Author Interviews

Interview with Author Sara Shacter

By on October 16, 2025   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

I have known author Sara Shacter since we were both on the newer side to writing for children. I am so excited that I got a first-look at her debut novel Georgia Watson and the 99 Percent Campaign which just came out October 14, 2025.

About the Book

Hi Sara! Congrats on your debut middle grade novel! Can you give us a short summary about the book?

After years of moving, Georgia’s family is staying put. What’s the best part of her new forever home? Fellow science fan Izzy! Georgia feels lucky to be starting sixth grade with her first true friend. But when Georgia’s science project accidentally reveals a secret—one Izzy trusted her to keep—their friendship unravels. Even worse, Georgia’s archenemy swoops in to steal Izzy away, leaving Georgia cut off and lonely. How can Georgia fix her mess? She’s surprised to find the answer in a science fact: genetically, all human beings are more than 99 percent the same. Really? Georgia can’t believe she and the friend-stealer are even 1 percent the same! But as Georgia fights to win Izzy back, she discovers that enemies can struggle with loneliness too—and Georgia is stunned to discover why. It will take a 99 percent campaign to make things right.

Who did you have in mind when you got the idea for this book?

Honestly, this book started out as a completely different story. I don’t even remember when it began to morph into what it is today. So I guess my answer is that I just told the story in my head and trusted it would speak to kids.

 

About the Author

Did anything from your childhood/school experience help shape this book?

The photo of the writing is evidence of a series of stories I wrote as a kid: The Adventures of Inspector Toenail. He was a giant toe who (that?) solved crimes. Why was he a toe? I have no idea.

In third grade, I dealt with a girl who constantly picked fights with me and tried to get the other girls to stop talking to me. Georgia’s nemesis arose from these memories. With an adult’s hindsight, I understand that my tormenter was unhappy and made herself feel better by picking on me. Wish I had known that back in the day! But at least I’m able to make that point in my book: most unkindness comes from others’ unhappiness.

Do you share any personality traits with Georgia (or one of the other characters)?

Definitely. I enjoy science, just like Georgia, and I like asking questions. As an elementary school kid, I had many, many friend worries.

Is there anything in particular from your childhood that you snuck into the book?)

When I was at music camp, there was a big, muscle bound jock of a counselor who loved to yell at kids. I always tried to avoid him. Then one night, we had a faculty concert. The counselors and music teachers could perform for the campers. To my surprise, he walked out on stage. He sat down with his baritone horn and began to play. His eyes closed. He swayed to the melody and melted into the music. Everything about the moment was beautiful. I sat in my seat gobsmacked. In Georgia’s story, the character Zelco is modeled after that counselor, though Zelco is a visual artist, not a musician.

What authors (and/or books) would you say influenced your writing style and/or this book?

Judy Blume. I loved her books when I was growing up: contemporary, realistic, honest. (Don’t do any math if you know when most of her books were published…)

You shared with me that you began writing this book over fifteen years ago. (I had a similar experience with my first novel!) For those writers who are surprised, can you explain why it sometimes can take years for a novel (or even picture book) to go from start to finish? And can you explain why this could also be a good thing?

I started this book when my twin boys were in 1st grade. Now they’re seniors in college! One reason it took so long was that there’s a steep learning curve when one writes a novel. I had to learn how to juggle characterization, pacing, theme, etc. After the 7th draft, I found an agent and she submitted to four editors. They all had the same critique: the emotional stakes weren’t high enough and there wasn’t a marketing hook. I knew pretty quickly how to solve the first problem but it took five months to find my hook. At that point, I deleted half of the book and rewrote it from the ground up. Then my agent and I parted ways (amicably). So I started submitting to editors on my own. Two years later, Regal House Publishing bought it! Most publishing houses take about two years from contract to publishing day. And that’s how this project took fifteen years from start to finish.

Having it take so long wasn’t all bad. The book that’s now out in the world is exactly what I had hoped it would be. In addition, I’ve met many writers along the way, been to many conferences, and I know what to expect post-publication. I have PR/marketing ideas, school visit contacts, and relationships with people throughout the industry.

