Posts Tagged middle grade books

WNDMG Wednesday – Author Interview with Doan Phuong Nguyen

By on May 10, 2023   /   Articles, WNDMG  
We Need Diverse MG Logo hands holding reading globe with stars and spirals floating around

Illustration by: Aixa Perez-Prado

Interview with Doan Phuong Nguyen

on her middle grade debut, Mèo and Bé

I was so excited to interview the author of middle grade novel, Mèo and Bé, releasing on May 25, 2023. One look at the description and I was hooked. This book is sure to become a childhood favorite that will live in hearts for years to come. Read my interview with Doan Phuong Nguyen to learn more about this beautiful and gripping story and the woman who wrote it.

Author Doan Phuong in blue princess dress and crownBook cover girl and cat under a tree

Let’s Talk Inspiration

Ines: Doan Phuong, the description of this story alone tells me that readers will be in for an emotional ride, one that will tug at all the heartstrings. Can you tell us how the inspiration for this story came to you?

Doan Phuong: Mèo and Bé is definitely an emotional ride and it definitely tugs at my own heartstrings. It was hard writing such difficult scenes because I wanted to protect Bé from the horrors of war, but alas, she had to go through the hard scenes to find a happy, hopeful ending! There were so many tears as I wrote this, and I hope readers will feel the same.

This novel was inspired by my adopted aunt’s childhood. She was abused and mistreated by her stepmother as a young child, and also abandoned by her biological mom. Fortunately, she was able to find a happy family when my paternal grandmother adopted her. But the seed of my aunt’s painful childhood tugged at me, and I knew there had to be a story in there. As I started writing, my aunt’s story became greatly fictionalized, but the emotion of being left behind was still there. My father and my Vietnamese grandparents (when they were still alive) have told me many stories of life during the Vietnam War, and I wanted to write a novel that told a mostly unwritten perspective from the war – of what regular life might have looked like for some people, and some of the horrors that children may have experienced during the war.

Many of the settings in this novel—from Bé’s home to the city where she ends—are based on my own family history, my grandparents’ home, and the city where I grew up in Vietnam. I hope all of these elements will make this novel feel more real to my readers.

What Conversations Do You Hope to Spark?

Ines: One of the first thoughts that came to my mind while reading the description for Mèo and Bé is how I could see this beautiful story as a classroom read. Can middle-grade students expect school visits from you? What conversations are you hoping your historical fiction will spark?

Doan Phuong: I would absolutely love to be read in classrooms everywhere. Mèo and Bé is a novel that speaks to the atrocities of war, but also one of hope. When students learn about the Vietnam War in schools, we don’t hear very much about what life was like during the war, the fear of the unknown, the worry that the fighting could destroy your village and the worry that your life could be in danger.

At school visits, I’d love to speak about the Vietnam War, but I would also love to introduce more about Vietnamese culture and the country itself, what it was like growing up, what it’s like visiting today.

In my novel, I share a few Vietnamese folktales in the narrative (such as The Legend of Mai An Tiêm—how watermelons came to Vietnam, and the story of Chú Cuội, the man on the moon). I’d love to share more of these fairy tales to school audiences because they are so unique and not often known outside of the Vietnamese community.

I also have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I would love to inspire children to write their own stories one day. When I was in school, I loved when authors visited. They inspired me so much to be an author one day, and I hope I can inspire children to reach for their dreams.

Furry Friends Are The Best Friends

Ines: Mèo is a powerful character. A real support animal if ever there was one. Was Mèo’s character always a part of the story, or did he develop as the story unfolded in your drafts?

Doan Phuong: Mèo’s evolution has been so interesting! In the early drafts, Mèo was such a tiny part of the story. He was there, but not that big of a character. Some critique partners wanted me to kill him because it wasn’t realistic that he’d survive through some of the events of the book, but then my literary agent thought he should be a larger part of the narrative. (He doesn’t die—don’t worry!) So, I revised the novel and Mèo became this sweet support animal/best friend to Bé, who supported her and helped her throughout the novel. He is a big part of how Bé survives and finds a hopeful ending! My editor asked me to revise the novel further, and we also get to meet Mèo’s siblings and his mother at the beginning of the novel.

