Author Interviews

Author Interview with Emma Otheguy

By on February 21, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

When I had the pleasure of meeting Emma Otheguy, I got a taste of her passion for introducing history to young readers. In addition to writing early readers and picture books, she is the author of middle grade novels, Silver Meadows (Knopf, 2019) and Sofia Acosta Makes a Scene (Knopf, 2022). I am excited to share our recent discussion featuring the launch, both in English and in Spanish, of her upcoming book, Cousins in the Time of Magic. (February 25, 2025). In this time travel adventure, three cousins get transported to 1862 to play an important role in the Battle of Puebla, the reason we celebrate Cinco de Mayo today.

 

 

Interview with Emily

(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

 Jen: Cousins in the Time of Magic comes out in THREE DAYS! Can you tell me about how you came to write for young people?

 

Emma: I was always interested in children’s books. I read a lot as a child. I also took multiple courses with the children’s author Donna Jo Napoli when I was an undergraduate. I thought I was going to be a history professor and went to graduate school to get a doctorate. One of the things that was really exciting about being in graduate school is that I started to learn a lot about Latin American history, which as we all know is not well represented in our school curriculums here in the United States. That’s really concerning because Latin America is our nearest neighbor, a quarter of the people in the United States are Latinos, and a high concentration among them are young people. I think there’s a real need for everybody to learn this history. I felt that it was affirming and meaningful to learn the history of my own people. I really missed doing something that was creative and something that had a public focus. When I first started writing, I wrote straight fantasies for children, things that had nothing at all to do with what I was studying. I also wrote my first published book Marti’s Song for Freedom, which does have a colonial Latin America theme. It was partially an escape, and partially a way to make public all of the amazing things I was learning.

Jen: When did the history bug bite you?

Emma: I was always interested in history. My parents came to the United States as exiles from Cuba. They talked a lot about their culture and about their understanding of the events that precipitated them coming to the United States. I think that being a child of immigrants always comes with a story. This interest in the stories of the past naturally led me to an interest in history. I also had really incredible teachers in high school A handful of teachers at my school went above and beyond on a level that is incredibly rare. Now as a parent, I read to my children and I see stories as a vessel for what we want to tell our children, whether it’s an immigration story or another type of story.

Jen: What are some of the ways that you bring history alive for your readers?

Emma: The key to Cousins in the Time of Magic is that the readers meet kids their own age who are like them. Jorge, Camilla and Siggy are contemporary kids who live in Miami in the modern day. They travel back in time and meet kids their own age in the historical time periods they are visiting. The whole journey and all of the historical themes are revealed to the reader through the eyes of children. This is a powerful connection because this is how kids are able to socialize and connect with the experience. The other thing that I think really made Cousins in the Time of Magic accessible to kid readers is the illustrations. Poly Bernatene really brought the characters to life. Kids reading the book see the characters expressions on their faces, and their body language. I think the pictures add another layer of connection and immediacy, as well as excitement and an emotional depth to the character’s experiences. The style of the illustrations adds a kind of wonder and magic to the book. They also make it easier to visualize certain historical technologies, such as a telegram test transmitter and an ironclad.

Jen: What are some ways you approach difficult topics such as colonialism and racism?

Emma: My hope is that kids get sucked into this big exciting magical adventure and are swept along by the story. There are those bigger historical issues that a kid might not pick up on the first time reading through, especially a younger reader. My approach to talking about difficult topics in history with kids is to be up front and to use words that they can understand. It’s not complicated to talk about things like racism and colonialism, right? It’s actually fairly simple. Europeans made a lot of money enslaving people and growing crops like sugar. That’s why they wanted to hold onto power, and hold onto these territories. In some ways because it is so basic, it is the most simple thing in the world to understand. It’s greed. The reason adults make these concepts complicated is that we’re trying to sanitize events for children. We don’t want to tell kids, yeah, there are emperors and they want to colonize people and hold on to power because they want to be powerful. Kids understand that. It’s never easy to talk about racism or the history of slavery for kids. Part of what made it clear to me that this was the path we need to follow was thinking about who those narratives serve to protect and who I was trying to speak to. I’m just trying to be really honest. I also think that if kids don’t know what racism and colonialism look like, because we’re constantly trying to sanitize it and make it more palatable to them, then we can’t expect them to notice it when it starts to sneak up on them and their own lives.

Jen: What surprised you most while writing this book?

Emma: I was surprised how hard it was to find research material for my book. I very rarely meet somebody who, when I say, “I’m writing a book about Cinco de Mayo,” who says, “Well, what’s that?” Everybody knows it’s a holiday but very few people know the history. It wasn’t that big a thing in Mexico, it’s a much bigger deal here in the United States. It was so hard to find relevant books in the United States. Eventually I went to Mexico where my cousins lived. We went to Puebla, so I got to see the sights in real life with my own eyes. I went to a bookstore and brought home a bag of books written in Spanish. That is how I did the research for the Mexico part of the book.

Jen: I know you have never been through a time traveling portal, but what parts of this book are closest to your life? Are you close with your cousins?

 Emma: The place where the kids begin their adventure is inspired by two houses. One is my grandmother’s house in Miami, where I spent a lot of time with my cousins playing in her yard and running around. The tinajón, the big clay pot that the kids climb into to time travel, was inspired by my father’s house, and the house my father grew up in in Cuba. He had a painting that my grandmother had made of that house so I always had this image in my mind. That’s where the premise of the portal came from.

Illustration by Poly Bernatene in Cousins in the Time of Magic

I’m close with cousins on both sides of the family. One of my cousins who lives in Mexico was very helpful with the research for this book, because he hosted me. My cousins in Miami were also helpful. I kept texting them things like, where would these kids live and, what street would this be near? I’m lucky to have a lot of different cousins all spread out in different places, Jorge, the youngest cousin in the book, reminds me of one of my uncles, who must have broken more bones than I can count. He’s my mom’s youngest brother and always kind of doing athletic and somewhat headlong things.

 

 

 

Jen: Jorge, Camilla and Siggy all embrace their Latino identity. Can you expand upon this aspect of the book?

Emma: The three cousins are growing up in a predominantly Latino city, and they spend a lot of time with each other. All three of them are bilingual, they’re all Latinos on both sides, although their parents come from different parts of Latin America. On the one hand they experience this real pride and comfort with their Latino identity. On the other hand, they live in a society and in a moment that tends to project hostility toward Latinos. So my vision for the book is that by learning about their own history and especially learning about their people’s role in the establishment, founding and shaping of the major moments in US history, they start to feel more pride of identity that goes beyond just their experience within their own community. I also wanted them to have the valuable experience of traveling back in time and meeting other kids who are Latino and who speak Spanish.

Jen: Can you give an example of how this appears in your book?

Emma: I highlight this in a scene where the cousins are in their magic boat and they’re trying to make land. They are in Virginia on the peninsula during the Civil War era. A boy runs into their boat shouting in Spanish. He’s a Union drummer boy, but he’s Cuban American. He’s a fictional character, but there was a well-known Union officer who was Cuban American and who spoke Spanish. I made this child up so that the kids would have an experience that really existed in history. Although we don’t talk about it, a very large percentage of the Union army was foreign born or second generation. Another important piece of this character’s identity is that the kids learned to counter the narrative that there is something new or different or odd about Latinos in the United States.

Jen: What are some of your favorite middle grade novels?

 Emma: This question is hard for me because I read so many different books and it’s always hard to choose one book or one author. I’m thinking about my own colleagues in children’s literature. Tammy Charles is one of my critique partners and so I read absolutely everything she writes. I’ve gotten to read some of her work in manuscript form. I feel like Angela Cervantes is somebody who’s a colleague and has always been one step ahead of me. She wrote Gaby Lost and Found, an incredible that book came out shortly before my first book came out, so I’ve always been following her path and her trajectory. Those are just two authors I love to read and I could probably go on and on and on, but I’ll just give you those two.

Jen: Is there anything else that you would like readers to know about Cousins in the Time of Magic?

 Emma: I want them to know that I consider this history to be vital. Any time you write about a group like Latinos that are not a majority group, you run the risk of your book being put on the shelf in the corner. You run the risk of tokenism. You run the risk of your book being trotted out at Hispanic heritage month and never again. This history is especially relevant to Latinos, but I think that everybody should know this history. I don’t think it’s incidental. I didn’t go dig up a story so that I could find a way to fit Latinos into the history of the United States. It’s actually the real history. So I hope that kids read it and it reshapes their understanding of the United States. I hope this is not too ambitious to say, but this is my hope.

Jen: Now that your wonderful book is out in the world, what’s next?

