Author Interviews

BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA~Interview With Author Alda Dobbs + #Giveaway!

By on September 17, 2021   /   Author Interviews  

Thrilled to share my interview with Author Alda Dobbs and her recent middle grade release BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA – an inspired story about the Mexican Revolution and how one girl is set to keep her promise.

THE BOOK

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

BOOKSHOP | WEBSITE to other purchase links.

 

BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA by Alda Dobbs

Release Date: September 14, 2021

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna’s mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papa is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left―her abuelita, little sister Amelia, and baby brother Luisito―until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.

Each night when Petra closes her eyes, she holds her dreams close, especially her long-held desire to learn to read. Abuelita calls these barefoot dreams: “They’re like us barefoot peasants and indios―they’re not meant to go far.” But Petra refuses to listen. Through battlefields and deserts, hunger and fear, Petra will stop at nothing to keep her family safe and lead them to a better life across the U.S. border―a life where her barefoot dreams could finally become reality.

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna was inspired by the experiences the author’s great-grandmother endured during the Mexican Revolution.

 

THE INTERVIEW

From the moment I read about this story, I knew I wanted to share it. It’s wonderful to have you visit us, Alda. Tell our readers a little about your main character Petra Luna.

Petra Luna is a twelve-year old girl who makes it her purpose to keep her family safe in the middle of war and chaos. Despite the turmoil and suffering around her, she remains faithful to her dreams of learning to read and write and to a promise she made to her father before he was forced to fight in the war.

💚💚💚

Why will young readers relate to Petra?

Petra’s dreams and her way of seeing the world are often at odds with her grandmother’s views. Young readers will see how differences in perspectives between generations is a universal theme that transcends time. Readers can also see how Petra’s journey to escape violence in her homeland and reach the safety of the United States is something that is relevant to today’s times or might have happened in their own ancestor’s pasts.

If Petra could pick three things to take with her on a deserted island, what would they be?

Petra would likely take her hatchet, her black rock, and maybe a pencil and slate?

What about you?

I would take pen & paper, my laptop, and an espresso machine. Not sure where I’d get the coffee, milk, and chocolate syrup for my mochas, though.

BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA is inspired by your great-grandmother’s experiences during the Mexican Revolution of 1913. How did it feel learning this information from real-life family experience?

I had always enjoyed listening to family stories but took them lightly most of the times. For one particular story, my favorite one, I embarked on a long research journey, and after many months, the day I found out that this family story had been true and accurate all along, is a day I will forever remember. Ever since, I became much more grateful for my family stories, knowing they were not exaggerations. Also, through the many photographs I came across in my research, I saw, learned, and appreciated all that my family had gone through – the harsh poverty, the prejudices, the violence – and the enormous effort and sacrifice they made to give me a better life. After completing my book, I felt closer to them than ever before.

Such a vital story and piece of human history to share with younger generations, but also because it’s so close to your heart.

Did you do much outside research for the book as well?

Yes, I researched many things, even the most mundane, and some never made it into the book but it allowed me to know the characters and setting intimately.

Ooh, that’s a super important fact of writing: Lots of researched information doesn’t make it into the book, yet it influences the writer.

I researched the Mexican Revolution, desert plants, curanderismo, Aztec mythology, Náhuatl, music from that era, etc. I also printed out segments of Sanborn maps and assembled them together like puzzle pieces to let me know what streets Petra Luna had walked on. When I cross-referenced the map with old photographs, I could see buildings she came across and even walked into. I kept a timeline handy that followed actual dates chronicled in newspapers to help weave in the fiction.

Why do you believe this story is important to tell?

The history of the Mexican Revolution is complex, but I believe young readers should be exposed to it in a way that they get a sense of its causes, its consequences and, most important, of what women and children went through. This is a part of history that isn’t taught in schools nor mentioned in books, yet it changed the landscape of both Mexico and the United States forever and still resonates in our current world.

What do you hope middle school readers take with them after they’ve read the book?

I hope that they learn that they too have the power and determination to be a leader like Petra. Sometimes we adults don’t give children enough credit yet they are capable of so much if we give them the space and confidence to grow and figure things out on their own. I also want them to realize that no matter the circumstances, they can look to their dreams for guidance and strength during dire times.

WRITER’S CORNER

For our writing readers, what is your writing routine like? And what is one piece of advice you can offer?

I’ve never really had a writing routine (after 10 years of writing, I’m still striving to find one!). Ever since signing my publishing contract, I’ve been more conscientious about writing time since I now have real deadlines. I’ve always been a night owl and tend to be more creative at night, but as a mother of two young kids, I’ve had to adjust my times. One piece of advice I’d say is to try to write every day, read books of fiction or on craft, listen to audio books, take workshops, attend conferences, in other words, always keep yourself immersed in words or on learning how to best put them together.