This novel discusses a lot of hard, difficult topics that aren’t middle-grade friendly (such as sex slavery, domestic abuse, parental abandonment), but I didn’t want it to be a YA. When I was rejected in the past, some of the critiques were that this wasn’t a children’s novel. However, my editor and I worked very hard to make this novel very child-friendly, and I think Mèo is one of the reasons that it has succeeded in becoming an upper middle grade book. The tough, violent scenes also happen off screen, and we worked hard to soften the narrative to make it more palpable to younger audiences. However, because of the topics that are touched upon, this novel is best suited for ages 11 and up.

We Love Tropes

Ines: A quick Google search tells us that the found family trope is very popular in books for teens and older readers, but making familial bonds with friends at the middle-grade level is equally as important, if not more. According to the Yale-New Haven Teacher’s Institute, “[middle school students] are just beginning to be able to see themselves from an outside perspective. Making community connections are critical at this age.” Was it always your intention to incorporate this concept into the story? Or, did the found family aspect develop as you realized it was something that Bé needed?

Doan Phuong: I have always loved the idea of found family. For me personally, when my family immigrated to America from Vietnam, I lost my extended family members (my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins all stayed behind) and these family members had been so important to me in my earlier childhood years. However, in America, we were able to find family friends who bridged this gap. I was fortunate enough to have two American grandmothers and uncle (who had started as family friends, but our love for one another grew so they became my extended family.) So this idea of found family is very personal to me.

In this novel, Bé loses her biological family, but she gains an assortment of found family members. The women in the underground bunker, where she’s kept after she’s sold, protect her and become a village of loving mother and auntie figures. She also gains a new sister, and later a new adoptive mother.

To me, I wanted my readers to know that you can find found family anywhere. You just have to look and love people.

Tell Us Your Favorites

Ines: I truly believe this story will live in readers’ hearts long after they close the back cover. Are there any books or authors that left you feeling that way, effectually inspiring this gripping story of your own?

Doan Phuong: Thank you! I hope so too! I love so many amazing middle grade novelists. I love Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming (2014). That was the first novel that I read that was based on real events, and it inspired me to use my own family history for future novels. I also loved Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again (2011), which touches on events in Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Thanhha Lai’s work inspired me to write my own Vietnamese stories.

About Mèo and Bé

Eleven-year-old Bé hasn’t spoken a word since her mother left. She hangs on to the hope that one day they will be reunited, but after two years of waiting, it’s becoming more difficult. Her father–who is now frail and helpless after a stroke–can do little to protect her from her stepmother, Big Mother, who treats Bé like an animal and a servant. Thankfully, Bé has a secret friend, her little kitten Mèo, to comfort her in the worst of times. Maybe if she just steers clear of Big Mother and is obedient, everything will be okay.

Unfortunately, Big Mother has other plans. She accuses her of stealing, and Bé is drugged and sold. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a locked underground bunker being held captive with a group of young women. Bé is too young to understand why they’re prisoners, but at least she still has Mèo! He was hiding in her shirt when she was taken. As weeks pass, Bé makes a friend her own age, Ngân, even without speaking, and Mèo becomes a solace for the women–being available for cuddles and catching the mice that annoy them.

Suddenly, a violent uprising enables the imprisoned women and girls to escape, only to realize the wider world of war is just as dangerous. Can Bé and Mèo, and their newfound friend, Ngân, find their way to a safe place they can call home–even though the world is literally exploding all around them?

Pre-Order Links:

Lee and Low, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Indiebound, Mainstreet Books, Parnassus Books

More About Doan Phuong Nguyen

Doan Phuong in blue dress seated in grassy field

 

Doan Phuong Nguyen was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States when she was in elementary school. After growing up in the South, she settled in the Midwest. Doan Phuong loves anything pink and cute but enjoys writing incredibly sad, emotionally evocative novels. She received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. This is her first middle grade novel. Find her at doanphuong.com and on Instagram and TikTok @doanphuongwrites. Visit her website doanphuong.com.

 

((If you enjoyed this interview with Doan Phuong, you’ll love this interview of author K. Ibura.))

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Agent Spotlight: Molly Ker Hawn of The Bent Agency

By on April 28, 2023   /   Editor / Agent Spotlight, For Writers  

Molly Ker Hawn, Managing Director and Literary Agent at The Bent Agency

Hi, everyone! I’m so excited to welcome Molly Ker Hawn of The Bent Agency to our Agent Spotlight here on The Mixed Up Files. Molly leads the London office of TBA and works with authors from all over the world — including Angie Thomas, Hilary McKay, Dhonielle Clayton, Casey Lyall, Stephanie Burgis, Meera Trehan, and many more—selling directly to publishers in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. I’m also lucky enough to call her my agent, and she graciously agreed to answer some questions about querying, author-agent relationships and the publishing world today. Thank you, Molly!

MD: Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to the podcast The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing, where each episode begins with the agents critiquing query letters listeners have sent in for feedback. What are you looking for in a query letter? Other than NOT addressing you as “Dear Sir” or “Dear Agent”, how important is the personalization part of the query letter for you? 

MKH: I know writers really agonize over query letters, so I’m pretty forgiving when I’m reading them. A hook-y pitch is most important to me, and maybe a line or two of bio. It doesn’t have to be long. You don’t have to convince me that you’re interesting; I’m trying to evaluate your book, not you. Personalization is less important  – I don’t need to be flattered or to be convinced that I’m The One. If there’s a particular reason they’re querying me, then I’m glad to hear it, and it’s always nice to hear that someone enjoyed a book I represented (and why), but there’s no need to scrabble around for a connection that isn’t genuinely there. 

MD: My query to you was the old fashioned way: a cold query with no connections. What percentage of your clients would you say have come to you that way?

MKH: That’s such a good question! I think a lot of people assume that you need an ‘in’ to find representation, but most of my clients have come to me via out-of-the-blue queries. There is nothing – nothing – like the feeling of reading a submission from someone I’ve never heard of and feeling that zing of recognition that they’ve written something special.

MD: Something that’s not often talked about is that sometimes a writer’s first agent is not their forever agent. My understanding is that before querying a new agent one must no longer be with a previous agent. What other etiquette is important to know when looking for a new agent? How should the author handle putting information about it in a query letter? Have your clients who’ve previously had other agents come to you through recommendations or through the slush pile?

MKH: I think most agents would agree that it’s bad form to approach a new agent before you’ve parted ways with your current one. I personally am uncomfortable with it. Once you’ve formally terminated your agreement, you can say in your query that you were previously represented by [name] — you might as well say who your old agent was, because potential agents are likely to ferret that out anyway via Publishers Marketplace or Twitter or some other online source. The important thing that agents will want to know is whether your current project has been submitted to publishers by your former agent.

In the last couple of years I’ve started working with a few writers who’ve had previous representation, but not even all of those came with a personal referral. It’s lovely when they do, because a recommendation from a current client is the kind of praise I value most. It’s not at all necessary, though.

MD: In the UK, it’s uncommon to see middle grade novels in hardcover. In the US recently there was a lot of brouhaha on social media about Barnes & Noble no longer stocking a majority of hardcover middle grade novels. Have you seen this hurting newer North American MG releases? Have you seen this changing how publishers are buying middle grade novels—and going about their sales and marketing of them?

MKH: I know that many children’s writers saw B&N’s shift to stocking fewer hardcovers as a targeted attack on MG, but we’ve been watching their overall buying practices change for a while now. And when you look specifically at MG, B&N has reported returning about 80% of the hardcovers they bought in from publishers. You don’t need an MBA to see that the status quo wasn’t sustainable. 

I’m starting to see more publishers plan to release new MG simultaneously in hardcover and paperback – that’s an interesting solution. A lot of libraries will be happy to keep buying the hardcovers, and the retailers can have the editions that they think they can sell. I don’t love the effect this has on advances and royalty earnings, of course – a paperback sale earns less than a hardcover sale. But I want there to continue to be a wide range of children’s books published for a diverse audience, and some experimentation is going to be necessary to make that happen.

MD: What are you loving about being a children’s book agent these days?

MKH: The same things I’ve loved since I started: the thrill of discovery, the sense of satisfaction I get from helping books I care about find an audience, the camaraderie of the children’s book industry, the satisfaction of effectively advocating for authors and making them as much money as I can. And I love working with my team at TBA. We have such a good time, and we’re constantly learning from each other. I’m very lucky.

MD: Where can people find out about what kind of projects you’re looking for and how to query you?

MKH: I’ve got detailed information here and I keep it up to date. I read all my queries myself and respond to all of them, as long as spam filters don’t get in the way.  

Thank you again to Molly for this fabulous interview!

 

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Author Spotlight: Heather Murphy Capps + a GIVEAWAY

By on April 10, 2023   /   Author Interviews  

Today, I’m bubbling over with excitement to chat with Mixed-Up Files contributor Heather Murphy Capps about her middle-grade debut, Indigo & Ida. Hailed by Kirkus as “… A satisfying story that demonstrates how the past can shed light on the present,” and by author Chad Lucas as “brimming with passion on every page,” the novel–which earned a star from Booklist–is out now from Carolrhoda Books/Lerner. Want a chance to win a copy? Details below! 👇

But first…

A Summary of Indigo & Ida

When eighth grader and aspiring journalist Indigo breaks an important story, exposing an unfair school policy, she’s suddenly popular for the first time. 

The friends who’ve recently drifted away from her want to hang out again. Then Indigo notices that the school’s disciplinary policies seem to be enforced especially harshly with students of color, like her. She wants to keep investigating, but her friends insist she’s imagining things.

Meanwhile, Indigo stumbles upon a book by Black journalist and activist Ida B. Wells―with private letters written by Ida tucked inside. As she reads about Ida’s lifelong battle against racism, Indigo realizes she must choose between keeping quiet and fighting for justice.

Interview with Heather Murphy Capps

MR: Before we start Heather, I’m beyond thrilled to welcome you to the Mixed-Up Files as a published author! Woohoo!

HMC: Thank you so much! Those words … “published author” … will never get old and positively send delicious thrills down my back!

Inspiration: Ida B. Wells

MR: First, I have to tell you how much I enjoyed Indigo & Ida. What was your inspiration behind this wonderful book?

HMC: I’m so excited and grateful you like Indigo and Ida … thank you! My inspiration came from several different places, but this book truly began as an exploration of the themes of friendship and finding the courage to speak your truth.

First, I wanted to investigate friendship from the perspective of a girl who’s seeing for the first time that sometimes friends you thought you’d keep for a lifetime turn out to be friends you keep for just a season.

The grounding in history came from a story I learned about Ida B. Wells: that she helped Alice Paul and her team organize and prepare for the Woman’s Suffrage Parade in 1913. But when the big day arrived, Paul told Wells that she would have to march in the back of the parade with the other Black women, because to march up front alongside the white women would anger Southerners. Paul didn’t want to risk losing the strong political power of the Southern women.

When I learned this story, I was overwhelmed. I felt so deeply, so viscerally, a sorrowful connection to Ida in that moment when she realized her friend wasn’t the person she thought she was. We’ve all been there, and even when the stakes aren’t as high as these, it still hurts, and the betrayal is still very real. I couldn’t stop thinking about Ida and about other questions that percolated up in the next few days: Why had I never learned this particular fact before, when I learned about the Woman’s Suffrage Parade? Why was this story omitted from the teaching of that important milestone for women’s suffrage?

That was when Indigo—a journalist like Ida—was born, along with the idea that I wanted to write a story that would connect the two across the centuries.

Speak Your Truth

I also wanted to carve out my own space within the Black American literary tradition that illustrates the concept of the two voices—public and private. (W. E. B. DuBois’s “double consciousness.”) For me, that idea is similar to “code switching.” There’s the outward voice, the public-facing personality that covers up the parts of us that don’t fit in a default white society, and then there’s the private personality and voice, which is the one where we feel safe being ourselves within our own community. Indigo has two voices—the one she uses at school where she’s trying to fit in and where she’s shushed when she tries to speak out about the injustice she finds, and her private voice, which is empowered by Ida’s voice urging her to speak her truth.

Crusade for Justice

MR: Indigo discovers a copy of Crusade for Justice, the autobiography of Black journalist and civil-rights activist Ida B. Wells, during a stint in school detention. What is it about Wells’ autobiography that inspires Indigo to investigate the injustice experienced by Black and brown kids at her school? Also, can you tell readers what impact Wells’ autobiography has had on you personally?

HMC:  Wells’s autobiography is wonderful reading. She’s fearless and dogged in her investigations—as one of the first investigative journalists in this country, she set the bar high. I’m in awe of her work and want to honor her by doing my best to follow in her footsteps, even though I am no longer a reporter.

One key word in her autobiography that stands out to Indigo–and to me too—is the word “outrage.” Ida is outraged by rampant injustice and by all who willfully ignored or perpetrated these injustices. That word galvanizes Indigo’s desire to push for the truth. I don’t necessarily want to live a life of constant outrage, but I do want to be vigilant about speaking up and fighting injustice.

Letters from Ida

MR: Indigo finds letters written by Ida B. Wells tucked inside the pages of Wells’ autobiography. What made you choose this device to tell Ida’s story—and, as an extension, Indigo’s?

HMC: The sheaf of letters Indigo discovers inside the autobiography are from Ida B. Wells to an unidentified recipient. In these letters, Ida tells the story of her life and narrates some of the challenges she faces—and it’s these stories that empower Indigo to use her voice like Ida did, to shine a light of truth on the injustices of the world.

Key moments in Indigo’s story develop as she reads about the pivotal moments in Ida’s life, and we see many parallels between these two characters who live in completely different times but are connected by a desire for justice as well as by evidence of this country’s ongoing struggle with bias and racism.

Originally, I wanted to show Ida’s life story through quotes from her own body of work, including her autobiography. But even though Ida was a gifted writer, her style is from another century. I needed to ensure her story was accessible to a 21st century audience, so I wrote the letters myself, doing my best to reflect Ida’s distinctive voice.

Fact Versus Fiction

MR: I loved how you wove in real-life events from Wells’ life—including an incident in which, at age 20, Wells bit a white train conductor who forcibly removed her from her seat in a “whites only” car. (She later sued the railroad for violating equal accommodation statutes and won $500 in damages.) This letter, among others, is fictionalized but sounds incredibly authentic. How did you achieve this feat?

HMC: Isn’t that an amazing story? It’s one of my favorites, even though it doesn’t end well. The $500 in damages was later clawed back, and Wells was accused of harassment for pursuing the lawsuit.

To find Wells’ voice, I read her work as deeply as I could to educate myself. To articulate her voice, I talked out loud to myself. (If anyone were to observe me, they’d seriously have a good laugh–ha!) So, I walked around my living room, talking out loud, and listening for Ida’s voice. I tried to live various moments through her eyes, and play out how she must have felt. I then translated those reactions, along with her own observations, into her letter.

The Source of the Matter

MR: What did your research process look like? I know you used Wells’ autobiography as a starting point, but what other sources did you find useful? (For more on the life of Ida B. Wells, check out Heather’s Mixed-Up Files post here.)

HMC: I read as much of her work as I could lay my hands on! I researched during Covid, which meant I wasn’t able to research beyond what I could access online and in physical copies of her books and pamphlets. That said, we are extremely fortunate in that so much of her work does still exist, and I was able to read her seminal investigative reports: Southern Horrors and The Red Record (both on the lynching crisis in America). I also read collections of her newspaper columns and her Memphis diary.

The “Double Consciousness”

MR: In addition to Indigo’s quest for the equal treatment of Black and brown students, the theme of popularity looms large. How does Indigo’s need for popularity bump up against her quest for social justice?

HMC: This internal struggle she faces is part of my exploration of the “double consciousness.” Indigo—like so many of us—just wants to be liked and to hang onto dear friends she thought she’d have for a lifetime. This quest for popularity is her public voice, the one that craves acceptance and assimilation. Her private voice is the one she usually hides because it’s not the one she thinks will serve her quest for popularity. But it’s the one that deeply feels outrage at the unfairness of her school’s discipline policy, and ultimately, it’s the one she feels empowered to use because of Ida’s letters.

MR: Indigo is a strong, resourceful, and highly relatable character. How were you like Indigo as a child? How were you different?

HMC: I wish I’d been as brave as Indigo! I definitely struggled with the desire to be popular. I wasn’t one of the popular kids, not by a long shot. I often felt like I was hiding large parts of myself just to fit in with the rest of the students at my school, and Indigo feels that way too.

Heather Murphy Capps Reporting

brown skinned female tv reporter on a US Navy carrier

MR: You were a television news journalist for almost two decades. How did your career in journalism prepare you to be a novelist? Also, what was the most exciting (or weirdest!) story you ever reported?

HMC: I loved being a reporter; it was so interesting and edifying to get such a close view of the major events that tell the stories of our times. An invaluable skill I honed over the years was being able to research deeply and narrate nuanced concepts for a general audience. I draw on that when I write.

