“Most important of all, though, was the fact that the man was fundamentally longing for death. She knew that for sure. She couldn’t explain how she knew, but she knew it from the start. Death was really what he wanted. He knew that it was the right ending for him. And yet he had to go on fighting with all his might. He had to fight against an overwhelming adversary in order to survive. What most shook Junko was this deep-rooted contradiction.”
¡Qué bonita bandera! AKA what heritage(s) do you claim?
My mom is Mexican American, and my dad is half Puerto Rican and half white.
When was the first time you saw yourself represented?
With exactly those ingredients? Never. Before I was really into books and set my sights on being a writer, I was into music. When I was a teen, my goal in life was to join a rock band and tour the world. I played the bass. One of my idols was Cristina Martinez from the band Boss Hog. I don’t even know what her heritage is, but I saw her name and her long, dark hair and was in goo-goo eyes in love.
How do you connect to your heritage through your books (if at all)?
Most of the main characters in my books have some kind of mixed heritage. In A Fierce and Subtle Poison, Lucas is white and Dominican, and Isabel is white and Puerto Rican. In All the Wind in the World, Sarah Jacqueline is referred to as “mixed blood,” and you get the sense that a lot of people in her world are as well. I’m always interested in the ways in which multi-racial people can both claim their identity, but also be claimed by it. There are certain ways in which a person can exert power by controlling who they are and what they do, but also there are ways in which people’s bloodlines are inescapable. They call to you–tug at you–from the past. Well, I shouldn’t speak for everyone. This is just how it feels for me. I like to write characters that are both propelling themselves forward while being snagged on something from the past.
What do you hope for the future of Latinx books?
I hope that a wider variety of the Latinx experience can be explored. I once had a student tell me that she wanted to become more involved with issues that affected her community, but that she sometimes felt excluded or shamed, sort of like she wasn’t Latina enough because she wasn’t totally fluent in Spanish. To me, this is really frustrating, because there’s no one way to be Latinx. There never has been! We can continue to write past stereotypes and present varied experiences, and hopefully, that can make a difference.
What is the book that inspired you to write for kids/teens?
I’m working on a ghost story set in San Antonio. And also a story about bandits. They’re both coming along slowly but surely.
Samantha Mabry grew up in Texas playing bass guitar along to vinyl records, writing fan letters to rock stars, and reading big, big books, and credits her tendency toward magical thinking to her Grandmother Garcia, who would wash money in the kitchen sink to rinse off any bad spirits. She teaches writing and Latino literature at a community college in Dallas, Texas, where she lives with her husband, a historian, and her pets, including a cat named Mouse. She is the author of the novels A Fierce and Subtle Poison andAll the Wind in the World(on sale today October 10 from Algonquin Young Readers!). Visit her online at samanthamabry.com or on Twitter: @samanthamabry.
How do you connect to your heritage through your books (if at all)?
The tradition of magical realism, the heritage of my main characters, the food they cook in their mothers’ kitchens, the bedtime stories they hear growing up.
What do you hope for the future of Latinx books?
That Latinx readers can find themselves in whatever kind of book they’re looking for, and that more books feature main characters with intersectional identities.
What is the book that inspired you to write for kids/teens?
My bi Latina girls and enchanted murderous gardens novel, Wild Beauty,is out on October 3, and I’m currently working on Blanca & Roja,a Latinx retelling of Snow-White & Rose-Red meets Swan Lake, slated for 2018.
Anna-Marie McLemore(she/her) was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and taught by her family to hear la llorona in the Santa Ana winds. She is the author of THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS, a finalist for the 2016 William C. Morris Debut Award, and 2017 Stonewall Honor Book WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature. Her latest is WILD BEAUTY, and BLANCA & ROJA is forthcoming in fall of 2018.
“She wondered, did everyone have such a fraught relationship with the places they came from? Did anyone else have a grandmother who might as well have been a legend, a myth, a series of miracles that took the shape of an old woman?”
“We don’t talk. None of us. Why don’t we ever talk? Silence is a language of its own in this family. A curse of our own making. That’s the inheritance my daughter got from me, and I am so very sorry.”
‘The House Of The Spirits’ TV Series Based On Isabel Allende Novel In Works At Hulu
Hulu is in early stages of development on a TV series adaptation of Isabel Allende’s critically praised novel The House of the Spirits. FilmNation Entertainment (Arrival), which had landed rights to the book in a competitive situation, will serve as the studio on the project, with Allende on board as executive producer. A search is underway for a writer to pen the adaptation and a director.