Are you working on a new project? If so, care to share?

I am! Right now, I’m working on Book 2, the follow-up to Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna. This story will follow Petra and her family to a refugee camp in Eagles Pass, Texas and then to San Antonio where 30,000 refugees settled during that time. I’m also working on the Spanish translation of Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna and will soon record the Author’s Note for the audio book. I’m also kicking the idea of a picture book and a historical YA. Stay tuned!

Wow! A picture book and historical YA . . . sounds great. Make sure you let us know so we can share it with everyone. All the best with this. Thank you so much for sharing this important story of history, hope, and resilience.

Author Alda DobbsABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alda P. Dobbs is the author of the upcoming novel Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna. She was born in a small town in northern Mexico but moved to San Antonio, Texas as a child. Alda studied physics and worked as an engineer before pursuing her love of storytelling. She’s as passionate about connecting children to their past, their communities, different cultures and nature as she is about writing. Alda lives with her husband and two children outside Houston, Texas. WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

 

GIVEAWAY

Enter for your chance to WIN a signed copy of BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA and some book swag! Ends 09/26/2021; US only. Winner announced via Twitter.

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AMIRA & HAMZA: THE WAR TO SAVE THE WORLDS: Interview with Samira Ahmed + GIVEAWAY

By on September 16, 2021   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to bestselling author Samira Ahmed, whose debut middle-grade novel Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds, releases on Tuesday, September 21. (Click on the title to preorder from Bookshop.)

For a chance to win a copy of this novel, filled with fantasy and magic, click on the Rafflecopter link below before Saturday (September 18) at 11:59 PM. (U.S. only.)

 

About Samira

Samira Ahmed is the New York Times bestselling author of Internment; Love, Hate & Other Filters; and Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know. She was born in Bombay, India, and has lived in New York, Chicago, and Kauai, where she spent a year searching for the perfect mango. She currently resides in the Midwest. Find her online at samiraahmed.com and on Twitter and Instagram @sam_aye_ahm.

 

About the Book

Dorian: Please tell us a bit about Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds

Samira: Amira & Hamza is a story about two bickering siblings who are whisked away to the mystical world of Qaf by a jinn army that recognizes them as the Chosen Ones who must battle a great evil in Qaf and end a civil war there. If they fail, the moon, the stopper between realms will break apart, unleashing monstrosities on Earth, and the world as they know it will end!

So, a typical day for middle schoolers 🙂

 

Dorian: Ha! What inspired you to write this novel?

Samira: There are three threads of inspiration that I wove together to tell this story. First, when walking my kids to school, they always wanted me to tell them stories, so we told a collaborative, winding epic of siblings who use magical objects to save their timeline and every story always ended with dessert! Second, those goofy stories we told out loud made me think of the tradition of oral storytelling in Urdu, my first language. Specifically, the Hamzanama—a grand epic that wound its way across the Islamic world, into India’s Mughal court and eventually to tales my great grandmother would tell my mom about mischievous, shapeshifting jinn and trickster peris, or fairies. Finally, the last thread of inspiration is really my own childhood—I had a golden ball—really a translucent ball with golden flecks that I was certain was magical. I would throw that ball into a small lilac grove in my parents’ backyard, and it would “transport” me to fantastical worlds where I was sometimes a fairy princess who wielded a sword.

 

Childhood Influences

Dorian: Although the novel is fantasy, were there any real-life experiences that influenced your writing Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds?

Samira: Well, every Muslim family has jinn stories! And mine is no different. When I was a kid, my aunts and uncles told me stories about jinn encounters that had become part of family lore including a jinn who possessed a tree and then haunted a person who broke a twig off that tree! And there was also a story of a snake jinn that was a protector—one who lived under the crib of a baby and acted as a guardian. There was another story of a jinn realm that you could enter through a deep well in my uncle’s back yard!

I also have a love of hidden histories and I’m fascinated by medieval Islamic astronomy and its incredible advancements, so when I read about the amazing al-Biruni and some of his inventions, including the Box of the Moon, I knew I had to incorporate it into a book!

 

Dorian: That’s so interesting! What were some of your favorite books as a kid that influenced your decision to become a writer?

Samira: In elementary school and into middle school, I absolutely adored Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume—two of kidlit’s greatest! I also loved The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and I read a lot of Agatha Christie, too, (maybe a bit earlier than I should have)!

I think I was always drawn to stories where young people were trying to find their power and their truth. And even though Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot were nothing like me, I loved how they used logic to solve a mystery—they were powerful because of their brains, not their brawn.

 

Writing for the Middle-Grade Audience

Dorian: Did you find writing a middle-grade novel very different from writing for other audiences? If so, what were the differences?

