I know it’s a cliché, but I can’t help it, I love it. I love baking with pumpkin. And its… fresh starts.

KR: Best thing about winter?

JS: Is there anything? Okay, fun snow days. Where you get to wing it. Those are fun. I usually bake bread on snow days, because I’m at home with them, and I can check in on my rise, see how its going.

KR: Nice. And spring?

JS: When you first hear the birds again in the morning. Those early spring sounds make it a little easier to get out of bed.

KR: Favorite vacation spot?

JS: Colorado. I love it, I love the mountains.

KR: Best reading spot?

JS: My bed. Oh, no! What am I even saying? We built a screen in porch, and there is a couch that is my… I write on it, I live on it, I nap on it, it’s the best.

KR: Favorite holiday?

JS: Christmas has almost too much pressure to make it perfect. So I told my husband this past year I really liked the 4th of July, because it was chill, and it was outside, and it was grilling, and…Fireworks. So that may be my current new favorite.

KR: Hobby when not writing.

JS: Baking, yes, that’s my favorite.

KR: Alright, well, I love it! Thank you for joining us today. Before we go, can you tell us… you alluded to the graphic novel, but what is next for author Jamie Sumner?

JS: Next! Oh my goodness, it’s called Space Race, it’s coming out in the spring, and it’s a novel in verse.

Interview with Shifa Saltagi Safadi, Author of SISTERS ALONE

By Melissa Roske on August 26, 2026 / Articles

Interviewing a middle-grade author is always a pleasure, but it’s even more exciting when the author happens to be fellow Mixed-Up Files member Shifa Saltagi Safadi! Shifa, who won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2024 for her debut novel, Kareem Between, is here to tell us about her latest novel, Sisters Alone, a novel-in-verse about two sisters who survive a dramatic blizzard and live to tell the tale. The book releases from Penguin Young Readers on September 8^th.

And now, without further ado, please join me in welcoming Shifa to the blog!

MR: So happy to have you here, Shifa. I read Sisters Alone in two sittings, and cried at the end. It was incredibly moving, and so beautifully written. Congratulations on this wonderful book!

SSS: Thank you so much, dear Melissa! It is my honor to be here and I am SO GRATEFUL you enjoyed the read. Thank you for loving Sisters Alone.

Sisters Alone

MR: Could you tell readers more about Sisters Alone? What was the inspiration behind it?

SSS: Sisters Alone is a story of two sisters who are grieving the sudden passing of their mother when they are somehow, due to a missed field-trip form, left home alone without their father during a blizzard. And when the blizzard gets intense, they have to figure out how to heal their fractured relationship to survive and find hope together again.

MR: On the surface, the two sisters in the book, Rama and Leena, couldn’t be more different. Rama, the eldest, is gifted academically and is perceived by her little sister as “perfect.” Leena, on the other hand, is forgetful and impulsive. What is it about the nature of sibling relationships that intrigues you? What inspired you to explore them?

SSS: I had a very complicated relationship with my younger sister growing up. As the eldest, I was often frustrated with her, and she viewed me as bossy and irritating. I am happy to report that we are in fact the best of friends now, but we do still bicker occasionally! I loved writing and infusing the complexities of sisterhood into this book, because it is fascinating to me, even in watching my own three daughters, how complicated love can be. And showing young readers that relationships, sisterhoods, and family bonds can be complicated, and yet also so special, is a beautiful symbol for hope in the world—that even in differences, there can be love and closeness.

Coping with Grief

MR: Grief is an overarching theme in the book as Leena blames herself for her mother’s death. She copes by making a scrapbook to preserves her mom’s memory, while Rama, who is struggling internally, tamps her feelings. Can you tell us more about the sisters’ respective coping mechanisms?

SSS: As you said, both girls find different ways to cope, with Rama being more focused on the future and moving on from her feelings, while Leena feels stuck in the past and unable to let go of the pain. Both girls represent different ways of grief because people have different ways of processing loss. For Leena and Rama, their coping mechanisms represent their characters, as Rama is someone who is very focused on control and achievement, while Leena is someone who likes creativity and daydreaming.

Through their emotional arcs, I hoped to show that each of them had to take a step toward each other to find that balance, whether Rama letting go of control a bit or Leena stepping up her helpfulness. In this middle ground of love, they are able to lean on each other and process their grief in a better way.

Understanding Anxiety

MR: Another important theme in the book is mental health, as Rama struggles with anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I know this is a deeply personal issue for you, and you’ve addressed it in the author’s note. Can you elaborate on this?

SSS: Intrusive thoughts and anxiety are important issues I wanted to highlight, because growing up, and especially in my teen years, I couldn’t understand the sad feelings I felt and the way my thoughts seemed to always be negative. It was only by realizing what this was and putting a name to it, as well as accepting myself as I am, that was I able to not feel alone or shamed by this experience. I hope young readers who experience anxiety feel seen and loved in this story too.

