Today we’re thrilled to host Kitty Felde’s cover reveal for her upcoming debut novel, WELCOME TO WASHINGTON, FINA MENDOZA. (Black Rose Writing)
Here’s Kitty to tell us about her book:
WELCOME TO WASHINGTON, FINA MENDOZA grew out of more than half a dozen years covering Congress for Southern California Public Radio. I took all those stories about life in Washington and turned them into my first middle-grade mystery.
It paints members of Congress as real people with real families, as well as petty party differences, a sense of formality from another century, and even dogs who wander the hallways as if they were the ones elected last November. These were all the stories I used to tell at dinner parties to try to explain DC to folks outside the beltway. My hope is that this middle-grade mystery will help explain how Congress works – and these days doesn’t seem to work – as it tackles the nation’s problems.
I also wanted to create a book where the characters are from Southern California – a rarity in middle-grade fiction. Fina sees DC through that West Coast lens, noting the oddities of Capitol Hill and missing her life back in Los Angeles.
Fina was inspired by the young woman I mentored for many years: smart, fearless, but a little bit shy. My real-life Fina even lent her name for the character.
What’s the story about?
Legend has it that whoever sees the Demond Cat of Capitol Hill is cursed.
And now, Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman, has seen this cat. Which might explain the string of disasters in her life, including exploding jars of spaghetti sauce and he beloved Abuelita breaking her leg. The only way for Fina to save her family from future “cat”astrophes is to solve the mystery of the Demon Cat of Capitol Hill.
And now that your appetite is whetted, ta-da…….Here’s the cover!
Illustrator: Imelda Hinojosa
More from Kitty:
I had the happy opportunity to work with the perfect illustrator. Imelda Hinojosa, another Southern California girl. She captured the Fina of my imagination. She also captured the menace and capriciousness of the Demon Cat. I love how she positioned the cat swiping at the U.S. Capitol with its paw. I also think she’s created the perfect Senator Something, the orange furry goofball of a dog who becomes Fina’s first friend in DC. Imelda “got” this book – its heart and humor, but also the basic plot.
About Author Kitty Felde:
Public radio veteran Kitty Felde hosts the award-winning Book Club for Kids podcast – named one of the top 10 kidcasts in the world by “The Times of London.” She also writes plays that are performed worldwide. She fell in love with literature for young readers when she was a young reader herself, working at her local public library. Kitty looked for the Demon Cat while covering Congress for public radio. She found the paw prints, but not the cat.
You can find out more about Kitty here:
WELCOME TO WASHINGTON, FINA MENDOZA is available February 28, published by Black Rose Writing.
We’re thrilled that we could host Kitty’s cover reveal and wish her the best of luck with WELCOME TO WASHINGTON, FINA MENDOZA. Even better–we get to offer one lucky winner a free copy of an ARC to this fun book. Enter our RaffleCopter below — and good luck!
Mixed-Up Files Does Cover Reveals
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