Q&A with Darlene P. Campos

 

 

Darlene P. Campos is the author of the new middle grade novel The Center of the Earth. Her other books include Heaven Isn't Me. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Center of the Earth, and how did you create your characters Dahlia and Werner?

 

A: I’ve always loved history and wanted to write a historical fiction novel for children, but I couldn’t pinpoint a topic. Thanks to my uncle Alejandro, who told me about the documentary An Unknown Country, I discovered the little-known story of Jewish refugees finding safety in Ecuador during the Holocaust.

 

As an Ecuadorian-American, I was immediately drawn to this topic, and I wrote the first draft of The Center of the Earth in 28 days. This was back in 2018.

 

Werner is named after Werner Loval, one of the eight Jewish refugees I interviewed during my research. Mr. Loval and his sister Erika were part of the Kindertransport program and were relocated from Germany to England, but without their parents, as the program was only for children. Fortunately, their parents made it to Ecuador, and the family was reunited in 1942.

 

His personality and the situations he encounters are a blend of all the refugees I interviewed for the book.

 

Dahlia, on the other hand, is the girl I wish I could have been when I was her age! She is bold, courageous, and outspoken, never afraid to stand up for others and herself.

 

I have struggled with generalized anxiety, but especially social anxiety, since I was a kid. It was much worse when I was younger, and though I am not fully “cured,” I am doing a lot better.

 

Dahlia’s last name, Avilés, is in honor of my grandmother’s family. My happiest childhood memories of visiting Ecuador happened in the Avilés home.

 

Additionally, her best friend, Etelvina Alarcón, has my great-grandmother’s name. Though my great-grandmother died when I was 7, I still feel her love, and I wanted to include her name in this story.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: Initially, I started my research on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)’s website. I also utilized the archives of Holocaust Museum Houston and my local library.

 

However, as I wrote more in my first draft, I got stuck. I had sections in my document with the words “come back to this later.” It wasn’t writer’s block – it was research block.

 

Researching a historical event is not only looking for facts like when a war started and ended – it is also about understanding how the historical event affected the people living through it.

 

With more digging, I found a Facebook group called Jews of Ecuador, which consists of the original refugees, their children, and grandchildren. I requested to join, and when I was approved, I made a post about wanting to interview people for my research.

 

Within an hour, I had numerous responses. Thankfully, I interviewed eight refugees who had escaped to Ecuador when they were children, which gave me an excellent perspective for my novel.

 

Additionally, most of the older refugees who had already died left behind written accounts of their experiences, and I also used these accounts to fill in the empty spots of my original draft.

 

I also traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit the USHMM archives in person as well as to meet some of the people I had interviewed over the phone. The USHMM archivist team, especially Liviu Carare, were like guardian angels during my research process. They showed me how to use microfilms and generously provided me with resources not available elsewhere.

 

As for a surprising experience, I mentioned I struggle with social anxiety. Talking to new people is something I dread because I fear saying the wrong thing, using an improper tone, or unintentionally coming across as rude.

 

To my shock, social anxiety vanished when I interviewed the refugees. I was certainly nervous about calling people I didn’t know, but once the conversations began, it was as if we had known each other all our lives. I was a stranger to them, and they all treated me like a granddaughter.  

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The word “Ecuador” means equator in Spanish. Ecuador sits on the world’s equator line, and in the capital city, Quito, tourists and locals often visit a monument called La Mitad del Mundo, translated as the Middle of the World. The area around the monument is where the northern and southern hemispheres meet.

 

According to the most recent technology, the monument is not quite on the equator line, but this is a more recent discovery, as the original measurement was calculated in the 1730s.

 

Since the story is about getting to Ecuador as soon as possible, I thought about calling the book The Middle of the World, but it just didn’t sound “catchy.” The Center of the Earth felt more natural.

 

I also wanted the title to focus on Ecuador for its role in accepting Jewish refugees when many other borders in the world were closed. Though I’ve never been to Quito, as my family is from Guayaquil, which is in a completely different part of Ecuador, the Middle of the World monument is very special to me. It reminds me of the geographical uniqueness of my ancestral country.

 

Q: Especially at a time of increased antisemitism, what do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: The world now seems a lot different than when I was a kid in the late 1990s/early 2000s. It feels like social media has permitted us to be harsh because we’re behind a computer or phone screen and not face-to-face with someone. There have been plenty of times when I have had to take a social media break because I can’t stand seeing so much hate right in my face.

 

Of course, hate does not only happen on the internet – it happens in real life as well. I am Latina and Jewish, and I have experienced vitriol just because of my background.

 

A few years ago, I was at the gym with my earbuds on, and a man was speaking to me, but I could not hear him through my music. I paused it and said, “I’m so sorry, could you repeat what you said?” He got in my face and responded, “You don’t speak English, do you?” Ironically, I was working as (and still do) an English educator at a community college.

 

Another time, I was talking to someone about my honest mechanic, and the person said, without hesitation, made a comment about how honest mechanics “are never Jewish.” In both instances, I still can’t believe that innocent conversations turned so repulsive within seconds.

 

The mission of the book is to show that hate is not only wrong but also dangerous. Though many Jewish refugees had their lives saved by going to Ecuador, all of them had several family members who were murdered in the Holocaust. One of them, Peter Philipps, had a cousin around his age who, unfortunately, did not make it out of Europe, and he was killed in Auschwitz.

 

All the people I interviewed told me they were grateful to have lived, but they also told me about those in their family who did not. Hate starts with words, but if left unchecked, it metastasizes like an aggressive cancer and creates an even greater threat: death.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m actually split on what to work on next! I have another dual point-of-view middle grade novel still in its early stages, which won a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators award, based on Peter Philipps’ cousin and a fictional friend. However, in my story, his cousin and his friend survive the Holocaust.

 

I have also been drafting a young adult novel, also historical fiction, that takes place in Huntsville, Texas, and it is based on a little-known topic as well. I am drafting it as a dual timeline, which has been fun!

 

I have lived in Texas my entire life, and two of my previous novels take place in Texas, but in fictional towns that I based on real places. Summer Camp Is Cancelled takes place in Bat Springs, which was inspired by Bastrop, and Heaven Isn’t Me takes place in Rey Carlos Island, which is heavily influenced by Corpus Christi. Maybe it’s time to write about a real place in Texas?

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: This advice is for anyone who is feeling hopeless about their writing career. I received over 150 rejections for The Center of the Earth. I started writing the book in 2018, and seven years later, it is finally a real book.

 

It took me FIVE years to finally sign with a new publishing house after my previous one shut down. There were days when I felt so despondent about my future as a writer, and to be honest, those days never fully go away.

 

Earlier this year, I felt so miserable, I could not think clearly enough to write anything new. I came very close to announcing my retirement from writing because I really thought I could never write again.

 

But then one day, I remembered that no matter what has happened or will happen, I will always be a published writer, and nobody can ever take my identity away from me.

 

Once I focused on this, I regained confidence and decided I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything in this world crush my soul, and neither should you. Remember to push forward, even when you’re in the deepest, darkest pit, because the more you push forward, the closer you get to the light.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb