Yay For Middle Grade Books! Interview With Alexis Castellanos!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Alexis Castellanos, the author of Isla to Island, which is out now!

Would you please tell us a little about your book, Isla to Island?

Isla to Island is a primarily wordless story about a young girl’s immigration from Cuba to the United States. It takes place during 1961 and covers a part of Cuban American history that isn’t very well known: Operation Peter Pan. I’ve always been fascinated by that piece of history, so when I decided to write a book about a part of Cuban history I knew I wanted to focus on that. Bits of the story are inspired by my family’s experiences in both Cuba and the United States, and the book is a love letter to my family and spring time in NYC!

Did you always want to make graphic novels?

Yes! I’ve always loved drawing and I loved reading manga in middle and high school. I would draw mini comics about my friends and illustrate different scenes from the books I was writing. I never actively pursued it so it was kind of a happy accident that I ended up drawing one!

Random Question! What is your favorite color?

Green! I have a green velvet couch that I love, I want to paint all of my walls dark green, my apartment is covered in plants, and I have a green velvet chair in my office. I love green!!

If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I have some irons in the fire, but nothing concrete yet! I have a day job and run a small business, so being an author is usually last on my list of priorities unfortunately. But I’d love to get into YA in the future!

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read recently? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

I’m loving the Wilderlore series and Claribel Ortega’s new book, Witchlings. I’m looking forward to Nina Moreno’s debut MG, Join the Club, Maggie Diaz.

Thank you to Alexis Castellanos for participating in this event! :)

Author Bio: Alexis Castellanos was born and raised in Florida where she enjoyed sunny days, dramatic thunderstorms, and delicious Cuban food. After graduating from college, she moved to New York City and worked as a scenic artist, bringing theatrical sets to life with a little bit of paint and a whole lot of ingenuity. She currently works as a graphic designer by day and spends her nights dreaming up stories. She lives in Los Anegeles with her partner and her extremely photogenic cat, Belle. Isla to Island is her first graphic novel. 

Here are a few links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram