Author Interviews

New Release Unicorn Island: Interview with Donna Galanti (S&S) + Book Giveaway!

By on February 10, 2021   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways, New Releases  

“Movement caught Sam’s eye. Farther down the beach, a shadowy figure walked along the dock that jutted out from the shore. A small boat rocked on the water. The figure climbed in, untied the boat, and rowed away, disappearing into the fog.”

Goose bumps courtesy of Samantha Sea Wells and Donna Galanti! Donna’s new book, Unicorn Island, takes readers on a mystery adventure that blends vivid settings, cool characters, rich sensory detail, and mythological magic. What’s not to love?

I had a chance to catch up with Mixed Up Files member and accomplished MG writer Donna G. to talk about Unicorn Island, learn how it came to be, and discover the author’s fave creature from the realms of myth! Check out Donna’s giveaway at the bottom where she is giving away one copy of the illustrated hardcover of Unicorn Island by Andrews McMeel Publishing (Simon & Schuster). Enter by Feb. 16th. U.S./Canada only.

Sean McCollum: Hi Donna! I loved Unicorn Island and it hit all my feels … the displaced young heroine, the budding friendship, the brooding uncle, the mystery to be solved. (And the illustrations are fantastic!) Most stories have a seed, that moment when the idea first sprouted. Do you remember when that happened with this book? And how long did it take to grow?

Donna Galanti: I’m so glad it hit the feels for you, Sean!  The idea actually came over lunch with my publisher! He threw out there that he’d like me to write a book “about a girl who has to take care of a unicorn.” From that, we spent six months bashing around the concept and then my amazing editor helped me polish it more. We wanted to write a story with a strong girl character but one that appealed to all genders. I love stories that are magical but also set in the real world—and that’s what guided me.

SM: The setting plays a big part in this story. Why did you set it in this coastal community—Foggy Harbor, South Carolina? Is it based in any places that are near and dear to you?

DG: I actually had first conceived it being off the coast of Maine (one of my favorite places to visit!) but with other potential seasonal book ideas in mind for the series, I didn’t think that would work so much with the cold season up north. The characters definitely couldn’t cross the sea to an island in a freezing November wind! My dad lives in North Carolina not far from the border of South Carolina, a similar setting, and so that’s what changed it. I loved the idea of placing the story in a sultry climate with mysterious live oak trees added in (they always remind me of ancient wizards with their dripping beards and gnarled branches).

SM: Sam has got some serious spunk and a sense of adventure. How much of Donna G. is in her fearless nature and love of the outdoors?

DG: Oh, so much of Donna G. in Sam! I am an avid outdoors person. Biking, kayaking, hiking. I find peace and inspiration in nature. I’m lucky to have an old growth forest nearby and miles of trails through meadows, woods, and along creeks. As an only child growing up on a mountain in Upstate New York, my playground was the forest. I spent my days roaming along old rock walls with my dogs, gazing up at the sky from secret spots, and writing my poems and stories in the nooks of old oaks. I also used to sing songs to the woods. I still walk in the woods nearly every day alone for hours with my Irish blackthorn walking stick, but listen to the trees sing now.

Hiking with my blackthorn walking stick at The Highlights Foundation!

SM: Hope it’s not a spoiler, but there be unicorns in this book. Why do you think we’re fascinated by mythical creatures and their realms? And what do they mean to you? (Oh, and if you could be a mythical character or creature, what would you choose and why?)

DG: I love mythology! Whether it’s unicorns or Greek mythology, which plays a bit part in my Lightning Road series. I think stories that are grounded in mythology and folklore resonate so much with younger readers because they are ageless. They deal with universal truths that tweens are experiencing themselves in both painful and wonderful ways: conflict, love, loss, and friendship. Kids can totally relate to these topics!

I also think, authors can turn to folklore and mythology to write with diversity in mind. I turn to mythic story structure and archetypes to help shape my characters’ journey. I’m especially drawn to the Hero, the Sage, the Warrior, and the Destroyer. Quest stories with these characters are among my favorites, like with King Arthur and Beowulf but also in modern times, like with Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. I love reading and writing about the archetypal hero on a quest, to follow them through a transformative journey that tests them and witness them re-emerge changed on the other side.

As far as being a mythical creature, I would choose to be a phoenix from Greek folklore. How amazing it would be to obtain new life and arise from the ashes once more!

SM: I often find I learn something about myself or the process of writing when I write. Did Unicorn Island reveal anything new to you about yourself or your work?

