Q&A with Annette M. Clayton

  

 

 

Annette M. Clayton is the author of the new Magical Protection Agency series of chapter books for kids. Her other books include the JoJo series.

 

Q: What inspired you to create the Magical Protection Agency series?

 

A: This was a write-for-hire project. Lerner contacted me with the idea for a chapter book series about a two kids who helped magical creatures.

 

I accepted and began drafting the world of Moonstone and outlining the characters. I knew the series had to include all my favorite enchanted creatures—unicorns,  mermaids, trolls, and phoenixes.

 

For the main characters, Luisa and Leo, I drew on my own experiences growing up with lots of extended family. My cousins were such an important part of my childhood, I knew I wanted this story to feature a cousin duo. I choice a boy and girl so this series could be enjoyed by a wider audience.

 

Because I’m half Puerto Rican, I thought it would be fun if Luisa and Leo were too.

 

Q: What do you think Paula Zamudio’s illustrations add to the books?

 

A: The first time I saw a preview of her sketches, I knew she understood Luisa, Leo, and the world I was trying to create. Her whimsical style has so much detail. It really grounds the reader and makes them feel like they are staring into a magical world. 

 

Q: How did you create your characters Luisa and Leo?

 

A: When developing characters, I outline their physical features and personality traits. Next, I interview my characters. What are your favorite foods, hobbies? How to you handle tough situations? This way when I’m writing out an adventure for Luisa and Leo, I’ll already know how they will react and why they make the decisions they do.

 

When writing, everyone always says, use what you know. That’s true and it’s very helpful. I have nieces and nephews in elementary school and I listen to the way they talk, what they are interested in, and what they think is funny. Sometimes I watch cartoons to get inspiration as well.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the stories?

 

A: First and foremost, I simply want to get kids reading. Read my books, read graphic novels, read nonfiction, read anything! Reading has been shown to improve brain function, enhance focus, and help children to develop empathy.

 

These books in particular are fantasy adventure stories where kids problem solve to save the day. I want children to know that they can do hard things. Even if something seems too big or too scary, you can do it! Courage isn’t the absence of fear, its knowing something is scary and doing it anyway.  

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on an early chapter book series for Capstone, The Magic Book Box, coming out in 2027!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The Magical Protection Agency has four more books coming out in 2027! To learn more about me and my books, visit www.AnnetteMClayton.com

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Kimberly Behre Kenna

  

 

 

Kimberly Behre Kenna is the author of the new upper middle grade novel Lola Gillette and the Summer of Second Chances. Her other books include Jett Jamison & the Secret Storm. She is also an educator and she lives in Connecticut.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Lola Gillette and the Summer of Second Chances?

 

A: During the pandemic, I took a trip to Gillette Castle State Park here in Connecticut. Despite the fact that it’s near me, I’d never been.

 

The park itself was so beautiful – wooded trails, rock cliffs overlooking the Connecticut River – I knew I’d be back for a tour of the inside of the castle that sits at the top of the hill overlooking the property.

 

The tour was full of details of William Gillette’s life that immediately captured my imagination. Since I write middle-grade books, I knew kids would find this place to be an engaging and exciting setting for a story.

 

William Gillette was the first actor to portray Sherlock Holmes on stage, and his life as an inventor is equally interesting. He built the castle, and there are 47 doors in it, each with a unique hand-carved lock! I urge you to read up on him. You can start here.

 

Q: How did you create your character Lola?

 

A: Lola’s character sprang from that trip to Gillette Castle, and she evolved into a grieving twin thanks to my younger twin sisters. I was always fascinated by their magical connection and wondered what they’d do without each other.

 

Lola isn’t an imprint of either one of my sisters, but she is a combination of many aspects of them and me, along with a few dashes of imagination.

 

Q: The writer Eva Silverfine said of the book, “Kenna gives an authentic voice to a young adolescent struggling to come to terms with a tragedy and whether that tragedy will define her.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Eva’s comment gets to the heart of Lola’s story. Lola is convinced she could’ve avoided the accident that took her sister, Vinny’s life. That guilt infuses almost every aspect of her world. She believes Vinny was the better twin – smarter, kinder, and just plain old perfect.

 

Because of that, she feels she needs to live for both of them, to provide her parents with all that they’re missing now that they only have only one daughter, and the lesser of the two.

