Posts Tagged Author Interview

Author Spotlight: Jennifer Weiner

By on October 23, 2023   /   Articles  

Today, it is my absolute pleasure to chat with bestselling author Jennifer Weiner–yes, that Jennifer Weiner!–about her latest MG novel, The Bigfoot Queen. The final installment in the “cheerful” (The New York Times Book Review) and “charming” (People) trilogy about friendship, adventure, and celebrating your true self, is out tomorrow, October 24, from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

The Bigfoot Queen: A Summary

Alice Mayfair, Millie Maximus, Jessica Jarvis, and Jeremy Bigelow face their biggest challenge yet when a determined foe threatens to expose the secret, sacred world of the Yare. The fate of the tribe’s right to live peacefully out in the open is at stake. Impossible decisions are made, friendships are threatened, secrets are revealed, and tremendous courage is required. Alice, her friends, and her frenemies will have to work together and be stronger, smarter, and more accepting than ever. But can some betrayals ever be forgiven?

Interview with Jennifer Weiner

MR: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Jennifer! Before we talk about The Bigfoot Queen, I must share that I’m a HUGE fan of your novels. I won’t reveal my favorite—it’s like asking Rose Feller to select her favorite pair of shoes (😀)—but let’s just say… I think you’re fab.

JW: Thank you so much! That’s always nice to hear.

MR: Most, if not all, Mixed-Up Files readers are familiar with your wildly popular novels for adults, many of which have appeared on The New York Times Best Sellers list and have sold millions (and millions!) of copies. With this in mind, what prompted you to switch gears and write MG? I’m guessing your daughters might have had a say in the matter…

JW: Yes, you can give my daughters some of the credit and/or blame for this. But I also was an avid reader as a child, and YA and middle-grade books were some of my favorites. (Shout-out to My Side of the Mountain!) When my younger daughter was six, she was obsessed with a TV show called “Finding Bigfoot.” This led to dinnertime discussions about the titular creatures, and how they’d interact with the human world. Would they want to be online? Make money selling stuff on Etsy? Which parts of the our world would they embrace, and which would they reject? And how would that play out within tribes and families?

Middle Grade: Challenges and Rewards

MR: What’s the biggest challenge for writing for a middle-grade audience? The greatest rewards?

JW: The challenges are remembering that writing for kids means keeping some of the themes (and all of the language) more, um, family-friendly than for an adult audience. The greatest rewards are telling a great story, and having readers along for the ride. And middle-grade readers are that perfect balance of knowledgeable and credulous. They know how the world works, and how people are, but they’re still willing to believe that they could open a closet door and find Narnia.

Millie Maximus: The Littlest Bigfoot

MR: Your MG trilogy, The Littlest Bigfoot, features a character named Millie Maximus, a member of the Bigfoot clan. What inspired you to craft a character like Millie—and to write about the topic of Bigfoot in general? 

JW: I don’t think there is a person alive who’s been through adolescence and can’t remember feeling like a monster. Whether it’s your body or  your personality that seems to put you on the outside–and gets you to believe that nobody’s ever been this freakish, or weird, or big, or little, or just wrong–I think that’s a universal experience.

In writing about Bigfoots, I wanted to explore the idea of monstrousness, especially as it applies to young women who get told, early and often, that their bodies are wrong, unruly–too big, too strong, too fat, too flabby, too hairy, too much–in some way. I wanted to turn some of the human world’s biases on their head, just to show how arbitrary the rules can be.

So, here’s Millie who is tiny and delicate in a world that does not prize those qualities in females, and who wants to be seen in a world that what she should want is to be invisible. And then she meets Alice, who’s big and strong with wild, impossible-to-tame hair, who’s been made to feel those things are wrong, when, to Millie, she’s the epitome of beauty.

Researching Bigfoot

MR: While we’re on the subject of Bigfoot, what kind of research did you do for the trilogy? I’m guessing it was more involved than watching grainy videos of large, hairy creatures running through the forest…

JW: I absolutely read all of the literature–such as it is–about Bigfoots, starting with the Patterson-Gimlin film, and continuing on to FINDING BIGFOOT and WHERE BIGFOOT WALKS…but, really, what I paid more attention to was Greek mythology, and those stories about nonhuman creatures, and how they interacted with mortals.