Besides, during those 15 years I wasn’t just writing. I was teaching, raising my kids, helping my parents, and volunteering. We all have many identities, and that’s essential in this business. No matter how thrilling the writing life can be, it can also be unbelievably frustrating. Everyone needs other outlets to achieve balance.

 

Research/Writing

What was your original spark for Georgia Watson and the 99 Percent Campaign?

I have no idea! The first scene I wrote was about people who aren’t in the book doing things that don’t happen in my story. I don’t remember when it started to resemble what young readers will actually be reading.

Did you need to do any research for this book?

Yes. I needed to delve into genetics/heredity, spiders, and the life of Thomas A. Watson.

 Any scenes that you cut out? And why did you (or your editor) remove them?

Oh, yes! So many, and for so many reasons. One reason was that the external goal I had originally chosen for Georgia proved to be underwhelming. So all of that material got scratched. Her antagonist was also too mean at the outset. Unrealistically so. Hence those scenes got deleted and replaced. As Georgia’s character deepened over multiple drafts, I realized her actions were no longer true to her new self. More deleting and rewriting. I have to say, revision is my jam. The spark of creation is fun, but the molding and shaping is what I enjoy most.

 I like how your antagonist is multi-layered. Any words of advice for writers on shaping antagonists?

There are few villains who believe they are villains. From their perspective, their actions make perfect sense. So crawl into your antagonist’s world and look around. What has shaped that person? What does that person value? What are that person’s goals?

 

For Teachers

Do you have a curriculum guide or discussion questions posted online?

Coming soon on my website!

 Are you doing school visits related to this book?

Yes, and I LOVE school visits. I make sure there are good doses of active participation and humor. My presentation for Georgia is geared toward grades 3-6 and covers revision, genetics/heredity, the power of human connection, and the importance of believing in yourself.

How can we learn more about you?

Instagram/Bluesky/Twitter: @SaraShacter

Website: www.sarafshacter.com

 

Thanks for your time, Sara!

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Author/Illustrator Spotlight: Allan Wolf and Jose Pimienta

By on October 9, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

Illustrator Jose Pimienta

Author Allan Wolf

In today’s Author/Illustrator Spotlight, Landra Jennings chats with author Allan Wolf and Illustrator Jose Pimienta about their new middle-grade novel, The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story (Candlewick Press, October 7). They share the inspiration behind the novel, their creative processes and a little advice for those just starting out!

A Junior Library Guild Selection
Publisher’s Weekly Top 10 Middle Grade Graphic Novels, Fall ’25
“A riveting page-turner that will have readers eager to learn more about the topic.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Book Summary:

The strange, true tale of a Louisiana lake that vanished—taking with it every fish below and every boat and barge above—told in a gripping and accessible graphic format.

Home to catfish and crawdads, shrimp and spoonbills, even a gator or two, Lake Peigneur—pronounced “your pain,” only backward—bustles also with human life. Each day, the bean-shaped freshwater lake and its shores hum with folks going about their work: a devoted gardener’s apprentice and his dogs, fishermen, oilmen drilling at Well P-20, and the fifty-one miners employed by the Diamond Crystal Salt Mines. For most, November 20, 1980, began as “just another day on the lake.” But as the lake itself reflects, humans had, over time, left behind a honeycomb of salt highways deep beneath its surface, and water and salt mix all too well. Bracing, suspenseful, and packed with dramatic illustrations and dense end matter, this story of a catastrophic accident—narrated with the homespun voice of a “tall” tale, but true nonetheless—will amaze science and history buffs alike.

 

Interview with Allan Wolf and Jose Pimienta

LJ: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Allan and Jose! Thanks for joining us today. I’m so intrigued by this new book and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on its development. Let’s start with you, Allan. Where did you get the initial inspiration for The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur? 

AW: Back in 2007, while visiting schools and libraries in southern Louisiana, I noticed there was a chimney sticking up from the surface of Lake Peigneur, near New Iberia. So, I started asking questions.

