Author Interviews

When the World Turned Upside Down: Author Interview + Giveaway

By on January 28, 2022   /   Author Interviews  

I am excited to have gotten a chance to read When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura before it comes out. It took me right back to the start of the COVID-19 quarantine and all the unknowns that went with it.

It is rare that kids get to read about circumstances they have encountered that will become such a part of history (and is still going on today). Teachers, I really think you’ll love this book as there’s so much to discuss throughout.

About the Book

Hi K.! Thank you for sharing When the World Turned Upside Down with me. Can you give us a short summary about the book?
I’d be happy to. When the World Turned Upside follows four friends—Shayla, Liam, Ai, and Ben—as they navigate all the unexpected changes that COVID-19 brought to our lives. Set in 2020 at the beginning of the panic, the book walks through the shock of school closing and explores the struggle and isolation each kid faces at home. As they’re managing the loss of their normal lives, they soon realize they aren’t the only ones struggling. They find others in their apartment complex who need help with a variety of things and band together to support their building community.

Social justice comes into play, as the kids learn to overcome tough times and to use their voices to help their communities.

When does it come out?
The book hits bookstores on Feb 1. It was originally scheduled for November, but we hit some COVID-related delays. Excited to see it reach readers!


About the Author

Tell us about you. I read you’re an artist. I’d love to know more!
Yes, I come from a creative family. My sister was a visual artist first, but when I was young we would collage furniture, make people oversized birthday cards, and draw fashionable people from our imagination. Years later I started painting and more recently, I found my way back to collage. I even opened an Etsy store. Being creative makes me feel alive. 

What was your path to becoming an author?
I started writing in college after a classmate suffered a racist incident on public transportation. The story hooked me, bothering me until I finally decided to write it down. That first story got published, and from there I kept going, writing speculative stories for magazines and anthologies—and eventually writing two short story collections. When the World Turned Upside Down is my debut novel and my first book for young people. I’m excited to enter this new arena as a writer. 

Photo credit: Nyki Elle

Research/Writing

First, I am impressed that you got the idea for the book in April 2020 and finished your final draft in January 2021 (that has to be a record!). Knowing you had a timely topic, did you have to work differently than you’re used to?
I definitely worked differently with this book. I have historically struggled to write novels. I’m a writer who discovers what I’m writing as I go along. That’s fine for short stories because you can write many many drafts until you get where you’re trying to go. It’s a lot harder for novels because they’re so long. You’ll run out of steam if you write too many drafts. When I decided to do this book, I knew it had to be done quickly to remain timely, I decided to be more completion minded. For the first time, I wrote an outline—I used the outline to sell the book, then evolved it into a plot chart that I used in the various round to keep up with the characters and plot points. Given we were in the middle of the pandemic, the story was evolving as I wrote, so my goal was to be limber, to listen to my characters, and to focus on creating a functional whole.

What was your original spark for the book?
I wanted to look at what kids survived during COVID. It was a time period that I was extremely aware of all the issues adults were going through, but I kept thinking—kids are going through the exact same challenges. We were all stuck in the house together. We couldn’t hide our challenges and anxieties the way we usually do. Kids were less sheltered from the impact of COVID-19, and I wanted to look at what that was like for them to survive this all-encompassing, unavoidable historical moment.

What research did you need to do?
I did research to build important elements of the character’s backgrounds. I researched childhood anxiety for Liam’s character and Indonesian culture and foods for Ai’s character. I cannibalized stories I heard from others during the pandemic of events that happened to them. In trying to determine who the kids would eventually come to use their voices, I read essays written by 5th graders about social justice—I wanted to understand what social justice meant to them and how they would express it for themselves. Finally I read two books for young people (This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell and Not My Idea by Anastasia Higginbotham) about identity and society to help me determine what the parameters were that I would include in the informative conversations about social justice. 

I love your cast of characters. What pieces of the characters are reflections of yourself?
That’s a hard question for me to answer. These characters came to me fully formed. I didn’t have to create them—as I thought of them, their personalities and interests were already there. I’m sure there are pieces of them that reflect me, but I don’t know which pieces of them reflect me. This book was unique in that I was more guided by the moment and the experiences of these characters in this moment. In that way, it almost felt like an external mandate. Like these characters were on a mission and I was in service of them, their stories and this historical moment.

Do you think you’ll create a sequel or companion book with these characters?
I’ve certainly thought about it. I can definitely see these four evolving and their relationships evolving along with their individual growth. Maybe we’ll need to get out of the pandemic and have a new impactful world event I can put them through.