Cast of Characters

MR: In addition to Millie Maximus, “No-Fur” characters (aka humans) feature prominently in the series, including Alice Mayfair, a half-Bigfoot New Yorker with an unruly mane; Jeremy Bigelow, an amateur Bigfoot hunter; Jessica Jarvis, an ex-bully with a secret tail; and Charlotte Hughes, a hotelkeeper’s granddaughter with a dangerous secret. How did you come up with this incredible cast of characters? Which character stands out most for you, and why?

JW: I loved giving Alice and Millie a tribe of like-minded kids to support them and accompany them on their adventures, and I’ve got a soft spot for all of them: for Jeremy, who feels like he’s an afterthought in his family, because his two brothers are such standouts, and for Jessica, who’s not as shallow and vain as she seems, when we meet her in the first book.

But I especially loved writing about Charlotte. She comes into the trilogy later, and is a little older than the other kids, and she’s got a very different perspective on the world, due, in large part, to her economic circumstances. She’s a working-class kid in a dying town–or, rather, a town that was dying until it was revitalized by a mysterious scientist–and she’s not inclined to want to help the spoiled, rich, big-city girls who come to stay at her grandmother’s bed and breakfast.

It was interesting to look at the characters, and have them look at each other, through various lenses, and to think about different kinds of privilege. There’s the privilege conferred by wealth, and the privilege conferred by thinness and by meeting the current beauty standards–and, of course, the privilege of having loving, supportive parents. But money matters. Even to kids. Maybe especially to kids.

Let Your Freak Flag Fly!

MR: Letting your “freak flag” fly is a central theme in The Littlest Bigfoot trilogy. What is it about being an outsider that resonates so deeply with you? Also, what advice would you give to middle-grade readers who feel as if they don’t fit in? Advice for parents, teachers, or other trusted adults?

JW: I was an extremely weird little kid, and I was much more comfortable with books than other children. Books were my friends…but they also showed me people like me, and let me believe that I’d meet some of them, someday, if I could just make it out of elementary school. You never forget feeling like an outsider or an outcast, so those are the characters that speak to me, and their stories are the ones I want to tell. And I hope that kids who read them come away feeling a little less lonely, like they aren’t the only one who’s ever felt like a freak.

In terms of advice, I think the only thing worse than having been an outcast yourself is when you see it happening with your own children. I don’t know if there’s much parents can do, except to remind their kids that they are loved unconditionally, and that, whatever they are feeling, they won’t feel it forever.

Trilogy: Plot, Outline + “The End”

MR: What’s the secret to writing a successful trilogy, Jennifer? Also, how does it feel to write “The End,” knowing you (most likely) will not be spending time with these amazing characters in the future?

JW: I always imagined the Bigfoot stories as a trilogy, and I knew I had enough story for three books. It was just a matter of plotting everything out, of knowing, broadly, what each book would be about, and what ground it would cover. I had a big outline for the entire project, then specific outlines for each book…and I always knew how the story would end. Which isn’t always true with my adult books, but was absolutely true here. Saying goodbye was definitely bittersweet. I’m going to miss Alice and Millie and Jeremy a lot. (To order The Littlest Bigfoot boxed-set collection click here.)

MR: The film rights to The Littlest Bigfoot were sold to Fox 2000 in 2016. Any updates on when fans might be able to see Millie, and Alice, and Jeremy, and Jessica, and Charlotte on the silver screen?

JW: Sadly, no. As I’m writing this, the writer’s strike is just coming to an end. I think it will take a while before I know whether that project will move forward. But, honestly, I’m just so proud to have all three books out in the world, and to have kids using their imagination to bring the world to life.

MR: You are incredibly prolific writer, Jennifer. How do you continue to come up with so many original ideas for your novels, short stories, and works of non-fiction? Is there a secret sauce you can share with Mixed-Up Files readers?

JW: I think spending close to a decade as a newspaper reporter helped a lot. You get used to writing, on deadline, every day, and coming up with lots of ideas for stories. It teaches you to pay attention to the world. That seems to have worked for me.

Writing Rituals

MR: What does your writing routine look like? Do you have any particular rituals?

JW: I treat writing like a job, and I’m at my desk Monday through Friday, for at least four hours. I try to exercise first thing in the morning – it helps focus my mind, and helps me sit still. I walk my dog and do word games with my husband. Then I go for a slow run, or a bike ride, or a barre class. Then I come home, and I’m generally at my desk from 10 or 11 in the morning to 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

I don’t really have any rituals. Again, I give my past as a journalist credit. When you get used to writing in a newsroom, where it’s noisy, and there are always people talking, and police scanners going off and television sets turned on, you learn to focus, no matter where you are or what else is happening. I’ve got a tiny home office that used to be part of my closet, and I write there most of the time. But I’ve written in coffee shops, and on airplanes, and in hotel rooms, and in my minivan while waiting for my kids to finish at school or rehearsal.

MR: What are you working on now, Jennifer? 

JW: Another sister story, about two girls who were in a band, and how the band’s success and eventual breakup affected both of their lives.

Lightning Round!

MR: And finally, no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Coconut-flavored rice crackers

Coffee or tea? Iced coffee

Bigfoot: Fact or fiction? Fact!

Superpower? Parallel parking

Best piece of writing advice? You can’t be a writer without being a reader.

Favorite place on earth? In my bed, with my dog curled up on a pillow by my head, and a great book.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be? My Kindle, my Kindle charger, and a generator to keep my Kindle charged.

MR: Thank you for chatting with us, Jennifer. The Littlest Bigfoot trilogy was a pleasure to read, and I’m sure MUF readers will agree!

Bio:

Jennifer Weiner, whose books have spent more than five years on the New York Times Best Seller list, with over 11 million copies in print in 36 countries, is the author of the novels Good in Bed (2001); In Her Shoes (2002), Little Earthquakes (2004); Goodnight Nobody (2005); the short story collection The Guy Not Taken (2006); Certain Girls (2008); Best Friends Forever (2009); Fly Away Home (2010); Then Came You (2011); The Next Best Thing (2012); All Fall Down (2014); Who Do You Love (2015); Mrs. Everything (2019); Big Summer (2020); That Summer (2021); The Summer Place (2022), and The Breakaway (2023).

She is also the author of three middle-grade novels, The Littlest Bigfoot (2016), Little Bigfoot, Big City (2017), and The Bigfoot Queen (2023), as well as the nonfiction collection Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing (2016).

Jennifer has appeared on many national television programs, including The Today Show and Good Morning America. Her essays, including “Mean Girls in the Retirement Home” and “First, I Cried; Then, I Rode My Bike,” have appeared in newspapers and media outlets across the world. Jennifer’s work has been published in dozens of newspapers and magazines, including Seventeen, Redbook, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Allure, Ladies’ Home Journal, Time and Good Housekeeping. Learn more about Jennifer on her website and follow her on Instagram.

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Author Interview: Elizabeth C. Bunce – Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity

By on October 16, 2023   /   Author Interviews  

Elizabeth C Bunce photoWe’re excited to have Elizabeth C. Bunce on here today to talk about her new release. Let’s start with learning a bit more about you, Elizabeth, and then we’ll talk about Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity.

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

Absolutely! I knew I wanted to be an author from the time I was fairly young—and here I am. (We maybe won’t talk about how I also pictured myself surrounded by cats. Ahem.) But dreams don’t just “come true.” You have to make them happen. I read, studied, practiced, found other writers, and learned everything I could about how to become an author. And I wrote.

Elizabeth 5th grade

Elizabeth 5th grade

What advice would you give to your eight-year-old self?

Don’t be ashamed of the things you love, even if no one else understands why you like them. Collect those rocks! Plaster your room with posters of hippopotamuses! Read mysteries! Learn to knit! Don’t let anyone tell you rocks and hippopotamuses and mysteries and knitting aren’t cool, because they totally are. And you know it.

Did you love to read as a child? Can you tell us some favorite books?

Wow, this interview could go on forever! I absolutely devoured not just books but words. I was the kid who read cereal boxes. The Bookmobile stopped about half a mile from our house, and we would trek down there every week, and trek back home with armloads of books: the Betsy-Tacy books by Maude Hart Lovelace, Ruth Chew’s terrifically spooky stories, The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and every Trixie Belden book I could get my hands on. I loved everything spooky and mysterious and historical from a very early age—which explains the things I love to write.

Have you had any careers besides writing?

I have had a variety of different writing jobs, but I’ve spent my entire career working with words. I’ve been a technical writer, worked at magazines, wrote corporate employment manuals (nobody says, “I want to write employee handbooks when I grow up!” and there is a reason for that…). Writing is a skill you can use in any career path, from education, to science, to the law.

Why do you write?

I live with a population of imaginary people in my head clamoring for attention. When I was a kid, I thought I was supposed to grow out of my imaginary friends. I never did. Now they get to be your imaginary friends, and it’s fabulous!

What do you drink while writing?

Coffee. So. Much. Coffee.

Do you have any special things around your desk that inspire you when you write?