I learned that Texaco, while exploring for oil in 1980, sent a 14-inch drill bit into the bed of a shallow1200-acre freshwater lake, piercing a salt-mine below, causing 3.5 billion gallons of water to drain like a bathtub. The resulting whirlpool and sinkhole, sucked in eleven barges, two oil derricks, a couple houses, a tugboat, a fishing skiff, and sixty-eight acres of a nearby ornamental garden. The disaster also created a 400-foot geyser and a 150-foot waterfall. The lake drained in four hours, then began to refill, via the Delcambre Canal, with saltwater drawn from the Gulf of Mexico, nine miles away! The A&E Channel featured the story in 2003 or so, but otherwise it seemed like very few people had even heard of this event. The details were so compelling, I had to tell it.

Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom

LJ: Allan, how does this title relate to your other recent release, Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom?

AW: The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur and Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom are siblings, raised together in the same house but choosing to grow in different directions. Junius Leak is a middle-grade historical fiction novel in prose, using the facts of the Lake Peigneur disaster as a backdrop for the book’s fictional characters. Junius Leak is a twelve-year-old kid sent to live with his mysterious uncle in a houseboat on Lake Peigneur near Delcambre, Louisiana.

The factual disaster becomes a symbol of Junius Leak’s own coming of age. But to make the world of Junius Leak as authentic and historically accurate as possible, I had to do a lot of research. Then to synthesize my research, I wrote a 60-page prose story of what actually happened so that I could elegantly combine my fictional plot with the factual events. My historical fiction novels often have very extensive back matter. Long-story-short, the back matter of Junius Leak was so compelling, that it demanded we turn it into a book of its own. And that’s how The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur was born. It was my editor at Candlewick Press, Katie Cunningham, who suggested we tell the story in graphic form.

On a somber note, Katie Cunningham passed away this July 4th. Just three days after Junius Leak was published. And three months before the publication of The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur. She was 43. I miss her terribly.

Learning about the Lake

LJ: I love hearing about the relationship between the two books though I am so sorry to hear about Katie. What kinds of research did you do to be true to this story?

AW: I read every newspaper article I could find from the 1980s, along with many government documents reporting and analyzing what took place. The newspapers would sometimes contradict one another, so I looked to official documents from the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to get my final numbers. I stalked my way through a labyrinth of Cajun names on FaceBook. I looked at several hundred photographs. I interviewed, in person, a handful of survivors and their relatives—including the 95-year-old captain of the tugboat, Charlie, who narrowly escaped being flung from a waterfall formed by the collapsing earth. Since I started my research in 2007, a few interesting podcasts have added to the story as well. But the in-person conversations I had with first-hand witnesses was my most valuable research tool.

To the Heart of The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur

LJ: What do you hope readers take away from this novel?

AW: Over all I’d like readers to see how it is possible to act courageously even when we are afraid. That is the very definition of courage: to take action in spite of fear and self-doubt. In their own individual ways, both The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur and Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom are stories of ordinary people acting heroically in the face of extraordinary circumstances. That’s when we find out who we really are.

Also, Junius Leak models for us how we don’t have to hide our true selves to make others more comfortable. Sometimes you get tired of trying to fit in. Sometimes you just want to be yourself. It is your choice to make.

On Writing

LJ: What’s your favorite thing about being a writer and story-teller?

AW: I have always identified with “being a writer,” but the early romance has always butted heads with the mundane needs of life. Being a professional writer for kids these days requires a lot of social media, marketing, conferences, bookstore events, school visits—all of it with only a tangential relationship to the actual act of writing books. But that writing itch always lurks. We all need to be the makers of something. If that need isn’t met, we whither. I guess the thing I really love about being a writer is the writing. I can write my way to discover that place, that spot, that just-right, water-tight safe space inside my head where I can go to find myself in my imagination.

What’s Next for Allan?

