1. What messages do you want to share through your work?
I don't intentionally start each project with a particular message in mind. The premise of a compelling story is what I search for. I want to capture the reader. When I sit down to write, my most ardent goal, my intention and my hope, is that the reader will WANT to turn the page.
2. Please tell us about the inspiration behind your most recent book, Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs.
In 2014, publishing executives at Disney, including editor Samantha McFerrin, invited me to meet to discuss a potential Latina princess story. That was the beginning of many discussions over several years. I was intrigued, and embraced the opportunity to sculpt a Latina heroine. As I researched settings, I was drawn to the oyamel forests and the Monarch butterfly migration to central Mexico. I grew up in Southern California where I often visited the Central Coast, one of the Monarch butterfly overwintering sites. The Monarch migration is remarkable, their importance to the natural world is profound, and there are myths and legends about the Monarchs that many cultures hold close to their hearts. In Solimar’s fictional village, people believe that the ancestors of Monarch butterflies inhabit the oyamel forest. With all that in mind, I imagined Solimar, an almost-princess, living in an antiquated monarchy that has made her feel powerless. But she is curious and outspoken and she speaks up about things that are important to her, like inequality, and saving the oyamel forests and the butterflies. I hope this will resonate not only for the Latina audience, but for all readers.
3. What is your message for young creators?
Keep diaries or journals. Save them, even the ones from elementary school. I wish I had saved mine. Someday, they'll be sentimental windows to your life and may trigger larger story arcs. Get involved with the arts - music, drama, dance, art, creative writing. They are all based on the concept of story. Interview your family members about their lives. Someday, those anecdotes will find their way into your creations. Read and read some more, so that you can live many lives and have many experiences that might be different from your own.
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