Oh, you mean besides the cats? Yes, I’m always surrounded by props that work as touchstones for my stories—I actually give writing workshops on this topic. Right now I can reach out and touch several items for my current project: a large brass key, a miniature silk bonnet, a rock with clawmarks on it… Writing books is such an ethereal endeavor that it really helps me to have real, physical objects to handle as I’m working.

Do you have a regular writing schedule?

I do, but “regular” depends on the book and my current deadlines. I have written many books very late at night, but my current project seems to like the mid-afternoons—and one of the Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries surprised me utterly by catching me at work first thing in the morning! (Which literally never happens. With anything.) When I’m on deadline, either drafting or revision, I typically work in two or three big chunks of time every day—even on weekends—punctuated by breaks for the rest of my life: chores, errands, working out, Making.

Just a note about Making. If you’re wondering what it is, check out her website here to read more about it. Elizabeth, we’re kindred spirits when it comes to Making. I love everything you’ve mentioned and have tried almost everything you mentioned. Readers, feel free to share what you like making in the comments. We’d love to know.

Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity book coverAnd now that we know more about Elizabeth, let’s find out about more about her book, Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity.

What inspired you to create this story?

Like all my stories, Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity is a culmination of several things that had been brewing in the back of my mind for a while. One was the idea of exploring a new side of Miss Judson’s heritage—her Scottish ancestry. Another was playing with a new mystery “trope” for Myrtle & Co: where the sleuth unexpectedly inherits a big legacy, along with a murder mystery. And another was the nudge from my subconscious to get back to writing ghost stories, after several books with absolutely no paranormal elements. When I remembered that in the Victorian era, ghost hunting was a burgeoning science, I knew how I could work a haunting into Myrtle’s decidedly unghostly world!

Can you share how you plot your mysteries?

Funny you should ask that now, on this book—which was done completely differently from every other Myrtle Hardcastle book! First, mysteries are really two stories intertwined into one narrative: the tale of the crime itself and how that was committed, plus the story of the investigation, the scenes you see on the page, of the sleuth figuring everything out. Typically I am a devoted participant in NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month. The schedule for the Myrtle books has meant that November is the perfect time to start drafting the new book, so I would get to work figuring out Whodunit: who dies, why, and how. I’d get to the end of the month, look at my glorious heap of words, and triumphantly think, “I’ve done it! I’ve written the story!”

…And then wake up on December 1, and realize: No, I’d only written the backstory. I still have to sit down to the hard work of deciding what clues I’ll need and the scenes that show Myrtle & C0 solving the crime.

However. The schedule for Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity was a little bit different, and somehow instead of spending that initial month working out the who-what-where-why of the murder, I simply launched myself headlong into the book itself, finding the clues and figuring out the story along with Myrtle! Instead of planting clues whose meaning I already understood, I flung interesting and mysterious things into my path and figured out what they meant as I learned more about the story. It was certainly interesting to approach the story from a different direction—and having done it both ways now, I can confidently say: I don’t really like either method. Ha!

Did you base Myrtle on anyone you know?

*Looks around self-consciously*  No comment. Ahem.

In fact, Myrtle is me, when I was in eighth grade and my homeroom teacher called me argumentative and antisocial. I was a nerdy kid with somewhat “morbid” interests, and prone to speak up when I didn’t agree with what I was being told. That’s how I wound up as the lead prosecutor in Mock Trial! It’s been a real joy revisiting the girl I was and giving her worthy adventures Young Elizabeth would have loved (and a more understanding teacher!).

Have you had any experiences like those Myrtle does?

Well, thankfully, I have never found myself embroiled in a murder case! (Although, troublingly, that has happened to a few young people I know in real life.) But many of the things she feels are certainly based on my own experiences facing similar challenges: not fitting in with her peers; knowing full well who she is and what she wants from life even if it doesn’t fit the mold the world has planned for her; embracing her true self; standing up for herself and what’s important to her.

Do you have any advice for readers on how to face similar situations to what Myrtle faces in this book?

Don’t give up. Keep asking questions. If the first person you ask can’t help you, find someone else. When you know in your heart something is important, you have to keep going!

What is your favorite part of the book?

The dogs! We are a cat family now, but for many years we had dogs. So. Many. Dogs: a big, crazy family of coonhounds we raised from birth after finding their mama as a (pregnant!) stray.  The zany pack of foxhounds Myrtle encounters at Rockfforde Hall is based on them. People have always asked me when I was going to write about “The Buncehounds,” but it took just the right story for them to make an appearance. All of the animals in Myrtle’s stories are based on my real-life animal acquaintances, so letting her experience the wild life of being surrounded by loud, lovable scenthounds was definitely special!

What do you hope readers will take away from the story?

I’d love to see them curious about Scotland, the Scots language, and Scottish history and culture. And I hope they find it a crackin’ ghost story, tae boot!

Please tell us about your other books.

Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity is the fifth (!) volume in the Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries, which take Myrtle all over the UK, solving all sorts of nefarious crimes. I’ve also written several YA historical fantasies, including the fairytale retelling A Curse Dark as Gold, which also has a spooky, ghostly setting.

Can you share what you’re working on now?

Nope! It’s super-duper top secret, but it’s very exciting, and I hope to have news by year’s end.

Wow! How exciting! Can’t wait to hear more about it.

Thanks ever so much for agreeing to the interview, Elizabeth! I know our young readers, as well as teachers and librarians will enjoy learning more about you and Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity! And we look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

About Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity

In the fifth book of the Edgar Award-winning series, Myrtle Hardcastle uncovers a string of murders during a treasure hunt on a haunted Scottish estate.

When her governess inherits an estate on a Scottish island, amateur detective Myrtle Hardcastle couldn’t be more excited. Unfortunately, the ancestral castle is both run-down and haunted. Ghostly moans echo in the walls, and there are rumors of a cursed treasure lost on the island—an ancient silver brooch that may have cost the former lord his life. But who had the motive, means, and opportunity to kill him? And could this Scottish trip mean the end of Myrtle’s plans to get her father and governess together?

Then Myrtle’s investigation stirs a villain out of hiding. The estate’s boat is stolen, so there’s no escape from the island. Myrtle is forced to play a deadly game, hunting for the brooch with a thief breathing down her neck—someone who will stop at nothing to get the treasure, even if it means murder.

About the Author

Elizabeth C. Bunce is the Edgar Award-winning author of the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series, beginning with Premeditated Myrtle, an Amazon Top 20 Children’s Book of the Year for 2020, an Indie Next Pick, winner of the 2021 Edgar Allan Poe “Edgar” Award, a Society of Midland Authors Honoree, a Library of Congress National Book Festival selection, a Best Children’s/YAA BookPage Best Book of 2020, A Mighty Girl’s 2020 Books of the Year, a two-time Edgar Award finalist, a three-time Anthony Award finalist, and a three-time Agatha Award finalist. The series continues in How to Get Away with Myrtle (a #1 Amazon New Release) and Cold-Blooded Myrtle, also an Edgar Award finalist, Agatha Award finalist, and Anthony Award finalist, as well as a Kirkus 2021 Top 10 Best Book of the Year–Middle Grade Fiction, a Silver Falchion Award finalist, and a Wall Street Journal holiday guide recommendation. The fourth book, In Myrtle Peril, is a 2023 Anthony Award finalist and 2023 Agatha Award finalist, and all four are available now in all formats with the fifth installment, Myrtle, Means, & Opportunity, coming in 2023.

Her first novel, A Curse Dark as Gold, won the inaugural William C. Morris Award for a young adult debut novel and was named a Smithsonian Notable Book and an Amelia Bloomer Project selection. Her high fantasy Thief Errant series includes the novels StarCrossed, A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best book for 2010, and Liar’s Moon, one of Kirkus Blog’s Favorite YA Novels of 2011. StarCrossed and A Curse Dark as Gold have appeared on Oprah’s Kid’s Reading List. Her novels have been named to the ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list, and she is a four-time Kansas Notable Book winner. An accomplished needlewoman and historical costumer, Elizabeth lives in the Midwest with her husband, her cats, and a boggart who steals books.

Check out her website at elizabethcbunce.com.

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Cover reveal! Lisa Schmid’s HART & SOULS

By on October 13, 2023   /   Articles  

A special treat today: A COVER REVEAL Hart & Souls, written by my friend and fellow Mixed-Up Files contributor, Lisa Schmid! Out 7/23/24!

Now, before we reveal the cover…

Hart & Souls: A summary

After getting bullied at Figueroa Elementary, Stix Hart wants nothing more than to be invisible as he starts middle school. He’s heard all the horror stories, but none involved ghosts.