LJ: Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

AW: Yes. The year 2025 has been a big one for me. In addition to the two books discussed here, I have a new poetry collection out, The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me. It is brilliantly and beautifully illustrated by Jade Orlando. These are fun yet thoughtful poems about self-regulation, self-care, and self-esteem. Of all my poetry collections to date, this one is the most personal. This book was my chance to explore what it means to have character and an intrinsic sense of self-worth. And it gave me a chance to share the ways I have learned to deal with anxiety and to practice self-care. The Gift of the Broken Teacup is sort of an owner’s manual for the soul.

The Illustrations

LJ: Now to you, Jose. The illustrations are phenomenal, starting with the cover. There’s so much energy that jumps right off the page. What excited you most about this project?

JP: The defining factor that excited me the most was that the story’s narrator would be the lake itself. I love stories about places, so, as much as there are many amazing people in this story, the point of view being the land drew me in, immediately.

LJ: How did this project differ from some of your other titles?

JP: This story is non-fiction, which is a first for me. Also, it involves so many people, so, keeping track of a large cast of characters was something I had never done. And! this is the first book I’ve drawn where all the characters are adults. Most of my books feature either teenagers or kids with some adults in there. This one was all grown-ups. But there’s puppies, so…

Jose’s Creative Process for Illustration

LJ: We all love puppies! What is your creative process like? What time of day do you do your best work and what medium do you use?

JP: For the most part, I like to listen to music related to the topic of the story I’m working on. I helps me to stay in the tone of the story. Unless I have errands to run or other engagements, I like to start drawing as soon as possible in the day, right after I finish cleaning up after breakfast. And I like it when drawing is the last thing I do before going to sleep. Everything in between can be different depending on the day. So, I draw a while, goof for a bit, run errands, meet with friends, draw some more, go for a bike ride, eat something, draw more, and so on.

Generally, I draw with a mechanical pencil on 9×12 Bristol board or drawing paper. Then I ink my drawings with microns and brush pens. After that, I scan the pages and letter my comics digitally, because I do a lot of re-writes, so… this helps keeping the dialogues flexible. Lastly, I color digitally because it’s faster. I also prefer to do each book in passes. I like to do the entire book in pencil and then ink the whole book, and so on. Some people prefer to work in batches or one finished page at a time, and that’s great- but I can’t. I want to minimize the amount of gear shifting I do.

For writing, my process is an entirely different story. But more on that some other time.

The Path to Becoming an Illustrator

LJ: How did you get started along the path to becoming an illustrator?

JP: I’m not sure when it started. A cliché answer is “I never stopped drawing. I’ve just been doing this my whole life.” And that’s mostly correct. But as a professional, I can’t think of a definitive starting point. I went to art school, where I met a lot of amazing people I wanted to collaborate with, and that got me some work, but I also wanted to write and draw my own stories, so I did that as well. After art school, I came to Los Angeles in the hopes to work in the film industry, and I kept getting work here and there while I was making my own comics. At some point, I realized I was making a living drawing, so “Yay!”

I guess how I got started is I just kept telling people I wanted to draw and I showed them what I was working on. Some of that lead to work and some of it didn’t. Along the way, I made cool friends and got to collaborate with wonderful artists.

Advice for Those Just Starting Out in Illustration

LJ: What advice would you have for a beginning illustrator?

JP: Hmm… first I’d ask the illustrator what their goals are. Then, I’d hope I have useful advice for their specific path, or at least point them in the direction of other illustrators who do something similar so they can get better guidance. But as a general advice, I go with this:

Explore. Try things out. Find what works for you and approach everything with genuine curiosity. Experiment with mediums and see what catches your interest. Learn as much as you can from experts, but dare to go further than they have. Also- get comfortable with failure. Learning requires it. But pay attention and ask if it’s worth trying again. Lastly, Make friends. Be friendly. Be kind. Be sincere. Most people want to collaborate with someone they know or someone they like. So, show your work. No one’s going to hire you if they haven’t seen what you do. Oh! And of course: keep practicing the fundamentals.

I hope that’s useful, but if not, ask other illustrators. (And that’s my point: Ask and talk to as many as you can. We all want to see more art. So we’d love to see yours.)