Emma: I’m working on another manuscript about the cousins that will take them to meet some really important Latino intellectual figures in the 20th century.

Illustration by E.L. Konigsburg in From the Mixed-Up Files of Basil E. Franweiler

Jen: Do you have any connection to the book The Mixed Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler?

Emma: It is one of my favorite books I grew up on that train line that E.L.Konigsburg talks about. That moment when the kids are on the cement platforms of the Metro-North train is a moment that always made an impression on me as a kid coming into the city from the suburbs. I think she captures so well going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art like I did with a lot of my friends growing up. Konigsburg once said she had never seen kids who were so comfortable on the outside and so uncomfortable on the inside. This made a big impression on me.

 

 

 

 

 

No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round so …

Favorite place to write? Lately any one of the many coffee shops in Astoria, Queens

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate!

Superpower? Getting rid of stuff! My family lives in a small apartment but I have never once complained of not having enough storage. I’m ruthless.

Dream job when you were a kid? I was lucky that the grown-ups in my life rarely asked me this question as a kid. I got to focus on what I liked to do, especially reading, so for many years I was pretty sure I would grow up to be a fairy, a princess, or a mermaid!

Jen: Where can readers find you if they want to reach out?

You can connect with me through my website https://emmaotheguy.com/childrens-literature/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exploring Loss, Choices, and Magic with Megan Reyes

By on February 20, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Today on the blog, we’re excited to host Megan Reyes, author of several exciting fantasy series for kids, including Llama Quest and the Heroes of Havensong. I had the pleasure of reading the newest book in the Havensong world, the third installment in an epic fantasy that follows four unlikely heroes who are bound by the Fates to save their world—and magic itself—from being destroyed. Read on to get insight into this latest adventure from Megan Reyes.

Cover of The Fifth Mage by Megan Reyes

Thanks so much for joining us here at the Mixed-Up Files, Megan! This book was such a quintessential fantasy adventure, full of magic (or should I say Magics?), dragons, prophecies, and a band of dedicated friends who are also unlikely heroes. On your website, you mentioned that Ender’s Game is still one of your all-time favorite books, but do you have any other favorites that watered the seeds that would grow into the world and characters of Havensong?

Thank you so much for inviting me to chat today! When it comes to Heroes of Havensong, there were a few authors who inspired me greatly: Kelly Barnhill (The Girl Who Drank the Moon, The Witch’s Boy), Jonathan Auxier (Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes), and Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities series). Each of these authors are magical when it comes to crafting fantastical stories.

You mentioned that you’re an outliner, though you do allow your characters to take the story where they like. Were there any unexpected or surprising changes when River, Blue, Wren, Shenli, and the others started running around in the plot?

Absolutely! I do love a good outline, especially when I’m working with a series. But, like you said, even though I usually have an idea of the basic plot bullet points, my characters sometimes surprise me. This usually happens when I’m writing dialogue between characters. One example, off the top of my head, is Blue mentioning in Book 2 that wood carving used to be one of his hobbies, back in Gerbera. Honestly, I didn’t know this about him until I was writing the sentence! This hobby ends up tying into his love of music and certain musical instruments. I love when little surprising details like that make their way into the story.

Themes of loss, grief, and overcoming come through strongly in almost all of the storylines in this book, but there are many great reflections of what it means to be a hero or a villain, accepting all parts of yourself, and doing the right thing even when it’s the most difficult option. Are these threads ones you planned on for this point in the series, or did your characters reveal them to you?

I knew certain things would be happening to cause grief to each of the four Heroes. But honestly, I didn’t know how they would deal with their grief until I started writing. Particularly River, in Book 3, deals with what it means to walk through grief, feeling as though hope and joy are both a thing of the past. And poor Shenli! I have put him through some difficult situations throughout the series that have forced him to make impossible decisions. But I believe this is a reflection of all of us. We all have to make choices, and those choices will have consequences on others. The best we can do is be true to ourselves and follow what our gut is telling us is the right thing to do. But this is often easier said than done.

With so many fantastic plot threads being woven together with characters who all have their own motivations and goals, how do you balance the internal and external conflicts and make sure everyone has plenty of time to shine?

It is a lot to keep track of! This is where my outlining comes in handy! My outlines for each book include the main cast of characters (both major and minor) and what each of their internal and external conflicts will be. Then I’ll organize everything by chapter, making sure each character gets their turn to shine. Also, my incredible editor, Liesa Abrams, helps me find the very best nuggets of story for each of my Heroes. She asks great questions as we go through our rounds of edits.