Syrian Roots and Muslim faith

MR: In addition to the themes mentioned above, the sisters take great pride and comfort in their Syrian roots and Muslim faith. Is this something that resonates deeply for you as well?

SSS: Absolutely. As a Syrian and Muslim American, I grew up never seeing my identity on the bookshelf, and so now, I really like to provide that rep for my young kids and others like them. There are so many harmful stereotypes that are Islamophobic that permeate the media, and so I hope my books offer a view into what the lives of Muslims and Arabs are really like, and how we are all so similar in humanity— all of us just wanting lives with love and peace in them.

Shifa’s Writing Process

MR: Switching gears, what does your writing process look like? Do you have a specific routine or rituals?

SSS: I usually like to write in the early mornings, right after coffee, as that is when my energy is most high and my mind is sharpest. However, that does not mean I write every day. Some days I am unable to focus too long on the screen, and so I give it a rest and just read (or

I usually do like to write in the early mornings right after coffee, as that is when my energy is most high and my mind is sharpest. However, that does not mean I write every day. Some days I am unable to focus too long on the screen, and so I give it a rest and just read (or honestly doom scroll!). Sometimes, all I can do is plot or outline a new story. Other times, I feel like my mind is in a revision mood, or in an essay mood. So I try to follow my instincts into what I want to do, and that usually leads me to the best creative productivity of that moment. I try not to push myself too hard if I am not ready to draft or revise, because that can lead to burnout, and burnout is the hardest creative rut to recover from!

The Magic of Novels in Verse

MR: Like Kareem Between, your latest novel is written in verse. What is it about this form that appeals to you? Also, what advice would you give to writers who might want to attempt a verse novel?

SSS: I absolutely adore verse! One of the reasons is the tightness of the storyline. Most verse novels come in at around 20,000 words, and I feel like today’s readers are clamoring for shorter books and tighter plots. But also, I just love poetry. Something about the magic of language, and how it can transform an image mentally to something with meaning and feeling, makes my heart happy. I love sitting with a poem and tinkering and tinkering with it until it feels like it has that “clicking” moment!

My advice for new verse novelists is to READ! Read ALL the verse novels you can get your hands on, because the best way to train your mind to write poetry is to read a lot of it.

Also, Cordelia Jensen gives a fantastic novel in verse course at Boyds Mills, so make sure to check that out if you like to take courses!

Up Next

MR: What are you working on now, Shifa? Can you give Mixed-Up Files readers a sneak peek?

SSS: I am happily looking forward to the publication of two more Amina Banana books coming out in 2027 and 2028, and a picture book titled The Kaabah Cat in 2027, as well as another picture book titled Summers in Syria, scheduled for 2028!

As for what I am writing, I do have more verse novels in the works, and the next one is a mystery! I am thrilled to get it out into the world, although the details are still a bit secret.

Lightning Round!

MR: And finally, no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Snickers!

Plotter or pantser? Plotter ALL the way!

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay? I would probably die first lol

Superpower? My ability to function with no sleep!

Favorite place on earth? Mecca for sure!

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be?

A cellphone so I can call for help! A book to pass the time. And maybe my glasses, so I can see clearly!

***For more about Shifa, check out THIS INTERVIEW from the Mixed-Up Files archives!***

SHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI is the author of Kareem Between and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, teaches ELA at a local middle school, and reviews Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children. Learn more about Shifa on her website and follow her on Instagram.

MELISSA ROSKE is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines, selected jokes for Reader’s Digest, and received certification as a life coach from NYU. In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge), Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish middle-grade anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories (Albert Whitman). Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Interview with Middle Grade Author M.D. Payne

By Karen Reeder on August 20, 2026 / Articles, Author Interviews

Author Photo of Matt Payne sitting in a chair

M. D. Payne on His Newest Book Pumpkin Apocalypse

Karen Reeder: Matt, when I saw the cover and title of Pumpkin Apocalypse on the list of interview opportunities I was like, ‘yes! That ridiculousness is just what I need in my and my kids’ life! (And I hope you take ridiculous as the compliment it is intended) I really enjoyed reading Pumpkin Apocalypse and look forward to sharing it with my kids! Thank you for a chance to chat about this fun story!

M.D. Payne: Yes, of course, it’s such a pleasure to chat with you, and I totally appreciate the “ridiculous” comment. That’s totally what I was going for, so I’m happy to know it landed!

Pumpkin Apocalypse

KR: We all know that kids have limited attention spans. If you ran into me on vacation and we were in an elevator to the lobby with us and our kids, how would your kids pitch your book to my kids?

