Welcome back, Mónica! How have you been these past six months?
I've been well. Super busy.
We've heard you've had a couple of picture books released recently! Congrats on that! Do tell us how your book launches went for them!
Happy to! I recently released The Worry Balloon and How to Speak in Spanglish. I did a launch event at Barnes and Noble Burbank, and another at Once Upon a Time Bookstore. Both events were so special. The booksellers at both stores were absolutely lovely, and we had great attendance at both. It was so heartwarming to have parents tell me how needed both books are. One family was visiting from Portugal and purchased The Worry Balloon to help their daughter with her anxieties over transitioning to a new school. Another family was visiting from Turkey and thought that How to Speak in Spanglish would be a treat for their daughter, who is learning to speak both English and Turkish. Honestly, writing can be a lonely endeavor, but these moments are the perfect reminder of why I have put my heart and soul into writing books for children.
Well put, Mónica! And so glad your events went well. Will you prepare something vastly different for Sing It Like Celia, your middle-grade release, since the target readership is an older set of young people?
That’s a great question! I have yet to have my marketing meeting with my team at Penguin Workshop, and this is one of the questions I’ll be asking. Obviously, I can’t read an entire novel during a book launch event, so I may be doing a lot of stock signings and meet and greets, rather than readings. I’m assuming there will be a bit more focus on upper elementary and middle school visits, and perhaps conferences and book festivals, giving me more opportunities to connect with educators and librarians. I also plan to work with my team to create curriculum guides and resources for educators. Beyond that, I’ll be learning as I go!
That's likely true for all of us 24/7s here, as we're all debut middle-grade novelists. Is it hard juggling multiple publications when they're released so closely together?
It’s definitely a challenge! My team at Roaring Brook and Penguin Workshop have been so wonderful about working together to promote The Worry Balloon and How to Speak in Spanglish. They’ve partnered with me on scheduling bookstore events and school visits, which has allowed me to promote both at the same time. So, that’s been incredibly helpful. The real challenge is juggling promotion for two new books while working under deadline on two yet to be announced middle grade novels. And now that my family and I are about to dive into a new school year and I'm heading back to my part-time teaching schedule, I’m bracing myself for the storm. It’s going to be stressful for sure, but I am also so grateful every day to be able to write books for children and connect with my readers, that I’m more than excited to take it all on.
Wow, Mónica! Two new middle-grades in the works?! That's incredible. Good thing you're young and strong and have a supportive family!
For this, I am grateful!
Well, we're glad to catch up with you while we have a chance. Next up will be your book launch party for Sing It Like Celia! We can't wait!