Another opportunity to let magical realism shine, presumably with Latinx leads this time (unlike the film).
Profile Basics: Preferred Nickname: Elle Preferred Writing Type: Poetry,Flash Fiction,Short Stories,Novels,Fanfiction Preferred Genre(s) to Write Genres: Science Fiction,Adventure,Fantasy,Contemporary,Literary Subgenres: Dark Academia, Magical Realism, School Story, Supernatural, Epistolary, Mystery, Drama, Preferred Genre(s) to Read Genres: Fantasy,Science Fiction,Adventure,Literary,Action,Contemporary Subgenres: Dark Academia, Magical Realism, School Story, Supernatural, Epistolary, Mystery, Drama, Favorite Book(s) and Author(s): Adam Silvera, Caleb Roehrig, Shaun David Hutchinson, Mackenzie Lee, Becky Albertalli, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maggie Stiefvater, , The Foxhole Court, Six of Crows, Picture Us In The Light, Truly Devious, The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza, In Other Lands, Carry On, The Red Scrolls of Magic, Favorite Music Genre(s)/Artists(s): Indie, Bedroom Pop, Lofi, Dream Pop, K-Pop, Rap, Show Tunes/Musicals, Indie Folk, Pop,, Mitski, Sufjan Stevens, The Japanese House, Troye Sivan, BTS, Conan Gray, girl in red, The Scary Jokes, Holland, IDKHBTFM (I Don’t Know How But They Found Me), Lorde, Hozier, Cavetown, LIZZO, Janelle Monae, Cheese On Bread, Favorite Fandoms: Favorite Movies: Handsome Devil, The Farewell, Train to Busan, Wonder Woman, Into the Spiderverse, Dear Ex, Velvet Buzzsaw, Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List, Favorite TV Shows: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Good Place, Brookyln Nine-Nine, Elite, The Politician, Shadowhunters, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Bonding, Lucifer, Favorite Anime: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Favorite Comics: Love at Fourteen, Lore Olympus, The Fever King, Purple Hyacinth, My Deepest Secret, No Scope, Favorite Video Games: Hobbies/interests other than writing: Art, Bullet Journalling, Music,
Writing Habits Number/Names of WIPs: Favorite book about writing: Planner, Pantser or Plantser? Depends on the project Favorite Outlining Method: Do you write on a schedule or sporadically? Sporadically, as in I write up to 2k words when inspired on good days, and 1k on okay days. I write most days, and on average probably 5/7 days a week? Any creativity rituals that you use:
Your Writing Community Tumblr: @agnodice-writes Current writing/creative communities you participate in: NaNoWriMo Community Name (if applicable): Wattpad Community Name (if applicable): spring-comes fanfiction.net Community Name (if applicable): AO3 Community Name (if applicable): DeviantArt Community Name (if applicable): Patreon Community Name (if applicable):
Profile Basics: Preferred Nickname: L.K., or Luke is fine Preferred Writing Type: Novels,Fiction,Novellas,Nonfiction,Poetry,Short Stories,Fanfiction,Flash Fiction Preferred Genre(s) to Write Genres: Fantasy,Horror,Thriller,Suspense,Romance,Adventure,Historical Subgenres: Low-fantasy, high-fantasy, magical realism Preferred Genre(s) to Read Genres: Fantasy,Horror,Thriller,Suspense,Adventure,Romance,Historical Subgenres: Favorite Book(s) and Author(s): Victor Hugo, Gaston Leroux, Jane Austen, Bram Stoker, Sir Walter Raleigh, Crazy Rich Asians, Pride and Prejudice, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, Favorite Music Genre(s)/Artists(s): Classic Rock, Alternative, Rock, Set It Off, Caleb Hyles, Fall Out Boy, The Beatles, Eagles, Black Veil Brides, OOMPH!, Luke Murgatroyd, Panic! At the Disco, Jonathan Young, Lindsey Stirling, Evanescence Favorite Fandoms: Favorite Movies: Silence of the Lambs, 1408, Lilo and Stitch, Megamind, You’re Next Favorite TV Shows: American Horror Story, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds, Shameless, A Series of Unfortunate Events Favorite Anime: The Promised Neverland, Ouran High School Host Club, Zatch Bell!, Favorite Comics: Siren’s Lament, Let’s Play!, A Good Day to Be a Dog, Ghost Wife, I Love Yoo, Freaking Romance, Sweet Home Favorite Video Games: Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, The Sims Hobbies/interests other than writing: Reading, singing, cooking, baking,
Writing Habits Number/Names of WIPs: Going into a coffee shop (usually a Starbucks if we’re being honest) with all my stuff tossed haphazardly into a bag so I feel motivated to get work done. Favorite book about writing: Planner, Pantser or Plantser? Depends on the project Favorite Outlining Method: Do you write on a schedule or sporadically? Sporadically–would like to get on a schedule, though Any creativity rituals that you use: Going into a coffee shop (usually a Starbucks if we’re being honest) with all my stuff tossed haphazardly into a bag so I feel motivated to get work done.