In this book, the third of the series, we get to learn a lot more about the characters and their destinies. River in particular discovers a lot about herself in this installment, but so many of the kids seem to have a gift or ability that makes them profoundly unique. It seems like the book is saying that all kids have something special about them. Was that an intentional theme?

It was intentional, yes. And this has been a fun journey for me to see who each of the four Heroes have grown in self discovery. For example, River starts out in Book 1 fairly confident in who she is. But her fierce independence sometimes leads to stubbornness, so she has to learn to trust those around her to help. Later, when she learns more about her abilities, she has to learn that there are different ways to be strong. There is physical strength, sure. But more so, she learns what it means to be emotionally strong: to make space for her feelings and what it means to be true to herself. In a similar way, all four Heroes learn about their strengths and what it means to trust yourself and know your own worth.

Were there any aspects of the world you wish you could have spent more time with? I personally thought the sand sharks were fabulous (and so unexpectedly polite)!

Hah! I love the sand sharks too. I’d love to go dune surfing! In my mind, the world of Haven is so much bigger and more detailed than I could ever put on the page. If I could, I would love to explore the Mountain District and visit the Lands Across the Sea. There are so many more adventures to be had!

I loved this quote from Alma, the Fourth Mage: “There is a language to magic. It is communicating all the time, for those who know how to listen.” Do you think readers can find magic in our world this way, too?

Yes! I absolutely believe we can find magic in our world. To me, magic is a mix of joy, beauty, and wonder. Recently, I came across a term called “glimmers.” Glimmers are tiny moments of joy that are discovered in everyday, ordinary things: Looking up at the moon on a peaceful night, listening to the sound of rain on the roof, smelling freshly-cut grass, or feeling your cat purr happily as they sleep in your lap. All of these moments of joy–these “glimmers”–are glimpses of magic in the real world.

Of course, we have to talk about one of the most memorable lines from the book: “Friends make the best rainbows.” It’s so true! Could you share with us a little about the origin of this gem?

Aww, thank you. To me, a rainbow symbolizes hope and joy, after (or sometimes even during) a storm. And that’s what my friends have been to me, particularly these last few years. There was a season in my life where I had a rough go of things. It was a painful and difficult time and sometimes it seemed like hope was lost. But then a friend would call or send me flowers or show up at my door. They were my hope and joy during life’s storm. And in that way, my friends have always made the best rainbows.

It definitely seems like the four heroes have more dates with destiny in their future! Can you give us any clues as to what they might be up to in the next book?

This is a bit tricky to answer because the fate of any book series is left up to the powers that be at the publisher. At this moment, there are no hard plans for a fourth book, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be sometime in the future. I have all my fingers crossed that we’ll get to see Blue, River, Wren, and Shenli again someday!

You mentioned it took ten years to get a literary agent and hundreds of rejections before you broke into the industry. If you could give writers any advice on how to keep writing even in the face of rejection or overwhelming odds, what would it be?

It’s true! At the time I signed with my agent in 2020, I had written five different books, and received over 250 rejections from agents over the span of ten years. There were a lot of no’s before getting my first yes. As you can imagine, this was very dejecting at times!  My advice to writers is to always have something new to work on. And also: write the story you’re most excited to tell. If you’re feeling stuck on a particular manuscript, maybe play around with some ideas for a new story. You can always go back to the first one, but it helps me when I’m focusing on something I’m really excited about. Sometimes all it takes for the spark to happen is to dive into something new. And as long as creating stories is bringing you joy, keep writing! Do it for yourself. And you never know what “yes” might be around the corner.

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Author Spotlight: Sydney Dunlap

By on February 14, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Today, I’m thrilled to shine the Author Spotlight on children’s author and fellow MUF member Sydney Dunlap! Sydney’s latest MG novel, Racing the Clouds, praised by Kirkus as a “hopeful, heartfelt story of resilience… handled with a gentle touch,” is out February 18 from Jolly Fish Press.

Interview with Sydney 

Melissa: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Sydney! It’s always a pleasure to shine the Author Spotlight on a fellow MUF member, especially a new(ish) one.

Sydney: Thank you so much, Melissa! I’m very excited to be a part of MUF.

Melissa: Racing the Clouds, comes out in just FIVE days (!). What’s going through your mind right now? (I can only guess. 🙂)

Sydney: Honestly, that after working on this book for such a long time, it’s hard to believe it’s about to be out in the world. And I’m looking forward to my launch events. I’m very lucky to get to have an in-conversation event with Lynne Kelly (one of my blurbists) at a great independent bookstore called Buy the Book near my home in Texas, as well as one with Kate Albus (another of my blurbists) at the wonderful Scrawl Books in northern Virginia, close to where I lived for many years. I love going to my friends’ book launches as well as having my own. Gathering with friends and family to celebrate is so much fun!

About the Book

Melissa: Can you tell readers a bit about the novel? Also, what was the inspiration behind it?

Sydney: Racing the Clouds is the story of a 13-year-old girl named Sage who has a big secret involving her mom’s whereabouts. The story begins after she hears from her grandparents—her mom’s parents, who she’s never met—for the first time in her life. They invite her to visit, and she wants to fix what’s gone wrong in her family, so she flies to Ohio by herself as soon as school gets out for the summer. She feels an almost immediate connection with her grandfather, but her grandmother is so strict and formal that it doesn’t seem they’ll ever see eye-to-eye. Sage learns that family relationships—and people—can be much more complex than they appear on the surface. She also begins to understand more about the power of forgiveness and how to find her way forward during a difficult time.

As for the inspiration, I like writing about topics that are very real and part of a lot of people’s lives but aren’t always discussed that much, like drug addiction, which is a component of the story. I also thought it would be interesting to explore what might happen when a person hears from relatives they’ve never met and never heard anything good about, and to find out their perspective.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Melissa: Sage, the protagonist, is hiding more than she’s telling—especially when it comes to her mom. (I’ll avoid spoilers, so I won’t say more.) What was it like to get into the head of such a guarded character? Carrying a secret is such a heavy burden to bear.

Sydney: I used to be involved in theater when I was growing up, and I think that acting gave me a chance to feel like I really was the character. When I write, I have that same kind of experience, so I only revealed what it felt like Sage would be okay revealing at different points along the story. It was a huge relief when Sage could finally tell her friend Marla the whole story. I felt a burden off my chest, the same as Sage did, after writing the scene where she reveals what really happened.

Exploring Real-Life Issues

Melissa: Your previous novel, It Happened on Saturday, is also a contemporary novel that deals with real-life issues, namely human trafficking. What compels you to write about difficult issues for young readers? I know this is something you’re passionate about.

Sydney: As a child, I loved to read books about real things that could happen to kids in real life, and I especially enjoyed books written by Katherine Paterson and Judy Blume, because they wrote so honestly about all kinds of difficult topics. My experiences volunteering with child trafficking survivors and my realization that I couldn’t find any middle grade books with that subject matter – even though kids ages 11-14 are an especially vulnerable group — led me to write It Happened on Saturday. As for Racing the Clouds, I feel that there is room for more books for young readers dealing with addiction in the family, as it is a huge part of life for many children.

It’s a Dog’s Life

Melissa: Another passion of yours is animals, which is evident in your sympathetic portrayal of Nicky, a stray dog Sage rescues while visiting her estranged grandparents in Ohio. Can you tell us more about Sage’s bond with Nicky, and how it helps Sage to connect with her prickly grandmother?

Sydney: The Philadelphia apartment where Sage and her family lived until their recent move didn’t allow dogs, so Sage has never had a pet. When she meets Nicky, she is drawn to him because he seems so lost and like he could really use a friend. Sage is utterly flabbergasted to discover that her strict, formal grandmother has a soft spot for dogs. Taking care of Nicky together gives them a common purpose and something they can be in complete agreement about. Dogs bring such positive energy wherever they go, and I’ve seen people in my own extended family who disagree on pretty much everything else find common ground in their love for dogs.

Drummer Girl

Melissa: Like her dad, a once-almost-famous musician, Sage is a talented drummer. Is this a common interest, or did you have to do extensive research on how to play the drums?

Sydney: My son used to play the drums when he was in elementary and middle school, and I got to sit in on lots of drum lessons and of course see many concerts. We still have his old drum set in our house and my husband likes to play around on it, so drums are pretty familiar to me.

Path to Publication

Melissa: Switching gears, can you tell MUF readers about your path to publication? I know you were an elementary school teacher for many years. What led you to writing for kids?