Samira: Middle grade books allowed me to lean into more whimsy and wonder and the curiosity of childhood and that was a part of the writing process that I loved. All writing requires imagination, but somehow, writing for middle grade, allowed my imagination to run even more free.

 

Dorian: What would you like readers to come away with after reading the novel?

Samira: The heart of the story is really about two siblings who learn to work together, despite their differences, despite their bickering, because they love each other. That bond of family—the one you’re born into or the one you find, like Amira & Hamza found in Maqbool and Abdul Rahman and Aasman Peri is an idea that I hope readers can feel a connection to. I also hope that readers can realize that even more than being anointed the chosen one, it’s important to choose yourself—to believe in who you are.

 

Tips for Writers

Dorian: I love that! What are two of your best writing tips for the authors in our audience?

  1. Know yourself. For me, this is the foundation of craft, of building a story. There’s a point where imagination meets paper and there is a lot of advice about how to do that, about what method is the “right” one. Every writer is different, every story is different and there is no one single way to write—knowing what works for you, knowing who you are is what can help you create the method that is right for you.
  2. Lean into curiosity. A lot of times, we hear writing described as a passion. “Follow your passion,” we hear people say. And you can have very passionate feelings about storytelling! But passion is also something that can burn out and that burn out can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong, like you’re “failing.” So what works for me, is to reframe the idea: I don’t merely follow my passion (it’s finite); I follow my curiosity (which is infinite). Every story I write begins with a question. And in the end, every story gives rise to questions, too.

 

Dorian: That’s great advice! What are you working on now?

Samira: My next book is another YA—Hollow Fires—which is out in May 2022. Hollow Fires is a story about a young woman’s quest to unearth the truth about a heart wrenching murder of a boy that too many people seem eager to forget. It speaks to the insidious nature of racism and the undeniable power of hope.

 

Thanks so much, Samira, for taking the time out to talk to us about Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds.

For a chance to win a signed copy of the novel, click on the Rafflecopter link below before Saturday, 9/18 at 11:59 PM. (U.S. entrants only.) I’ll announce the lucky winner on Sunday.

 

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Attack of the Killer Komodos: Author Interview + Giveaway

By on September 13, 2021   /   Author Interviews  

Teachers and librarians: I am excited to interview Summer Rachel Short, the author of Attack of the Killer Komodos, which will be coming out September 14! It is a great book for students who love adventure, mystery, and STEM. Be sure to read to the end on what to do for a chance to win a copy.

About the Book

Hi Summer! Thank you for sharing Attack of the Killer Komodos with me. Can you give us a short summary about the book?

Of course! Here’s the official blurb: This is the second book in the Maggie and Nate Mystery series and follows the friends to Yellowstone National Park where they must track down a deadly creature amidst a series of natural disasters. While Maggie comes up with scientific solutions as they battle earthquakes, landslides, wolves, and other unusual creatures, Nate focuses on conspiracy theories and getting stellar footage for his YouTube channel. But only by combining their skills will they have any hope of saving Yellowstone or each other.

 

Tell us who would especially enjoy this book?

Kids who enjoy survival stories and like surprises will have a great time with Attack of the Killer Komodos. It also has plenty of action, humor, and mystery to keep the pages turning. Any kids who like reading about strange creatures will also have fun with the book.

 

About the Author

Photo by Bryan Cole

Tell us about you—what other jobs did you have that were or were not related to writing?

I majored in Journalism in college, so most of my professional life has been spent at jobs related to writing or editing. I’ve worked as a newspaper reporter, a public information officer for the department of transportation, and a corporate communications specialist at a staffing company. Before that, I had a number of part time jobs like waiting tables and driving the beverage cart at a golf course.

 

How did you end up becoming an author?

I wrote short stories here and there when I was younger, but it wasn’t until college that I thought writing might be something I’d want to do professionally. In addition to journalism classes, I took a number of creative writing classes that I really enjoyed. There was one in particular that operated sort of like a critique group. It was small, maybe 10-12 people, and we’d all bring our stories to class, read them aloud, and then get feedback from the room. I loved it. I loved hearing the other students’ stories and at the same time finding out what other people thought about my work. I think that was the first time I really thought seriously about wanting to be a writer. That class lit the spark, but it wasn’t until years later that I got serious about the pursuit. Every now and then, I’d toy with a story idea and write a few pages before abandoning the whole thing. Then, about five or six years ago, it was like a switch flipped and all of a sudden, I got very passionate about wanting to see a novel-length project through. That first manuscript sits in a proverbial drawer where it will stay, but finishing it was an important step in my journey to becoming an author.

 

What authors and/or books would you say influenced your writing style?