MDP: My 7-year-old would say, “It’s a book about evil pumpkins trying to take over the world!!” My 14-year-old would say, “My dad’s a weirdo.” They’re both right in their own way.

KR: Can you tell us what inspired Pumpkin Apocalypse?

MDP: Every year, we bring millions of pumpkins into our homes, or onto our porches, and it made me laugh to think, “What if they were all evil!?” Like, if they wanted to take over the world, they’ve got a pretty big reach! Not to mention, I can’t think of anything more boring than a vegetable sitting in your house, so spicing up the idea of what they’re capable of is fun.

KR: Ha! A Vegetable sitting in your house! I never thought of it like that. You certainly made pumpkins all more fun! And maybe a little disconcerting.

Is any of the book based on personal experience?

MDP: Yes, I’ve been possessed by pumpkins!!! Wait, just kidding. (But if anyone has, please reach out and let me know…). Ahem. I mean, the story was based on a number of childhood experiences that I pieced together to make this completely fictional story seem real. Scenes like the kids talking over lunch in the lunchroom brought me back to my school lunchrooms (Rio Vista Elementary in San Bernardino, California; Stephensen Middle School in Mountain Home, Idaho), and a lot of the teachers and students were inspired by real people (in middle school, I actually had a Principal Prouty and Mr. Stewart was my science teacher). Molly is based on my daughter (the aforementioned 14-year-old), and my Grandfather’s voice was literally in my head when I wrote the character of Gramps.

M. D. Payne Middle Grade Author

KR: Love it! What about with you? What character from PA was childhood you most like? And can you share an example of how you were like that character?

MDP: I think I was most like Adam in childhood: the smart kid who was content reading a book. Though I’m a lot like Molly in that I’m such a people person (even though I wrote the character based on my daughter).

KR: PA feels like something that kids will just eat up! How do you channel your inner child when writing for kids?

MDP: There’s a certain freedom found in writing for kids — you get to bend the rules a little bit and be…what’s the word…oh, yeah, a little more “ridiculous,” and I love that. When I write, I think back to my days in elementary school and middle school, and what seemed to matter back then, and how it really all came down to having fun with your friends: life just wasn’t as serious, though emotions seemed so much bigger! So letting the emotions be bigger, but letting the fun and friendships feel bigger, too…

KR: One of the main characters is constantly battling a childhood fear. Are you willing to share a childhood fear of your own and if it affected you in anyway growing up?

MDP: I was terrified of bees and wasps when I was a kid. When I was four, a friend dared me to poke a wasp nest with a stick. I did…and was suddenly covered in wasps. I was stung more than a dozen times before my dad hosed them all off of me, and hosed the wasp nest. From that point on, any flying insect that buzzed near me FREAKED ME OUT. I had zero control over my reaction, I’d just jump and scream and flail. When I was a teen, I bent my dad’s car key because I slammed into his arm when a bee buzzed me while he was unlocking the door. To a certain extent, I still am terrified of bees and wasps, I’ve just learned how to control it better. But it’s a shock into my hardwiring that I’ll always live with. (Hmmm…could Bee Apocalypse be a sequel!?!)

KR: Yes! We definitely need a Bee Apocalypse book from you!

Your family is on a road trip in your family RV, you have a closet filled with something that represents something about your family, it is also what you are going to have to use to fight off possessed pumpkins. What are those objects?

MDP: I married into an Italian family, so our RV’s closet would be a pantry chock-full of homemade jarred tomato sauce, herbs, pasta, Italian Bread, probably fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. I’m not sure how we’d use all of that to fight off possessed pumpkins, unless they have a natural aversion to meatballs or Sunday sauce. Though we could send my mother-in-law out and she’d cook them into something delicious!

KR: Oh, I can’t wait to try what she cooks up! Can we expect more from you with Adam and Molly and their town? Anything else that you have in the works that we can look forward to?

MDP: I’m currently working on another book with these characters, and it’s been fun to revisit Little Pine! I can’t say much about the book yet, except that pumpkins are no longer involved, but a super-creepy haunted house is. But this is not your regular haunted house…(insert evil laughter).

Lightning Round

KR: What is the best part about fall?

MDP: The crisp air!

KR: Your writing snack?

MDP: Anything that won’t make my fingers messy while I type. Popcorn is a go-to.

KR: Favorite vacation spot?

MDP: A lakeside cabin.

KR: Best reading spot?

MDP: My bed.

KR: Favorite holiday?

MDP: If you can’t guess by now…

KR: Hobby when not writing?

MDP: Hiking or drumming

KR: Something you dressed up as for Halloween as a child?

MDP: A vampire. Like 1,000 times. But my James Madison costume in 4^th Grade might be the most unique.

Articles

Author Interview with Jamie Sumner on Wish You Well

Interview with Middle Grade Author Jamie Sumner

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