Sydney: I’ve always loved books and writing, and ever since elementary school, I’ve had the idea that one day I wanted to be an author. I took creative writing classes in high school and college, then became a member and also a conference organizer for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, where I studied the craft and business aspects of writing for a long time. I drafted some manuscripts and sent them out here and there, but it wasn’t until I had the idea for It Happened on Saturday that I got really serious about pursuing traditional publication. Once I started working on that manuscript, I began writing almost every day and eventually signed with my agent, Ann Rose.

Writing Is Rewriting

Melissa: As a follow-up, your debut MG novel, Jeremy Norbeck: Animal Whiz Kid, came out in 2014. What have you learned about the publishing industry—and about writing—since then?

Sydney: I wrote that story while I was an elementary school teacher, and I used to read it out loud to my students while I was working on it. I wanted to use it right away in my classroom because it fit right in with our unit on animal adaptations, so I published it through CreateSpace (now Kindle Direct Publishing) to have it available immediately. I had already learned a lot about the publishing industry through my experiences with SCBWI, but I learned much more once I signed with my agent and then got a publishing contract for It Happened on Saturday.

My biggest takeaway is that writing is really rewriting over and over, and that you are almost never done, because there will always be something to edit or improve, up until your last look before a book goes to the printer. You work as hard as you can (with help from your critique group if that’s part of your process) to have a story be its very best before your agent sees it, and then you do the same thing with their assistance until it goes to your editor, and then you do the same thing with their expertise and guidance. And when you compare what you started with to the finished product, you realize how amazing it is that the spark of an idea could turn into a finished story, and that you are incredibly lucky to have had so many wonderful helpers along the way.

Confessions of a Pantser

Melissa: While we’re on the subject of writing, what does your writing routine look like? Also, are you a plotter or a pantser?

Sydney: My writing routine varies a lot, depending on what else I have going on. I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately, and I’m trying to learn to work while on the go, such as editing a manuscript while on a flight. At home, I sandwich writing in between my other responsibilities, my part-time work tutoring students, and my activities, and I find I’m always better able to write if I get some exercise first, usually walking my dog, going running, or doing yoga. I am a pantser through and through; I have to start writing a story to figure out who my characters are, what they want, and what obstacles will be in their way.

Sydney’s Writing Advice

Melissa: What advice would you give to fledgling MG authors?

Sydney: I’d say to read a lot of books in your chosen genre and try to think of them as texts showing examples of different ways to start/end a story, describe settings, keep up your pacing between action and dialogue, reveal character, etc. And I’d highly recommend joining a critique group. Writing friends are the BEST. You can provide each other an amazing listening ear, as well as sharing and getting helpful feedback on your work. And you all speak the same language. Non-writer friends might have no idea what you mean when you talk about queries or MG, YA, plotting vs. pantsing, etc.

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

Sydney: I’ve been working on a story told from two points of view that involves themes of freedom and standing up for yourself, both within one’s own family and within society.

Lightning Round!

Melissa: No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Granola bar

Coffee or tea? Tea

Superpower? Flying. I would LOVE to fly, not just to get places quickly, which would be amazing, but also for the experience of soaring through the air with the birds.

Favorite travel destination? Anywhere with a beautiful mountain view

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be? I’m not sure about the rules, but if allowed, I’d bring my dog, my cat, and a horse from the stable where I ride! Exploring a desert island on horseback with my furry pals running along beside me could be kind of fun! 😊

Melissa: Many thanks for joining us today, Sydney, and congratulations on the forthcoming publication of Racing the Clouds. It’s an engaging and heartfelt book, and I’m sure MUF readers will agree!

Sydney: Thank you again for your kind words and thoughtful questions, Melissa! I’m very grateful for the opportunity to share this behind-the-scenes look at Sage’s story with the MUF audience!

Bio

Sydney Dunlap is an award-winning author and former elementary school teacher. She enjoys reading and writing heartfelt, hopeful books that explore tough topics that aren’t often addressed in middle-grade literature. Her 2023 debut novel, It Happened on Saturday, has received several medals and was named a 2025 OLA Masterlist selection and Utah Beehive Award nominee, as well as a Crystal Kite Honor Book. A lifelong animal lover, Sydney lives with her family in a home where the dogs and cats outnumber the people. You can find her online at www.sydneydunlap.com.

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