Happy Monday, Everyone! Today I’m
excited to have Emma Otheguy here to share about her MG historical Adventure
in the City of Stories. This is both a historical and time travel story, and
I’m looking forward to reading it.
Here’s a blurb from Amazon:
When stolen artifacts magically appear in their
aunt’s closet, cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy travel back in time to 1930 New
York City to clear her name before history is irreparably altered in this
companion to the “spellbinding” (School Library Journal, starred
review) Cousins in the Time of Magic.
Cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy never imagined that dusty old puppets and a
mysterious book would launch them into a time-traveling adventure. But when
they discover their aunt has treasures belonging to Pura Belpré, the
trailblazing Latina librarian and storyteller, they’re transported back to
1930s New York City. Their mission? Race against time to return Pura’s puppets
and a signed first edition of her book, proving their aunt isn’t a thief.
The past is full of danger, though. A powerful woman will stop at nothing to
steal the book, the cousins’ nosy neighbor is snooping around, and the hardship
of the Great Depression is all around them. Luckily Jorge, Camila, and Siggy
meet Antonia, a fierce Puerto Rican girl fighting injustice against her
community.
The cousins will need courage, quick thinking, and a little help from history
to protect Pura Belpré’s legacy, clear their aunt’s name, and make it back
home. Can they pull it off before time runs out?
Hi
Emma! Thanks so much for joining us.
1.
Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
I’m a reader, a
native bilingual (Spanish/English), a Latina, a New Yorker, one of three kids,
a mom of three kids, a historian and a knitter, to list a few things about me.
I’ve been interested in children’s books since I first volunteered at my public
library’s story time, but it wasn’t until I was in graduate school studying
History that I got serious about writing for children. I realized then that so
many of the most exciting parts of history never made it outside the academy,
let alone to kids. It was a time when I felt very strongly drawn to creative
work, both to counter the more serious academic research I was doing and also
to give that research meaning. I haven’t stopped writing for children since my
first book was published almost a decade ago.
2.
Where did you get the idea for Adventure in the City of Stories?
I have always been
interested in history that transcends nation. That might be because my family
is from another country, but it’s also because growing up as a Latina in New
York, our closest family friends were from many different parts of Latin
America, not just Cuba (where my parents are from). It was an experience I
consider quintessentially American, and because of that, I always take note
when I hear about intersections of different Latino groups in the United
States. When I found out that Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral had lived and
taught in New York City in 1930, when Puerto Rican librarian Pura Belpré was
putting on her famous story times and puppet shows, the idea for Adventure in the City of
Stories was born! I had
a blast researching all of the other connections and meetings that take place
in the book.
3.
This book is the second book in your series, with Cousins in the Time of Magic
being book one. How much of the series did you know when you wrote the first
book, and how have you plotted them out?
I had a few key
historical moments that I knew I wanted to touch upon, but the details of each
plot took many drafts to get right!
4.
Adventure in the Cities of Stories is set in New York City in 1930. Reviewers
have said you included a lot of historical information that many people and
kids might not know about. How did you research this time period and decide
what historical facts to include in your story?
Reading about the
city, where I live, and all of its interesting people was nothing short of
delightful. Research for this book took me to the map room and archives of the
New York Public Library, and I also read guidebooks and first-hand accounts by
people who lived at the time. I especially enjoyed reading memoirs written by
Puerto Ricans living in New York, which gave me what felt like a very direct
and personal connection to the time period.
5. Your agent is Adriana Domínguez. How did she become your
agent, and what was your road to getting your first publishing contract like?
I found my agent
through the query process! People are always surprised to hear that, and I know
it can feel like to get anywhere in publishing you must need some kind of
special “in,” but the simple answer to how I found an agent is querying. That
being said, I actually met Adriana at a conference critique before I queried
her. I don’t think she remembers that meeting at all and it was at least a year
later when I finally did query her, but talking to agents and editors at
conferences definitely helped me craft a strong manuscript and a compelling
query letter.
My first book was published nearly ten years ago, which means
the contract was signed over a decade ago. The first manuscript I worked on
with Adriana—the one that I queried and got me my agent offer—was rejected at
the acquisitions stage and never published. That was heartbreaking, but it
meant that I got right to work on a picture book manuscript I had been playing
around with for years, which became Martí’s Song for Freedom. Many, many editors sent initial feedback saying
that José Martí was too unknown for an American audience, but Adriana and I
both understood Martí’s central importance. The book received many starred
reviews, won an award, has gone through many reprintings, and will be coming
out in paperback this summer. It was not an easy publishing process, but it
mattered tremendously to me, and that made sticking with it worthwhile.
6. You’re the author or co-author of 12 picture books and
middle grade books. How have you grown your career and continued to sell so
many books?
I have only one useful
adage about writing, which is: keep coming back. I am not a writer who has particularly good tricks or rituals
around productivity, and while I consider myself a fairly disciplined person,
kids and illnesses, especially, are constantly interrupting my workflow. These
disturbances used to make me want to tear my hair out, but with the benefit of
a dozen books under my belt, I know that as long as you come back to the
manuscript, you will eventually finish.
7. How are you planning to promote Adventure in the City of
Stories? How has your approach to marketing changed since you were a debut
author?
For Adventure
in the City of Stories I’m trying something new and already really
fun: I’ve created a “Pub Club” of educators who are excited about the book. In the
fall I’ll be writing letters to their classrooms and hosting a webinar for
their students, and in exchange they’ll help spread the word about the book by
writing reviews and sharing lesson plans. I’m already enjoying connecting with
the educators who have joined, and looking forward to what I hope will feel
like a truer and more meaningful connection with the first few classrooms to
read the book.
The reason I’m trying this new approach is that when I started ten years ago,
social media seemed relatively harmless. It was easy to brush aside what were
then emerging concerns about the impact of social media on young people, and
interactions with bots and trolls online were relatively rare, especially in
the KidLit world. It is much harder to ignore concerns about social media
today, and so I wanted to try something for Adventure in the City of
Stories that would connect me with educators around the country
without requiring me to be “very online.” These days, my newsletter is
my primary way of engaging with readers. I’ve found it to be a much more direct
and fruitful connection!
8. That’s a fantastic idea! I noticed on your website that
Lisa Nadel is your publicist. What made you decide to hire her, and how has
this helped you market your books?
Lisa is my booking
agent and schedules all my author visits, as well as working with me on book
promotion. Her support has been a total gamechanger for me: I have more time to
focus on writing and planning great talks and assemblies when I don’t have to
worry about logistics, and I feel much less alone. Even when I’m traveling far
from home for an event, I know I have someone in my corner making sure
everything goes smoothly. Here’s an interview
with Lisa for those who want to
learn more!
9. What are you working on now?
As I get ready for the
publication of Adventure
in the City of Stories I’m
reading and writing even more about the women in the book, from Gabriela
Mistral to Anne Carroll Moore to Pura Belpré, and how to include their legacies
in upcoming talks, workshops, and assemblies.
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Emma! You can find Emma
at https://emmaotheguy.com/.
Giveaway Details
Emma’s publisher is generously offering a hardback of Adventure in the City of Stories for
a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my
blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right
sidebar) and leave a comment by August 1st. If I do not have your email
(I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the
comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or
other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Emma on
her social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an
extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway
is US.
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can
find the participating blogs on his blog.
Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts,
and Blog Hops
Saturday, August 1st, I’m
participating in the Apple a Day Giveaway Hop
Wednesday, August 5th, I have an
interview with Lindsey Olsson and a giveaway of her YA To Drown a Witch and my
IWSG post
Monday, August 10th, I have an
agent spotlight interview with Riley Jay Davis and a query critique giveaway
Sunday, August 16th, I’m
participating in the Old School Giveaway Hop
Monday, August 17th, I have an
interview with Máire Roche and a giveaway of her MG Little Monsters
Wednesday, August 19th, I have an
agent spotlight interview with Jackie Garcia-Morales and a query critique giveaway
Monday, August 25th, I have a guest
post by Paige
Classey and a giveaway of her MG Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer
I hope to see you on Saturday, August 1st!
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