Your Writing Community Tumblr: @lkfortier Current writing/creative communities you participate in: Baking, cooking NaNoWriMo Community Name (if applicable): L.K. Fortier Wattpad Community Name (if applicable): fanfiction.net Community Name (if applicable): AO3 Community Name (if applicable): DeviantArt Community Name (if applicable): Patreon Community Name (if applicable): L.K. Fortier
high / epic fantasy - a genre of fantasy that holds its own world and creatures. examples of this could be J.R.R. Tolkien’s LOTR, or C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia
low fantasy - a genre where there are regular magical happenings in “our” world—such as a magical school, or people with magical abilities. this could be found in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, or Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away
urban fantasy - essentially low fantasy, only it takes place in an urban setting such as a big city. an example of this is Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones
sword and sorcery - fantasy that is centred around swords, magic, and witchcraft. it is a subgenre of high fantasy. a book is Robert E. Howard’s Conanseries
dark fantasy - fantasy elements mixed with horror. The Atlas Six, by Olivia Blake
fable - a story with a moral lesson
arthurian fantasy - anything derived from the tales of King Arthur (the Sword in the Stone, etc.)
crosswords fantasy - essentially where the main character crosses between their world and a fantasy world. an example of this could be Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland
dragon fantasy - what it sounds like.
historical fantasy - a cross between the historical fiction and low fantasy subgeneres. it could be set in a royal court filled with goblins, for example, in a time that was once present on earth.
reblogging to also add:
magical realism - it’s our world (… or is it?), but things are a little ✨ strange ✨
examples include Allende’s The House of the Spirits and Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End Of the Lane.
This is cool! It reminds me a bit of urban and low fantasy.
We’re already a month into the year but here we go –
Firmament by Simon Clark
Release date: 27. January 2022
Why I want to read it: The first book by Simon Clark, which is exciting. His explanations of climate change are always great and easy to follow, and I should probably get to reading this soon as motivation before my atmospherical physics and climate change exam this semester :))
Úrsula on the other hand, held a bad memory of that visit, for she had entered the room just as Melquíades had carelessly broken a flask of bichloride of mercury. “It’s the smell of the devil,” she said. “Not at all,” Melquíades corrected her. “It has been proven that the devil has sulphuric properties and this is just a little corrosive sublimate.”
Gabriel García Márquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude Gastón Betelli: Melquíades en sus postrimerías
I watched the film Como Agua Para Chocolate based on a novel in the style of magical realism in my Spanish class and now I want to be a magical realist….
![Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)](https://64.media.tumblr.com/bbb1a86d884fca2aa9be71237e4261d7/f58cadc840b365b5-03/s1280x1920/fe4bb8c370c5722992ecbe221c40bd4c924affec.jpg "Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)")
![Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)](https://64.media.tumblr.com/48f5478cd691469b576bf6ca66021c76/f58cadc840b365b5-d7/s1280x1920/cd4cd0fa655309af8dad164750e1b70379770293.jpg "Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)")
![Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)](https://64.media.tumblr.com/e89e251608c15f20091deb9513f2ade0/f58cadc840b365b5-16/s1280x1920/aa8506a8a36a8edbbe05c07665afa8abd221acad.jpg "Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)")
![Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)](https://64.media.tumblr.com/894df91e12b11642085790dfe89564c7/f58cadc840b365b5-b1/s1280x1920/4a76abeef3d349185282d9dfce5d48d78be6788e.jpg "Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)")
![Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)](https://64.media.tumblr.com/ab9c4e33b9408993c3a54cd7e6b00f16/f58cadc840b365b5-f1/s1280x1920/0c33bd6b84213f82f709636cdc8684590b75121d.jpg "Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)")
![Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f9bd682c356154589c3f3fcf4bc88872/f58cadc840b365b5-53/s1280x1920/c679a32817a94646a84ed54bb0a53a17bcb68a5d.jpg "Gagarine [Gagarin] (Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, 2020)")