I see you have a new young adult series coming in the fall 2022. Tell us a little about that.
Yes, I’m returning to the world of speculative fiction with my next book. It is the story of a teenager with mysterious powers who is raised in isolation by her grandmother. When her grandmother becomes ill, she is thrust out into the outside world. She not only has to learn what it means to be a teenager, she has to confront mysterious forces that teach her about her history and demand that she makes heartbreaking choices for her future. I can’t wait for readers to meet the heroine and fall in love with her!


Information for Teachers

Your book addresses George Floyd’s murder as well as racial inequality. Sensitive topics such as this can be difficult to address with this age group. Would you care to share your thoughts on this?
I think the difficulty is more with adults than with kids. In general, kids have a strong sense of justice and fairness. When kids ask why things are that way, as adults we fumble for answers. The realities of inequality are painful and as adults, we have to learn how to adjust to the injustices of the world that we see on a daily basis. After a lifetime of making these adjustments, it can be hard to be honest about them with children. Once we are having authentic discussions with children, we then have to reflect on ourselves and the roles we may or may not be playing in systems of inequality. 

One potential entry point is to have a weekly celebration of justice warriors—spotlighting people who are fighting for justice. These warriors can cover all areas of inequality, from imbalances in food access, to environmental justice, to gender equality to racial justice. By looking at the positive work individual people are doing you can provide positive examples to children, giving them an inspiring entry point into heavy topics. You can pair these spotlights with an age-appropriate investigation into the area the social justice warrior is looking to impact. Acts of justice are all around us—in the classroom, at home, on the playground, and all over the world. Showing students how others are using their voices goes a long way to empowering students to take note of areas of justice that matter to them.

What websites and books do you recommend for teachers who want to share your book with their class and want to go further into the topic of becoming aware of racial inequality and/or creating social justice?
I mentioned both This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell and Not My Idea by Anastasia Higginbotham in response to an earlier question. One thing I love about This Book Is Anti-Racist is it centers on identity. I think so often it’s easy for people to forget that justice issues are rooted in identity. This Book Is Anti-Racist provides a roadmap for kids to acknowledge and celebrate their own identities and become more aware of other’s identities. It’s a meaningful foundation for anti-racist work. Not My Idea does the important work of separating her identity as a White person from racism because racism was not her idea, she argues, she doesn’t have to protect or defend it. In a picture book format, the book works to powerful disconnect a White identity from an allegiance to racism. I recommend both books for people of all ages.

Are you doing a virtual tour in support of this book? Tell us more!
Yes! I’ll be embarking on a free-to-attend virtual tour in partnership with three Black-owned bookstores, and I’ll be appearing in conversation with a different fellow middle grade author at each tour stop:

  • 1/31 @ 7:30pm ET – Charis Books & More, in conversation with Varian Johnson (author of Playing the Cards You’re Dealt)
  • 2/1 @ 5pm MT – Tattered Cover, in conversation with Ibi Zoboi (author of Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler)
  • 2/2 @ 6pm ET – Source Booksellers, in conversation with Brandy Colbert (author of Black Birds in the Sky)


How can we learn more about you? 
Kiburabooks.com; Facebook and IG: @kiburabooks; Twitter: @K_Ibura; Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kibura

I thought it might be interesting to ask the readers a specific question to answer in the comments. Is there anything you’d like readers to comment on? 
In 2020, I reactivated book clubs, writing groups, art clubs, and starting cooking again. I dropped it all in 2021 and just focused on writing and puzzles. What did you pick up in year 1 of the pandemic? What did you drop in year 2? What do you think is coming in Year 3?

Thank you for your time.

K. Ibura will be giving a copy of When the World Turned Upside Down to a lucky reader. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a copy. (U.S. addresses only, no P.O. Boxes)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Interview with Nancy Tandon, author of The Way I Say It

By on January 19, 2022   /   Author Interviews, For Writers, Publishing & Promotion  

Books sometimes have a winding path to publication, and I’m always inspired when I hear those journeys. For the author, it can be such a difficult roller coaster to go through, but it reminds us that when we work hard and persevere, our stories will find homes.

Headshot of author Nancy Tandon

Nancy Tandon

My most recent favorite story like this is from Nancy Tandon. Nancy and I met in 2017 when we were both anticipating our debut books to come out the following year. Mine, THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST, came out in June 2018, but Nancy’s, THE WAY I SAY IT, came out from Charlesbridge yesterday!

And the best part is, Nancy now has a double-debut year, since her second middle-grade book, THE GHOST OF SPRUCE POINT, is coming out from Aladdin on Aug. 2.

It’s a very inspiring and a perfect example of why “never give up” is always great advice for writers, so I’m thrilled to have Nancy on From the Mixed Up Files to talk about her journey.

Here’s what her two books are about:

THE WAY I SAY IT:

Rory still can’t say his r’s, but that’s just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory’s ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes Brent out of school, and Rory struggles with how to feel.

Rory and his new speech teacher put their heads together on Rory’s r’s (not to mention a serious love of hard rock and boxing legend Muhammad Ali), but nobody seems to be able to solve the problem of Rory’s complicated feelings about Brent. Brent’s accident left him with brain-damage and he’s struggling. Should Rory stand up for his old friend at school–even after Brent failed to do the same for him?

THE GHOST OF SPRUCE POINT:

Twelve-year-old Parker has grown up in his family’s Home Away Inn, nestled on a wooded peninsula in Maine called Spruce Point. His best friend, Frankie, has been staying at the inn every summer for years with her family. Together, they’ve had epic adventures based out of a nearby old treehouse that serves as their official headquarters for Kids Confidential Meetings.

But lately, business at the inn hasn’t been great, and Parker is pretty sure he knows why. It’s long been rumored that Mrs. Gruvlig, one of the few year-rounders on Spruce Point, has unique abilities of the supernatural kind. And Frankie is absolutely sure she saw a ghost on Mrs. Gruvlig’s property! As more and more spooky happenings occur around the Point, Parker and Frankie are convinced Spruce Point has been officially cursed.

Samantha: Welcome to From the Mixed Up Files, Nancy. These books sound so great! Tell us about your inspirations for the two books you’ve got coming out this year.

Nancy: Thank you for having me here on the Mixed Up Files!

Bookcover for middle-grade novel The Way I Say It by Nancy TandonMy former clinical work as a speech/language pathologist was the inspiration for THE WAY I SAY IT. In the outpatient setting, I worked with several kids with articulation disorders who specifically had trouble saying sounds in their first names. When I began to create my main character, I started with a question: What would middle school be like for a kid whose first name speech-sound difficulties persisted past early childhood?

My second novel, THE GHOST OF SPRUCE POINT, is my attempt to capture the magic and atmosphere of my children’s summer vacations on the coast of Maine. They were together with their cousins, and I watched in awe as the kids grew and changed each year as they explored the gorgeous natural playground of the peninsula where my parents retired. Another inspiration came from a news story I watched about kids with an uncommon allergy to the sun. The resilience of the kids in that interview stayed with me for years and kept coming back to my mind, almost insisting I do something with it! Finally, I did.

Samantha: We were originally in the same debut year, since your debut, THE WAY I SAY IT, was scheduled to come out in 2018 along with mine. What happened that pushed that book back?

Nancy: Ah yes, and I’ll never regret meeting you and the other wonderful 2018 debut authors!

But around that time, the small press that had bought my book was acquired as an imprint of a larger publisher. And the good news was, that new house was willing to take on my manuscript as part of the deal! I was relieved, happy, even excited about this chance to be published by a bigger house.

However, after a year of working to negotiate an addended contract, I still had not heard from my new editor. And the contract negotiations were spinning in circles. (At this point I was un-agented, and I had learned just enough from The Writer’s Legal Guide (a book I highly recommend) to know the offer on the table was not favorable to me). A while later, the second publisher decided not to move forward with my manuscript. My heart sank. I had told everyone I knew about this book deal. I had celebrated with champagne. And now, nothing.

Worse, I had to buy back the rights from the first publisher. (Which is completely on the up and up business-wise, by the way. And in truth, the editing done by that first house was worth the cost. But still, it was painful.) I was embarrassed, disheartened, and very close to giving up all together. I’d had a previous very enriching career as a speech/language pathologist. I began the process of reinstating my license.

Luckily, past me (the one who’d had a book contract and was all excited about kidlit) had signed up for two well-known New England spring conferences that year, NESCBWI and Whispering Pines. I forced myself to attend both.

After the New England conference, I earnestly studied the list of agents and editors who would be open to submissions from conference attendees and sent my work back out there. It felt like I was shouting into the wind, but at least I could still say I hadn’t given up. Not fully, not yet. Even though my heart did very much want me to.

The second conference, Whispering Pines, included a one-on-one consultation with an agent. I reached out with a plea to switch my original submission (the second novel I had been working on) to pages from my first (what I thought of now as failed) novel. The timing was early enough that the agent agreed.

That agent was Rachel Orr from Prospect Agency, who represented (among other amazing authors) a writing friend I’d met through the 2018 debut group: the one and only Samantha M Clark (The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast; Arrow)! You alerted Rachel ahead of time that she’d be meeting me and gave her the head’s up about my manuscript’s twisty past. It was absolutely an essential connection I’ll always be grateful for!

That meeting did not result in an offer of representation from Rachel. (I know! I wanted the story to go that way, too!) But, even better, it resulted in Rachel passing my work to a new agent at Prospect who responded to my work with the enthusiasm needed to take on a new client. I was agented at last!!

Samantha: Yay! I was happy to make that connection, and so glad it led to you signing with your agent. How did THE WAY I SAY IT find its new home with Charlesbridge?

Nancy: Karen Boss, an editor from Charlesbridge, was one of the editors I had submitted to as an NESCBWI attendee. After she reviewed my query and first chapters, she requested the full manuscript. Over the next several weeks, we exchanged emails as she kept me informed of where they were in the process. There were other in-house readers, and a presentation at their acquisitions meeting. Then finally it came. An email that made me shriek and cause a scene in the coffee shop where I was writing with a friend. Re: Offer…

This time, I didn’t have to negotiate the contract on my own, or spend money on a lawyer. My agent at the time, Emma Sector, made sure my interests were represented while also easing the process of getting back my rights to the work.

Everything looked great. Publication was set for 2021. I joined a third debut group. This was happening! But then, due to circumstances at the publishing house, the date of publication got pushed back to 2022. And then of course 2020 and 2021 happened, which weren’t great years to debut anyway (when you can, please show love to writers who did debut in the past two years!!). During this time, I also navigated an in-agency switch as Emma left agenting for a new adventure, and I gratefully landed in Charlotte Wenger’s web. And now: I have held my first novel in my hands. It is winging out into the world to have an adventure all its own. I’m at the copyedit stage of my second novel and am in love with the amazing cover art.

That is my very long answer to your short question! And yes, I can finally say: it was all worth it.

Bookcover for middle-grade novel The Ghost of Spruce Point by Nancy TandonSamantha: So wonderful! Unlike most debut authors, you’re now in the unique position of having two middle-grade novels coming out this year. Tell us how THE GHOST OF SPRUCE POINT found its way to Aladdin.

Nancy: In early 2019, I spent time revising GHOST with my then agent, Emma Sector, who is also a wonderful editor. She really helped me get the manuscript in top shape. She had a very targeted list of editors to submit to, and in fall 2019 THE GHOST OF SPRUCE POINT sold within a week of being on submission, confirming the old adage: publishing is weird!

Samantha: What were the biggest challenges for you over the last few years during this process?

Nancy: The number one biggest challenge for me in all of this was not giving up. I’m usually a “half-full” kind of a gal, but there were times when it just felt like it made no sense to keep going. And it was hard to explain to people outside of publishing what was going on, and at times I honestly felt embarrassed. Where was this book I’d been talking about for years?

But then I’d have a good writing morning. Or my critique group would give me another shot of encouragement. (Or just another shot, haha.) I was also watching the trajectories of my 2018 debut friends, and learning that publication isn’t “the end,” but just a stop on the journey.

Samantha: I love that. So true. Are there any things that have happened that, while difficult at the time, you feel happy about now?

Nancy: In hindsight, I am grateful for the entire string of events that THE WAY I SAY IT had to endure. The book is much stronger than it would have been – in part because I am a stronger and better writer than I was in 2016. And also because of all the talented people who had a hand in helping it and me along the way. I’m so grateful that I got to work with Karen Boss (editor at Charlesbridge) because she pushed me to elevate the work in ways I couldn’t have on my own.

Samantha: Do you have advice for other authors who are going through similar situations?

Nancy: Do. Not. Give. Up. And if you’ve read this far, you can always say to yourself, “well, what’s happening to me isn’t as bad as that one lady who was in four different debut groups. If she can keep going, so can I!”

But seriously, when you are feeling especially disheartened, dig down to the reasons you came to this endeavor in the first place. For me, it boils down to the joy of writing and the incredible people I have met. Once I placed those two things front and center, I knew I could go on forever, whether I was published or not.

Samantha: What are you doing to celebrate your double debut year?

Nancy: I am drinking all the champagne and saying YES to everything that comes my way! I’m also planning a special trip with my husband, who has been an incredible support through it all.

Samantha: Are you working on other future books that you can talk about yet?

Nancy: Nothing I can talk about yet, but I do have a manuscript for a third book that I’m revising. It’s another middle grade and I’m in love with the main character, a girl who is searching for home and finds it in an unexpected place. “Found family” is one of my favorite themes of all time!