The weirdest or most exciting story I ever reported… WOW. Great question. There are a few I can’t mention in a middle-grade blog (!!), but I’d have to say the greatest opportunity I had to tell important stories came when I was embedded on three different Navy ships in the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On the opening night of the war, I was flown to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which launched the first F-14’s and F-18’s of the conflict. While I personally opposed our country’s involvement, I was committed to honoring the work and sacrifice of our service members.

Path to Publication

MR: As a follow-up, can you tell us about your path to publication? Was it smooth sailing or bumpy seas?

HMC: Aaahhh I love being able to be transparent about the fact that Indigo and Ida is my FIFTH book. Not smooth sailing! I faced a lot of rejection, but I kept working hard to improve my craft, and I am still working hard.

I often joke about the fact that I must have something karmic I am trying to learn in that my two primary life occupations—news reporting and novel writing—are both notoriously hard to break into and full of rejection!

Writing Rituals

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

HMC: I like to light a candle and, if it’s cold out, light a fire. In the summertime, I write on my sunporch and take breaks to watch the birds outside (and walk around my backyard talking to myself, ha!) It’s a wonderful view, truly my happy place. Sometimes when the timing works out, I also check in with some of my writing friends and we sprint together. On days when I am pressed for time (kids! Day job!) I just jump in at odd moments and do as much as I can, even if it’s not perfect.

#WNDMG: The Backstory

MR: You curate the popular Mixed-Up Files series, “We Need Diverse Middle Grade” (#WNDMG). What was the impetus for this series? How can interested MG authors contribute?

HMC: I started the series because I felt that, while we have a team of truly inclusive, equity-minded contributors who value and work toward diversity in publishing, we needed to do more. We needed a dedicated space on the blog that centered diverse voices and spaces—and in the days following George Floyd, that need felt crucial to me. So, our admin team collaborated on ways to best make this happen, and here we are—WNDMG is about to celebrate its third anniversary and now has a dedicated team of four contributing authors! We do accept guest posts from diverse authors but rely mostly on the diverse voices from our WNDMG and MUF teams.

Next Up: Magical Realism

MR: Your next MG novel, The Rule of Three (out Fall 2024 from Carolrhoda/Lerner), features a biracial seventh-grade boy who conjures smoke in stressful moments. Can you tell us a bit more about the novel? Also, what is it about magical realism that sparks your imagination?

HMC: The novel follows Wyatt and his father as they navigate the discovery of and healing from a unique genetic expression of generational trauma—they literally create smoke. It’s a tough subject, and I tried to honor all its inherent complexity but also tried to embed moments of lightness. Talking about generational trauma is painful and if you’re Wyatt, you can only take so much before you have to just throw a baseball or crack a joke.

What I love about magical realism is that this literary style is historically unique—used only by storytellers coming from marginalized communities with the intent to use everyday magic as a way to cope with the tragedy of oppression.

MR: What are you working on now? Can you give us a hint?

HMC:  I am working on TWO things right now, believe it or not! One is an exciting adventure, and the other is not middle grade … but that’s all I can tell you. 🙂

Lightning Round!

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

Preferred writing snack?  

Tea with almonds or Twizzlers or jellybeans or cookies. I have a HUGE sweet tooth!!

Coffee or tea?

Both!

Cat or dog?

I have two cats, so I guess cat. But I love dogs too!

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay?

Sure, why not? Lots to write about, but honestly I’d personally become a vampire or a witch instead. I like the idea of being able to run fast and have super-attuned senses.

Superpower?

Teleporting!

Favorite place on earth?

In front of a fireplace or a lake with all my people.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be?

My laptop, a grape vine I could cultivate to start a vineyard, and a pair of running shoes.

MR: Thank you for chatting with us, Heather—and congratulations on the publication of Indigo & Ida. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I know MUF readers will too!

HMC: Thank you so much, Melissa—what a fun interview! I so appreciate the chance to chat! I hope our readers will consider buying Indigo and Ida or recommending it to their local public and school libraries!

Bio

Heather Murphy Capps writes about history, social justice, science, and magic. She is a mother of two, an Army wife, and an education equity activist. As a biracial author, Heather is passionate about creating diversity in publishing. Learn more about Heather on her website and follow her on Instagram and Twitter. To join Heather’s mailing list, click here.

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