Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Mae Respicio, the author of The House That Lou Built, and the recently released Any Day With You.
The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.
Would you please tell us a little about Any Day With You?
I’d love to! ANY DAY WITH YOU is all about a 12-year-old Filipina American girl named Kaia who makes a movie for a film contest hoping that if she wins, she’ll stop her great-grandpa from moving back to his homeland permanently. It’s a bright and tender story around family, friendship, creativity, and navigating change.
What was the inspiration for this book?
I put everything I adore into this book—creative maker-kids, Filipino folklore, loving families, strong friendships, and a summery beach! It was a huge joy to weave details of things I’m very familiar or know very intimately into Kaia’s coming-of-age story.
Random Question! Do you listen to music while you write?
Whenever I hear of writers who work while listening to music I wonder: “How?!” During my first drafts I’m only able to write in silence, which means in a quiet room, sometimes with noise cancelling headphones or even a fan running to get some white ambient noise going… but I’m up for music any other time! When I’m in the editing stage, that’s normally when I’m able to write in spaces that aren’t so quiet, like cafes.
If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?
My next book comes out in summer 2021 and it’s about a boy named Alex and some savvy sixth graders who start a slime ring at school. The story also centers on Alex’s relationship with his dad and what it means to stay true to yourself.
This sounds good! :)
What are some of your favorite MG books you've read? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?
I’m excited to read A DOG FRIENDLY TOWN by Josephine Cameron, A PLACE AT THE TABLE by Laura Shovan and Saadia Faruqui, and FLY ON THE WALL by Remy Lai. These are just a few—2020 readers are lucky because there are a ton of great middle grade books coming out!
I agree, there are a lot of great MG books releasing this year! :)
Thank you to Mae Respicio for participating in this event! :)
Author Bio: Mae is author of the middle grade novels THE HOUSE THAT LOU BUILT (out now), ANY DAY WITH YOU (out now), and EVERYTHING STARTS WITH NOTHING (2021). She is the past recipient of a PEN Emerging Voices Fellowship and has been a writer-in-residence at Hedgebrook and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Her writing & photography have been published in places like Pregnancy Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, Patagonia, Pottery Barn Kids, Red Tricycle and The Bigger the Better the Tighter the Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty, Body Image, and Other Hazards of Being Female (Seal Press), and she worked with the Filipino-American community of Los Angeles to edit the nonfiction book Images of America: Filipinos in Los Angeles (Arcadia Publishing). Mae and her family live in the suburban wild of Northern California.
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I was lucky to receive an ARC of Any Day with You. I enjoyed the family and friendships as well as learning about a new culture. Thank you for the interview!
ReplyDeleteSo great interview!!! INSPIRING!!!
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