Samantha: That sounds wonderful. And finding a home in an unexpected place is exactly what happened with your publishing career. Congratulations on your double-debut year.

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Going Backstage on How GUITARS Was Made

By on January 13, 2022   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

Hi Mixed-Up Filers! Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to Patricia Lakin, an award-winning author who writes both fiction and nonfiction for toddlers to middle-graders. We discussed Guitars, the latest book in her Made By Hand series from Simon & Schuster. It’s a fun book filled with great facts about how guitars are made and two activities that show kids how to make their own instruments.

Tell us a little bit about Guitars and the Made By Hand series? How did 4 Covers from the Made By Hand Series: Skateboards, Bicycles, Steel Drums, and Guitars, or more broadly, the Made By Hand series, come about? Did you select the subjects? If so, why?

The story of how Made By Hand came about is a true tale of admiration. An editor I have worked with in the past has a great love of hand-made objects. She knew that I shared that same love. It was this editor, Karen Nagel at Simon & Schuster, who created the Made By Hand series and asked me to be the writer.

The editorial team decided they wanted to focus on two objects used for transportation—one of wood and one of metal and use the same materials for two musical instruments. And that is how the book on Bicycles, Skateboards, Steel Drums and Guitars was born.

Did you actually visit Coloma Guitars? Or do you have any fun stories from researching the book?

The story of how I learned about the oh-so-talented Meredith Coloma is, I think, a New York story.  I happened to pass by Chelsea Guitars, a famous guitar store that is located at the equally famous Chelsea Hotel. I entered the long narrow shop and marveled at the guitars hanging on all the walls, from the ceiling etc. and asked the fellow behind the counter if he knew of a female luthier. [The three other books all had male makers and I wanted to highlight a woman for this book.]

The man behind the counter confirmed with another gentleman that I should contact luthier, Meredith Coloma—which is exactly what I did. She lives in Vancouver, BC. She was delighted to be a part of this project and so I put her in touch with the editorial department at Simon and Schuster.

Meredith and I spent a fair amount of time doing telephone interviews during which she shared her story—how she became a musician and decided to become a luthier—the latter all occurred because of a violin maker she happened to come to know. He only spoke Yiddish. His wife translated but he and Meredith spoke the language of music. It was that elderly gentleman who showed her the brochure of a luthier school not far from her home in British Columbia. I thought her story of becoming a luthier was magical and had to be included in the book.

We had extensive conversations and Meredith shared pictures of how step-by-step she creates an acoustic guitar as well as an electric guitar. I had no idea how complicated and how delicate the process is to create an acoustic guitar.

 

Guitars book cover

How did you approach the research and writing of Guitars?

I feel fortunate to live very close to New York Public Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.  There, I found so many books in circulation that dealt with the history of guitars, guitar greats and the science behind guitars.

I was able to bring those books home to do extensive research. Between those books and the wealth of information I found on the internet from a variety of guitar periodicals, I had tons of material to read and educate myself on the history of guitars.

Most nonfiction writers tell us that they learn so much about a subject that not all of it can fit into one book. Are there any fun facts that you learned that didn’t make it into Guitars?

That is so true. Each evening I’d recount to my husband all of the fascinating facts I’d learned about the guitar. Although I will admit that, since I’ve never studied an instrument and can’t read music, some of the facts on the number of strings on an acoustic guitar and the sound differential was too confusing to understand…plus, I knew that would make the book too technical to include. What I did find I had to cut was the longer history on how electric guitars were really influenced by Hawaiian ukuleles but I was able to include a few fun facts.

Do you play an instrument? If so, what do you play?

Patricia Lakin Publicity Photo 2021

As a child, I studied ballet and in college continued with dance classes, jazz and then tap and never studied a musical instrument.

If you could have a custom guitar made for you, what would it look like? Would it be acoustic or electric?

If I did own a guitar it would most likely be the guitar that Meredith made with a gorgeous tree inlaid on the acoustic guitar’s back. It’s on page 15 of the Guitar book.

I read on your bio that you’re inspired by movies. What is your favorite movie, and why?

Wow! I am such a movie fan that I don’t think I could pick a favorite. Going to the movies as a child, and now, even as an adult, is a special treat for me. Sitting in a darkened theatre, having those images up on the screen, larger than life—speaks to me in ways that I find totally magical.

 

Thank you for a fun interview! For more information about Patricia Lakin and her books, please check out her website. And don’t forget to check out Guitars and The Made By Hand series. For more information about, please visit Simon & Schuster’s Made By Hand page.

 

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