DG: Absolutely! It taught me that I can write a story fast when I need to under deadline—and still be immersed in the story and fall in love with the characters. To write it quickly I escaped on retreat for a week to do it. In doing this, I returned to the time when I first fell in love with writing and had no distractions. It brought back that time when I wasn’t part of a greater writing world—I just wanted to be a storyteller. I didn’t know much about craft then, and it was just me and the page. A special place. 😊

SM: Tell us about your journey as a writer. Why did you gravitate toward writing for young readers, and what inspires you now?

DG: I wanted to be a writer ever since I fell in love with the world of Narnia at seven with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. My hero in it was Aslan, and I even got a lion ring to honor him. I think because of this, I mostly turned to writing fantasy. My first short story was about a flying ship, a Dodo bird, and a wizard. I still have all my childhood stories today. But funny enough when it came to writing books, I started out writing thrillers for adults. I had a young voice in my first thriller and my editor at the time told me that I had a wonderful young voice—so I decided to explore this. I took a class on writing a children’s book in seven months, and did just that! This book, Joshua and the Lightning Road, got me my first agent and book deal. I quickly fell back in love with middle grade and that’s where I’ve been ever since! And actually, I’ve applied what I learned to write thrillers for adults to write thrilling adventures for kids.

Me wearing my lion ring as a tribute to Narnia!

SM: I remember so many of the MG books I loved as a kid and the worlds and ideas they opened to me. Is there something special about this age group that appeals to you as a writer? And do you have a favorite MG book or author that you return too for inspiration?

DG: Middle grade readers tend to live life more in the moment than other readers and that appeals to me. It can seem vivid and intense when you experience life this way. I love that kids read to make strong, lasting bonds with characters and stories, which is why series are so popular. I still re-read my favorite childhood books that are on my shelf like the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder (my mom made me a prairie dress outfit!) and Danny The Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. A favorite book I re-read every Christmas is The Children of Green Knowe by L.M Boston. It has all things I love: a castle, ghosts, adventure, medieval flavor. Plus, it appeals to me as the main character is an only child seeking adventure on his own—which was me growing up.

Here I am wearing my Laura Ingalls outfit.

SM: I need to know—will there be more books in the Unicorn Island series?

DG: Yes! The next book, Unicorn Island: Secret Beneath the Sand, comes out digitally in a 5-part serial this May on the Epic! platform with the hardcover compilation to follow in winter 2022. I won’t give anything away, but it’s full of new mysteries, characters, and creatures. It was so fun to write!

SM: Can’t wait to see where your imagination takes us, Donna. Thanks so much for sharing, and good luck to you … and Sam … and the creatures of Unicorn Island!

DG: Thanks for chatting with me about Unicorn Island!

SUMMARY OF UNICORN ISLAND:
Beyond the mist lies a magical secret waiting to be discovered. Unicorn Island is a middle-grade illustrated novel series about a young girl who discovers a mysterious island full of mythical beasts and darker dangers!  When Sam arrives in Foggy Harbor, population 3,230, all she can see is a small, boring town that’s way too far from home. And knowing that she’s stuck there all summer with her grumpy Uncle Mitch only makes things worse. But when Sam discovers a hidden trapdoor leading to a room full of strange artifacts, she realizes Foggy Harbor isn’t as sleepy as it seems. With the help of a new friend, Sam discovers an extraordinary secret beyond the fog: an island of unicorns whose fates are intertwined with hers.

“An accessible and fast-paced magical adventure.” – Kirkus Reviews

“An all-too-human, enchanting middle grade fantasy novel.” – Forward Reviews

“What begins as realistic fiction turns to a fantastical tale of magical rescue. Fans of unicorns and magic in the real world will enjoy this adventure.” – School Library Journal

Book information:
Grade Level: 4 – 6
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (Simon & Schuster)
Available through booksellers here

Donna Galanti is the author of the fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road, which the Midwest Book Review called, “A heart-pounding thrill ride full of unexpected twists and turns from start to finish”. She’s also the author of the follow up, Joshua and the Arrow Realm, and writes the popular Unicorn Island series for Epic, the leading digital platform for kids 12 and under. Donna loves to present as a guest author at schools and teach writers at conferences and through her online courses. Donna has lived in England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Visit her here: Twitter Instagram Facebook donnagalanti.com

 

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Ready to Rumble! with Matt Wallace, Author of BUMP—Plus a Book Giveaway!

By on February 5, 2021   /   Author Interviews  

The middle-grade fanbase for pro wrestling is off the charts, and BUMP takes readers on a thrilling and heartfelt tour of the sport—in and out of the ring. This MG novel tells the tale of 12-year-old MJ, a girl who finds meaning, healing, family, and joy in learning the craft of a “luchadora,” including the all-important BUMP. 

And there can be no more qualified guide than Matt Wallace, a former pro wrestler who also happens to be a screenwriter, podcaster, and Hugo-winning author. (You can check out his website here.) Thanks for joining MUF, Matt!

My pro wrestling fandom dates WAY back to Mad Dog Vachon, Baron von Raschke (the Claw!), The Crusher, et al. How has pro wrestling evolved, and what makes the luchadores tradition unique?

American wrestling has evolved in a lot of ways, but one of the most important, in my opinion, is how it has and is becoming a much more inclusive industry and hobby, for wrestlers and fans. When I was coming up, it was still very much a thing for and performed by straight, largely white guys of a certain physical type. Now we have women wrestling who are as famous as the men at the highest levels, and we’re seeing it open up in a lot of other ways.

There is still a lot of work to do when it comes to that inclusivity, and the problems wrestling has had with that in the past it definitely still has, but it is lightyears ahead of where it was even ten years ago. A lot of that is down to the work of those women and wrestlers of color and LGBT+ wrestlers, often putting on their own shows to be able to showcase their talent and passion.

Lucha is unique in many ways, but one of the most central is how it has been embraced and elevated by and integral to the culture and society to which it belongs. Whereas American pro-wrestling has often been seen as a niche thing, lucha libre is a part of Mexican identity. Luchadores became heroes and celebrities outside of the ring, starring in movies (in their masks, as their wrestling personas) and appearing on TV and in comic books. They became influential in politics. It’s a much more nationally revered form than wrestling is in America.

A reader doesn’t have to know a lot about wrestling to love this book, I’m thinking. It’s so well written with the wrestling scenes clearly described, and the themes are way bigger than the sport. Still, young people especially gravitate to pro wrestling, it seems. Why does it have such a powerful appeal to young fans?

BUMP author Matt Wallace

Speaking for me, when I was a kid I viewed wrestlers as real-life superheroes. They weren’t products of a comic book panel or movie special effects, they were really performing these incredible, even godlike feats of strength and endurance and athleticism, telling these fantastical stories.

When you look at how dominant the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become in entertainment, I think you can draw a straight line between the appeal of that and the appeal of professional wrestling and lucha libre. It’s something in which kids can believe and escape and on which they can project their own desires and dreams of taking charge of their fate and being in control. That’s all powerful stuff when you’re young.

Tell us about your own wrestling career! Were you a hero or a heel? Did you have a signature look and move?

I was almost always a heel, being a very large guy who looked kind of scary. When I started I wore ripped jeans and cut-up t-shirts and called myself The One Man Riot, and then later I was in a tag team called The Legion Knights with a very good friend of mine. We did kind of a holy roller gimmick. He was the evangelist, and I was his enforcer, Deacon Riot. I had a lot of finishes (finishing moves) during my career, but my favorite was the flying head butt off the top rope I stole from one my favorite wrestlers growing up, Bam Bam Bigelow.

The main character, twelve-year-old MJ, learns so much about life by joining the wrestling school. What did being a pro wrestler teach you?

So much. I spent most of my teens in pro-wrestling school, and my twenties in the business, so wrestling really formed the core of who I am. It taught me self-confidence and self-discipline and about belonging to something. That wasn’t always perfect, though. There was plenty of bad behavior and toxic lessons I had to unlearn later in life, too. But that was also part of what wrest

ling taught me. All communities and professions and cultures have dysfunction and toxic thinking, and overcoming that and establishing boundaries and being a positive force in your community is a huge lesson in itself. I take the good with the bad, and I’m grateful for the time I spent in the business.

In my experience, every story has a seed—that moment when an idea comes forward and says, “Write me!” Was there a seed for Bump?

My agent, DongWon Song, was really the person who encouraged me to write a middle-grade novel. I’d never considered trying to write a book for kids before. But I’d written some sample chapters in an effort to get hired for this contract gig writing a middle-grade book based on someone else’s concept/IP, and found I had a good voice for it. At the same time, my agent had also been encouraging me to write more personal fiction, wanting to see more of “me” in my stories. Those two elements really collided to inspire BUMP. If I was going to write a personal story for kids, making it about a kid in wrestling school just made the most sense to me.

Did you need to do a lot of extra research for this book? Or do you just know the history, the moves, and terminology in your bones?

Matt Wallace applying the heel in his very first match!

I’d say 99.9% of it came straight from the hip, and was just me pulling from my own experiences in wrestling school and my knowledge of the business. I did have to think a little bit about how the industry has changed since I was a wrestler, which is creeping up on twenty years ago at this point. Which is where references to things like Lucha Underground came from, which is a type of wrestling show that didn’t exist when I was wrestling. It’s also a big reason I chose to make the protagonist a young girl. I wanted to reinforce, especially for young kids, that women have a prominent place in this business and should pursue it if wrestling is their passion.

MJ is such a great character, complex and admirable with a super arc. Is she based on anyone in particular? Or is she an amalgamation of people you’ve known?

She’s really an amalgamation of my nieces. I have four, all my cousins’ kids, all around MJ’s age or younger. And I think some of me and my wife, Nikki, is mixed in there too.

The experience and working through grief is a main theme in the book. And I’ve come to think of grief as coming in many forms and not just related to the death of loved ones. MJ seems to get a handle on processing her heavy feelings when she starts pursuing her passion. Could you share a bit about that?

I think it’s very much about coping. When you go through something like that, losing someone or something central to who you are, it’s very easy for your everyday life to lose its flavor, and even its meaning. You stopped feeling like the things you do matter. You start to lose the joy you felt before. So when you find something, like MJ does in BUMP, that reignites that spark in you, it helps you reconnect with the life you had before that loss, and helps you get to the other side of your grief. Wrestling helped me deal with a rough period of my childhood and figure out who I am and how to be happy.

One of my fave aspects of the book was the sense of family MJ developed with Papí, Tika, Zina, et al. Was that your experience with the people you performed with during your time as a wrestler? Can you give a specific example from your own life or career?

Oh, absolutely, my wrestling crew became my family, and I still keep up with many of them today through social media, even though most of them live on the east coast and I’m all the way across the country in southern California. One of the other students who started at my pro-wrestling school, the Doghouse, at the same time I did is still wrestling and going strong to this day, and whenever he is (or was, before the pandemic) booked on a show near my town, we reconnect and it’s like no time has passed. Those are the kind of connections you form in the wrestling business.

Thanks SO much, Matt (aka One Man Riot) for taking the time to share your story, and the story behind the story. MG readers are going to love BUMP! To keep up with Matt Wallace, check him out on Twitter and Instagram, as well as his website .

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South Asian Storytelling: Author Interview with Rajani Narasimhan LaRocca, and Giveaway

By on February 3, 2021   /   Articles, Author Interviews, Diversity  

              

Today, I am delighted to welcome Rajani Narasimhan LaRocca to Mixed-Up Files to talk about her experience writing RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE ( Harper Collins, 2021).

  1. Tell us about your latest book, “Red, White, and Whole”. What inspired you to write this book?

Red, White, and Whole is set in 1983 and is about 13-year-old Reha, the child of Indian immigrants, who is torn between the worlds of her parents and immigrant community and her friends at school and 80s pop culture. But then her mother becomes seriously ill, and Reha is torn in a different way. The book involves the interplay between heritage and fitting in, science and poetry, 80s pop music and Hindu mythology. It’s about being caught between here and there, before and after, and finding a way to be whole.

The idea for Red, White, and Whole came to me as a metaphor: blood, and all that it means in terms of biology, heredity, and community bonds. I wanted to explore the immigrant experience from the inside—especially the personally resonant feeling of wondering whether you truly belong anywhere. The title refers to red and white blood cells and whole blood; the connotations of the colors red and white in Indian and American culture; and the colors of the American flag.

  

  1. How does your professional experience as a doctor inform you in your own writing?

Because of my background in science, I love incorporating STEM topics into my writing. My debut picture book, Seven Golden Rings (Lee & Low, 2020), features a math puzzle and an explanation of binary numbers. My second picture book, Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers (Charlesbridge, April 2021), involves very early math—pattern making. Another forthcoming picture book, The Secret Code Inside You (Little Bee Books, September 2021), explains the basics of DNA. And my third middle grade novel, Much Ado About Baseball (Yellow Jacket/Little Bee Books, June 2021), features kids who must solve math puzzles that may or may not be magical.

As I’ve already mentioned, the concept of blood is a major element in Red, White, and Whole. In the story, Reha’s mother is diagnosed with a blood cancer—acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. I did a lot of research into the disease and the treatments available in 1983, and I worked hard to make sure the medical aspects of the book were understandable to non-medical people. But the story doesn’t only explore illness. It also considers the normal functions of blood—to nourish, to heal, to protect—as a metaphor for Reha’s relationship with her mother.

  1. What was your writing process like for this story?

The writing process for this book was different from any of my other novels. I knew the general outline early on. I wanted to write this story in verse because that format, with its layers of imagery, sparse language, and use of metaphor, would allow me to tackle emotional topics without being too heavy-handed. I hoped that leaving more white space on the page would allow more room for readers to process what happens.

I had never written a novel in verse, so I read every verse novel for young readers that I could get my hands on. And in February 2019, I was lucky enough to attend a novel in verse workshop taught by Elizabeth Acevedo at the NY SCBWI conference. She gave the attendees some great tips, and we spent time analyzing excerpts from verse novels and doing a writing exercise. And a line from that exercise made it into the final version of my book!

Red, White, and Whole spent a long time in my head before I really got down to writing it. It became my “Friday night date” when I allowed myself to think about it while I worked on finishing another other novel.

Once I started writing Red, White, and Whole in December 2019, the story poured out of me in about six weeks. I was obsessed: I woke up thinking about it, and got flashes of inspiration in the middle of the night or when I was driving and had to dictate into my phone before the ideas disappeared. I had some topics that I knew would be poems from the beginning, and then I thought of other images and ideas that I wanted to explore, so I made a big list and wrote the poems as inspiration took me. Over time, I went back and put them in an order that made sense and filled in spots as needed. I asked a few trusted readers give me feedback. And then in mid-February 2020, I felt the novel was done and sent it to my agent.

  1. You have written for many different age levels from picture books to middle grade. Is there any age group you have most enjoyed working on the most? If so, why?

I’ve always been an omnivorous reader—even as a kid, I loved novels, nonfiction, comic books, comic strips . . . nearly everything. So it’s no surprise that now I’m an omnivorous writer, writing fiction and nonfiction, novels and picture books, poetry and prose.

I particularly love middle grade because the books I read from those years are the ones that have stayed in my heart. Middle grade readers are at such an important point in their lives: they seek connection with family and friends, strive to make a difference in the world, and care deeply about fairness and justice.

But I also love writing picture books—which are for children, of course, but also for the adults who read to them. And the final product, when a gifted artist illustrates your words, is nothing short of magical.

  1. What has writing this story taught you about yourself?

I knew Red, White and Whole was an ambitious project, and there were times when I was full of doubts. Did I know how to write a story in verse? Was it okay to set the novel in the 1980s? I’d put my heart and soul into this book, but would anyone else be interested in reading it?

But I couldn’t help myself—I had to write this story. And so I persevered through my doubts and allowed myself to be more vulnerable than ever before in my writing. Reha’s story is fictional, but some of the situations and many of the emotions in this book came straight from my own life.

And when I sent this book to my agent and we then sent it to editors, it became clear that this story did resonate with others—even those who don’t share my background or experiences. At its heart, this story is about love and family, friendship and belonging, and feeling pulled in different directions—and these are universal feelings, especially during adolescence.

So what did writing this book teach me? That it’s okay to be ambitious about a project. That I have the right to tell stories that are deeply meaningful to me. That baring my heart on the page can translate so that others feel it, too.

  1. What would you like to say to writers who are reading this interview and wondering if they’re good enough, or if their voices and stories matter?

There are stories that only you—you, with your own experiences, perspective, and skills—can write. So write them. Write them first for yourself, and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Because the more specific and emotionally true a story is, the more universal it can become. And there are people who need your stories, even if they don’t know it yet.

 

Enter the giveaway for a copy of RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE by leaving a comment below.  You may earn extra entries by blogging/tweeting/facebooking the interview and letting us know. The winner will be determined on Monday, February 8th, 2021, and will be contacted via email and asked to provide a mailing address (US/Canada only) to receive the book.

Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning novels and picture books. She’s always been an omnivorous reader, and now she is an omnivorous writer of fiction and nonfiction, novels and picture books, prose and poetry. She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, math, science, and just about everywhere she looks. To connect with Rajani and learn more about her and her books visit her at https://www.rajanilarocca.com/ or Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin

 

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