Cynthia Harmony is the author of the new children's picture book A Flicker of Hope: A Story of Migration. Her other books include Mexico. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Q: What inspired you to write A Flicker of Hope?
A: A few years ago my sister worked with the indigenous communities in Mexico to develop and brand sustainable crafts, products, and tourism offerings within the Monarch Reserve region and produce videos.
Watching this footage and listening to her experience inspired me to share the story about monarchs and the community in Mexico that welcomes them back every winter.
Q: What do you think Devon Holzwarth’s illustrations add to the story?
A: To me art in a picture book is more than 50 percent to the story. The art is what first grabs the reader’s attention from the cover, endpapers and through each spread.
Devon is incredibly skilled in visual storytelling and she created a beautiful and impactful emotional journey. She elevated the story creating the type of book that moves you and stays with you long after you’re done reading.
Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and, if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
A: I did a lot of research on migration, the butterflies, and on the Mazahúa indigenous community that lives in the Monarch Reserve area in Mexico.
There was not one surprising fact since I grew up in Mexico; what I found surprising, however, was how all of these facts were so closely connected, making the parallel story flow even better than I first imagined.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it a “beautiful story about cycles and traditions that shines a light on migration.” What do you think of that description?
A: I agree it’s absolutely a beautiful story. :) We are so thankful and happy with this starred review! It is an accurate description since natural life cycles and traditions are interwoven with migration patterns in the story.
Another sentence I love from that review that I think really captures the heart of the book is: “The love between Lucia and her father reverberates deeply through subtle echoes.”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m translating a picture book that will be my first fully bilingual edition, both English and Spanish text on the same spread for an unannounced project.
I’m also revising another manuscript to be able to send something new to my agent soon and I’m drafting a fun chapter book.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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