Visiting the Lake

LJ: Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

JP: Only what you’d like to ask me, hehe. I’m not sure how to answer this, other than working with Allan was fantastic and this book was a phenomenal project. I’m so happy I got to draw this. Oh! Big story I like to share. When I first started drawing this, I wasn’t sure how to research this, since it’s non-fiction. I wanted to get as many details as possible correct, so, on a whim, I went to see the actual lake and I can’t tell you how much help that was. Visiting the lake was a terrific experience. Big thank you to everyone who answered my questions and their meals are top notch. If you get a chance to visit the area, by all means, it’s a delight.

Lightning Round Questions:

No MUF interview would be complete without our lightning round, so here we go…

For Allan Wolf:

Coffee or tea? Both.

Sunrise or Sunset? Sunrise.

Favorite city (besides the one you live in): Asheville, NC

Favorite books from childhood: Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton.

Favorite ice cream flavor: Banana

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be? The ability to flood others with any emotion so that emotion then becomes their own.

For Jose Pimienta:

cup of teaCoffee or tea? Tea.

Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset.

Favorite city (besides the one you live in): (In the world?) Hamelin, in Germany. But if we’re doing US only: Los Angeles (I live in Burbank).

Favorite book from childhood: “Matias y el Pastel de Fresas” by Jose Palomo.

Favorite ice cream flavor: Ube. Or anything chocolate.

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be? I’m very serious about this: Scent manipulation. Being able to control smells would amazing. Had a bad day? Not when it smells like a bakery in here. Supervillain attacking you? Make it smell so bad they’re incapable of focusing. Did you pass gas in public? No one ever has to know. OR teleporting, whichever is easier to acquire.

 

Thank you so much Allan and Jose for sharing with us!

 

About the Author and Illustrator

Allan Wolf

Two time winner of the North Carolina Young Adult Book Award, as well as Bankstreet College’s prestigious Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry, Allan Wolf is the author of picture books, poetry, and young adult novels. Booklist has named his historical verse novel, The Watch That Ends the Night, one of “The 50 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.”

Also a skilled and seasoned performer of 30 years, Allan Wolf’s dynamic author talks and poetry presentations for all ages are meaningful, educational and unforgettable. Florida Reading Quarterly calls Wolf “the gold standard of performing poetry.” Wolf believes in the healing powers of poetry recitation and has committed to memory nearly a thousand poems.

Wolf has an MA in English from Virginia Tech where he also taught. He moved to North Carolina to become artistic and educational director of the touring group Poetry Alive!. Wolf is considered the Godfather of the Poetry Slam in the Southeast, hosting the National Poetry Slam in 1994, forming the National Championship Team in 1995, and founding the Southern Fried Poetry Slam (now in it’s 27th year).

Jose Pimienta

Jo Pi’s almost full name is Jose Pimienta. They reside in Burbank, California where they draw comics, storyboards and sketches for visual development. They have worked with Random House Graphic, Iron Circus Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Disney Digital Network, and more.

During their upbringing in the city of Mexicali, Mexico Jo was heavily influenced by animation, music and short stories. After high school, they ventured towards the state of Georgia where they studied at Savannah College of Art and Design. 

​For Comics work, they are represented by Elizabeth Bennet of Transatlantic Agency.

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Author Spotlight: Debra J. Stone, writer of The House on Rondo

By on October 6, 2025   /   Author Interviews, Diversity  
photo of Debra J. Stone

Photo by Anna Min of Min Enterprises Photography, LLC

We’re excited to welcome Debra J. Stone to our blog today. Debra is the author of The House on Rondo, a personal story of the street where her grandparents lived when she was a child. Thank you for being here, Debra, and for answering our questions.

Did you have any childhood dreams for when you became an adult? Yes. If so, did they come true?

I wanted my own apartment and to live in a big city. Yes, I made my dream come true. I moved to Chicago in my early twenties and lived in a high-rise apartment. When I was about seven, my mother took me to see children’s theatre productions that made me want to be an actor. As an adult, I was a stage actor for a fifteen years.