I really enjoy books that have a bit of humor, a quick pace, and characters who feel like friends. A few authors whose style I particularly admire are: Kate DiCamillo, Sheila Turnage, Jennifer L. Holm, and Suzanne Collins.

 

Research/Writing

I have read both this and The Mutant Mushroom Takeover (also a great book!). Was it hard to write a sequel? Any tricks you have for writers as to how to tie the two books together?

In some ways writing a sequel was a challenge but in other ways it was perhaps easier than writing something brand new. With the sequel, I already knew my characters, how they spoke, and how they’d react to different situations. So, in that regard it was a little easier. But it also presented the challenge of coming up with new ways for the characters to grow. In The Mutant Mushroom Takeover, Maggie and her family go through some pretty big challenges and Maggie has to decide how she’s going to respond. In Attack of the Killer Komodos, I had to figure out a way to let the characters continue to grow without going over the same ground. I’m not sure I have any advice that will make drafting easier. First drafts are hard and messy. So, maybe my best advice is just to keep slogging through even when you can’t see the end in sight. You can fix things in revision. Also, get other pairs of eyes on your work. When you’ve read your story too many times to see it clearly, it’s time to get feedback from some trusted critique partners. I’ve got some great CP friends who I can count on to help me see my stories with fresh eyes and that’s always incredibly helpful.

Summer’s last visit to Yellowstone National Park

What’s your connection with the topics you choose to write about?

I love books that surprise me. I think I’m a little like my character Nate, Maggie’s YouTuber best friend, in that I’m intrigued by the weird and unexpected. I might not be on the hunt for Bigfoot like Nate, but strange happenings in nature definitely fascinate me. Anything that sparks my sense of curiosity is likely to grab my attention. I wanted my readers to experience that same sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. That’s where some of the strange but true science comes in.

 

What was your original spark for the book?

A number of years ago, my husband and I did some backwoods camping in Yellowstone. At that time, a park ranger told us that we had a seventy-five percent chance of a run-in with a grizzly bear as one had recently killed a moose on the trail we’d be taking. For some reason, we decided to trek on anyway. I remember clapping my hands and calling “no bears!” all the while terrified that something menacing was lurking in the woods. I think that experience was simmering at the back of my mind as I worked on Attack of the Killer Komodos. Yellowstone’s beautiful but it can be dangerous, too. That backdrop seemed like the perfect setting to drop my characters into for an action-packed survival story.

 

What research did you need to do?

I did a lot of research on Yellowstone’s thermal features, the park’s native species, and backcountry maps. I studied extremophiles (species that can live in conditions that would kill other creatures) and their habitats.  I also read up about gene editing technology and bio-hackers.

 

You do a seamless job of tying real (but unusual) science with fantasy (or possibly science fiction!) (be sure to read the Author’s Note—so fascinating!). I’d love to know more about your process for this. Did the real science shape the fiction, or did the fiction sometimes cause you to do research for the facts and find that it all fit together?

I think they influenced one another. Sometimes, there was a real world element I wanted to include, like CRISPR––the real-life gene editing technology. In that case, I had to think about how the technology could come into the story in a fun way. Other times, there was something I needed to have happen and I had to go looking for a possible solution. Some of my research about the thermal pools and how different creatures might react to their pH levels fell into that category. But, my first goal was simply to tell a fun story and I always tried to keep that in mind and not get bogged down with the nitty gritty of too many details. The author’s note gave me a great opportunity to include more information for those who are interested in separating scientific fact from fiction.

 

For Teachers

There is so much potential for using this book in the classroom, teachers! My suggestion: have students research the interesting facts: tardigrades, CRISPR technology, geysers, Bigfoot, and, of course, Komodo dragons. Summer, any suggestions you have for ways to use Attack of the Killer Komodos in the classroom?

Those are all great ideas! Studying Yellowstone National Park and its thermal features would be another great tie in with the book. Also, wilderness exploration and survival, as well as conservation efforts and protecting our national parks. For my first book, The Mutant Mushroom Takeover, teachers could easily tie in lessons on botany, the scientific method, and mycology.

 

Are you doing school visits related to this book? Tell us more!

Yes, I am doing school visits, both in-person and virtual. The presentation would be great for grades 4th-7th and touches on both the writing process as well as some of the real-life science in the books. Educators who’d like to book a visit can find out more on my website.

 

How can we learn more about you?

You can find me online here:

Website: https://srachelshort.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Summer_Rachel_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/summerrachelwrites/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summerrachelshort

 

Thanks for your time, Summer.

Thanks so much for having me!

 

Summer Rachel Short will be giving a copy of Attack of the Killer Komodos to a lucky reader. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a copy. (U.S. addresses only)

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