On Stix’s first day of sixth grade, his anxiety is off the charts. It doesn’t help when he encounters an older kid who reminds him of his old nemesis, Xander Mack. Soon after, he encounters two other students who take a keen interest in him. He quickly learns the spooky truth—the trio are ghosts in need of a solid. They are stuck in middle school and cannot move on until they resolve their unfinished business. It’s up to Stix to figure out how to help these not-so-normal new friends. To succeed, he must use his unique abilities: drumming talent, a big heart, and anxiety to sort out this paranormal predicament.

COVER REVEAL!

(Isn’t it a beauty?)

Interview with Lisa Schmid

MR: Congrats on the upcoming publication of your spooky MG, Hart & Souls (7/23/24)! I’m honored to host your cover reveal—especially on Friday the 13th 🙂

LS: Thank you so much! I am giddy to share my new cover with the world. I’m especially delighted that you signed up for hosting duties. I feel like we’ve been on this author’s journey together and have so much in common—one might even say we are soul sisters.

 MR: Ooh, I LOVE that! Now, tell me: What was the inspiration behind Hart & Souls? 

LS: The idea for Hart & Souls came to me after encountering the local “school bully” at Target. He was on the phone at the front of the store, frightened and crying. After eavesdropping, I learned no one had picked him up from school, and he didn’t know where else to go. It was heartbreaking. I kept an eye on him until his dad arrived, but it got me thinking. An important lesson I’ve always taught my son is that when somebody is unkind, it usually means they’re fighting a battle we know nothing about.

At that moment, I knew I had my next book. By the time I finished shopping, the title HART & SOULS was swirling around my brain. While sitting in the parking lot, I figured out how the story would begin and end. I’ve never veered off course—I knew I had something special. I actually recreated the Target scene in my book through the eyes of Stix. It still makes me tear up when I read the chapter.

MR: How long did it take you to write the novel, Lisa?

LS: It took me about a year and a half to write. I am a card-carrying Pantser, so I work out the details as I go. Unfortunately, I always get stuck when I reach the “mushy” middle. Sometimes, I need to let things percolate before moving forward. I hit a couple of bumps in the road, but in the end, much like my lost souls, I found my way home.

About the Artist

MR: Since this is a cover reveal (!!!), I’d love to know more about your gorgeous cover—and about the artist, Carolina Vázquez.

LS: I am so in love with this cover! Carolina totally captured the heart and soul of this story. The expression on Stix’s face makes me giggle—it personifies his state of mind to a tee. And the three ghosts are just as I had imagined them to be. I want to hug each one and let them know everything will be all right.

I am also obsessed with the details that make it so extraordinary. Little nuances like the talent show flier on a backpack, and my favorite: the ghost’s individual auras reflecting off Stix. It makes my heart sing!

HART & SOULS is Carolina’s debut middle grade cover, and I think she knocked it out of the park.

Fun fact: her debut picture book cover, TANGO RED RIDING HOOD, was written by a local author, Rachel S. Hobbs. I recently connected the dots and will attend Rachel’s book signing next week.

What a small world—A fabulous illustrator from Argentina ends up working with a pair of California girls on her first two books.

I can hardly wait to take a picture of us together and share it with Carolina.

MR: What was the process like in choosing the cover? I know it’s different for every writer, and every artist.

LS: I am so lucky that my AMAZING agent, Leslie Zampetti, found the perfect home for my little ghost story. Andrews McMeel Kids is a fantastic publisher that encourages a collaborative experience. My wonderful editor, Hannah Dussold, and I threw out a couple of ideas for Carolina, and she came back with this gorgeous cover.

There were, of course, minor tweaks and changes, but overall, Carolina nailed it. I am so grateful for her patience and creativity. And the good news . . . she’s creating thirty interior illustrations, so you will be seeing a lot more of her art!

MR: Congrats again, Lisa, on Hart & Souls. I can’t wait to read it. And I encourage Mixed-Up Files readers to pre-order it!

LS: Thanks so much. And thank you to everybody for pre-ordering my book. I truly hope you enjoy my ghost story. I loved writing it for you.

Author bio

Lisa Schmid is an author and co-host of the podcast Writers With Wrinkles. When she’s not scaring up ghostly adventures, she’s most likely visiting schools to talk about writing and books. She lives in Northern California with her husband, son, two dogs, and one very sneaky hamster. Learn more about Lisa on her website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Artist bio

Carolina Vázquez was born in 2000 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was endlessly inspired by books and animation from an early age and started taking drawing classes when she was thirteen. She graduated from Palermo University with a degree in Illustration Design in 2021. Since then, she has been working on children’s illustration projects such as picture books, magazines and board games. Learn more about Carolina on her website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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