It’s wonderful to know you made your dreams come true.

Did you love to read as a child? Yes. If so, can you tell us some favorite books?

I loved to read and went to a neighborhood public library.

My favorite books were the adventure stories of Jack London, especially, Call of the Wild, poet Gwendolyn Brooks, A Street in Bronzeville, and the poem “We be Cool,” Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales, “The Littlest Mermaid,” scary stories by Edgar Allen Poe, “The Raven,” Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne, and The Little House on the Prairie series, but I stopped reading them because of Pa’s ugly remarks about native people. My cousins were of the Ojibway tribal nation. These are just a few that have come to my mind.Debra with family

Many wonderful childhood favorites. It’s a shame when stories quote people’s ugly remarks. I’m glad you were supportive of your Ojibway cousins.

What was an early experience where you learned that written language had power?

I learned how to spell my name before I entered kindergarten and I was the only one in my class who knew how to do that. I wrote letters to my paternal grandparents in California telling them news about the family, and they encouraged me to keep writing. Those letters developed into stories.

What was your biggest fear when you were young? Did you get over it?

The werewolf was my biggest fear after watching Lon Chaney, the actor in the movie. Yes, I got over it because they weren’t real. At least I hope so…

I sure hope so too. 😊

Debra with siblings

Debra with siblings

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Debra J. Stone as a child

None, I was very fearless as a young person. Except, when watching the werewolf movie!

It’s fabulous to meet someone who was fearless even when they were young. What a great role model for readers!

Is your past woven into the story?

Yes. I am the oldest of three. Every Sunday, my family drove to visit my maternal grandparents who lived in a house on Rondo Avenue in Saint Paul. We lived in north Minneapolis, across the Mississippi River, which divided the two cities. So it was exciting seeing the city streets with people and the traffic.

If so, how?

I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless. The House on Rondo, character, Zenobia, put a human face to the loss of a neighborhood community in the name of progress. The interstate highways isolated inner-city neighborhoods. Now, we travel around most major cities.

I remember Toni Morrison’s, saying to writers, “write the story you want to read,” has influenced my storytelling.

So this story has a deep personal connection. Thank you for sharing this with us. It had to be hard to see what happened to the neighborhood.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I didn’t know. I wanted to be an actor like Cicley Tyson or Ruby Dee and act on Broadway in New York.

What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a writer?

Procrastinating is my challenge. My favorite part is research and creating characters.

Have you had any careers besides writing?

Yes. I decided to leave an international banking training program to become an actor. I studied Stanford Meisner theatre technique in Chicago. After this, I acted in improvisational theatre and wrote sketches for performances. Later, when I came to a crossroad in my acting career, I moved back to Minnesota and worked in academic researching youth development programs. Lucky for me, I had other skills and interests that I followed.

You’ve chosen a very unusual viewpoint character. Can you tell us how you chose who to tell this story?

After a dozen drafts, the voices came through, and one of those voices was the house. It made sense to me and I liked it. I’m a big fan of magical realism, and I’m influenced by writers such as Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Toni Morrison, Percival Evertt, Kate DiCamillo, and others who use this interesting viewpoint of animating objects or animals.

In addition, both Zenobia and former cowgirl Mrs. Ruby Pearl are vivid characters. Can you tell us more about how you developed them? Are they real characters?

No, they’re not based on one single real person but are based on a composite of young persons and adults I’ve known in my life. However, the character of Mrs. Ruby Pearl is based on my research on a real Black cowgirl who lived in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the copyright of her photo dressed in western cowgirl gear in the early 1900’s. Instead, I was able to capture her essence in a photo from online resource of the African American Smithsonian Museum. The research helped make the fictional narrative real. I also like to use the acting skills I learned to develop characters.

cover of The House of Rondo bookWhat made you choose to write about Rondo Street?

I found that I couldn’t stop myself— it haunted me.

It was an obsession, a good one, of Rondo and the vitality of this community that I vividly remembered.

Please tell us about the historical research you did to make this feel authentic.

I was fortunate to have a Jerome Fellowship in Literature so that I was able to travel to Nebraska and see for myself the Sandhills and the towns of western Nebraska. My maternal great grandparents migrated to this land after the US government moved the Pawnee nation to reservations. I researched Black migration to the West, and they became known as the Exodusters. I used documents at various state and county historical societies, local libraries, museums, oral histories, and government agencies records of transportation and interstate highway development. I used microfilm records of old newspaper articles. It was not possible to do more live interviews of people who lived during the early history of Rondo Avenue—most were deceased.

What was your favorite part of the research?

My favorite part of the research was finding 1920’s and later photos of the people who lived on Rondo.

What was the most difficult part of researching?

The most difficult part was finding out so few photos of Black people existed in historical societies and museums.

That’s such a shame that we’ve lost such an important part of our country’s history. I’m glad you’re doing what you can to make us aware of this part of it.

Did you have to leave anything out of this book that you wished you could have included? If so, what?

I wished I could have had included some of the research I did about the tribal nations who lived on the land in Minnesota and Nebraska. I wanted to include more stories about the Black towns of the Western United States. I couldn’t make it work in the narrative. Perhaps, it will be another story…

Can you share a bit about the resistance?

In my research, there were residents who tried to save their homes and businesses but lost them anyway.

In the resistance, there was sadness yet also joy. People are still celebrating the Rondo community by holding jazz festivals and rethinking about how to bringing Rondo Avenue back. Even though it will be a different community than the original.

I hope they can make that happen! It’s wonderful that people are still celebrating and creating a strong sense of community.

Do you have any message or advice for the teachers and parents who will be sharing your book with their students and families?

The importance of history and community.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

The joy of Rondo Avenue and whatever they want. It’s out in the world now, and I have no more control of this story I created.

Can you tell us what you’re working on now?

Hmmm, I have ideas but not ready to share what they are yet…

Well, we can’t wait to see what you write next. The stories of Black towns in the West and more history of the tribal nations in Minnesota and Nebraska all sound like wonderful avenues to pursue, but I’m sure your creative muse will direct you to the perfect story. When it does, we’ll be looking forward to reading it. For now, I’ll encourage our readers to pick up a copy of  The House on Rondo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debra J Stone writes essays, poetry, and fiction. She received a 2023–25 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in Literature and the 2023 Loft Mirrors and Windows Fellowship for writing books for BIPOC children and young adults. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and her Australian cattle dog, Ruby. Find her online at https://www.debrajeannestone.com/ or on Instagram @debra2036.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When thirteen-year-old Zenobia has to leave her friends and spend the summer at Grandma’s while Mama recovers from a stroke, life seems so unfair. But then the eviction letters start arriving throughout her grandparents’ neighborhood, and white men chalk arrows to mark the gas and water lines, and a new world of unfairness unfolds before her. It’s 1963, and Zenobia’s grandparents’ house on Rondo Avenue in Saint Paul—like all the homes in this thriving Black community—is targeted for demolition to make way for the new Interstate Highway 94.

As Zenobia gradually learns about what’s planned for the Rondo neighborhood and what this means for everyone who lives there, she discovers how her story is intertwined with the history of her family, all the way back to Great Grandma Zenobia and the secrets Grandma Essie held close about the reason for her light skin. With the destruction of the neighborhood looming, Zenobia takes a stand on behalf of her community, joining her no-nonsense neighbor, onetime cowgirl Mrs. Ruby Pearl, in a protest and ultimately getting arrested. Though Zenobia is grounded for a month, her punishment seems of little consequence in comparison to what is happening all around her. Even though the demolition continues, she is proud to discover the power and connection in protesting injustice.

The House on Rondo captures the heartbreak, resistance, and resilience that marks a community sacrificed in the name of progress—a “progress” that never seems to favor Black families and neighborhoods and that haunts cities like Saint Paul to this day. As Zenobia learns what can be destroyed and what cannot, her story teaches us that joy, community, and love persist, even amid violence and loss.

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