 

So Lola needs to step out of that guilt and poor self-image and into her true authentic and worthy self. She cannot let the tragedy of Vinny’s death define her because it lives outside of her, and though the tragedy and Vinny herself are a part of her life, she needs to go forward and reclaim life as Lola, an important and necessary person just as she is.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I didn’t know the ending before I started writing this story, as is usually the case for me. I needed to get a handle on how Lola behaves and evolves within a setting that also changes.

 

From there it was a non-linear path toward the ending when Lola reclaims her life by stepping outside of her faulty self-definition. This allows her to realize her potential to impact others (and herself) in a positive way.

 

The ending couldn’t exist without a lot of missteps on Lola’s part. This stepping out of her own way, this building of inner strength and confidence, led to a satisfying ending.

 

Also, since my audience is young readers, I make sure the ending reflects hope. That is the only certainty for me when it comes to story endings.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on final edits of a YA manuscript as well as a new MG. Both feature immersive nature settings and lots of questionable choices on the part of the characters. None of my books tie up perfectly at the end. This is purposeful since I hope my books encourage questions, conversations, and debates.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: You can head over to my website to find out more about me, my books, curriculum guides, and my author events.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Adam Barsouk

  

 

 

Adam Barsouk is the author of the new book Outsmarting Cancer: Risk Reduction and the Power of Prevention. He is a resident-physician at the University of Pennsylvania. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Outsmarting Cancer?

 

A: I lost the grandparents who raised me to rare blood cancers when I was only a teenager. Accompanying them to appointments to serve as their translator didn’t just expose me to the clinical world; it ignited a lifelong mission.

 

I went into the lab to study cancer and eventually became a physician, but the true "aha" moment came years later when I realized their malignancies were likely tied to radiation exposure from the Chernobyl disaster.

 

Seeing families in my clinic today being torn apart by cancers that could have been prevented is what drives me. This book is my way of honoring my grandparents’ legacy by turning a personal tragedy into a public tool for awareness and prevention.

 

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

 

A: When we talk about "Outsmarting Cancer," the conversation usually centers on high-tech interventions: immunotherapies, targeted agents, and cellular therapies.

 

But to truly outsmart an opponent, you have to stay one step ahead of it. To me, outsmarting cancer means addressing it at the root—long before a cell ever turns malignant.

 

As the subtitle "Risk Reduction and Prevention" suggests, we know that half of all cancer deaths worldwide are preventable. No single "miracle drug" will ever save as many lives as a collective, informed shift in our lifestyles and societal policies.

 

Q: Who do you see as the primary audience for the book?

 

A: Ultimately, it is for any adult concerned about their longevity or the health of their loved ones.

 

We are currently facing a startling trend where cancer rates among adults under 50 have more than doubled in the last 30 years. We now have an unprecedented amount of data linking cancer to modern environmental factors—obesity, pollution, ultra-processed foods, and microplastics.

 

This book is for the person who wants to cut through the noise of "wellness" trends and understand the hard science of staying healthy in a modern world.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: I hope readers walk away feeling empowered rather than afraid. A cancer diagnosis often feels like a stroke of inexplicable bad luck, but I want readers to realize how much agency they actually have.

 

My goal is for them to understand the "environmental architecture" of cancer so they can make informed choices about what they eat, how they live, and what they advocate for in their communities. I want them to see prevention not as a chore, but as the most effective medicine we have.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am starting oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and expanding my clinical research, specifically looking at how we can better utilize modern therapies in lung cancer and address disparities in cancer care.

 

Beyond the clinic, I continue to write and advocate for policy changes that address the systemic causes of cancer, bridging the gap between laboratory research and public health.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The book is available at all major retailers and through the Johns Hopkins University Press website—simply search for Outsmarting Cancer.

 

For those interested in the intersection of lifestyle, health policy, and my latest clinical research, you can find my full body of work in major newspapers and medical journals at www.adambarsouk.com.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Michelle Kaminsky

  

 

 

Michelle Kaminsky is the author of the new book Murder on the Trail: Mysteries, Deaths & Disappearances in National Parks. She has written three other true crime books.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Murder on the Trail?

 

A: There’s something undeniably creepy and disturbing about the idea that many people retreat into nature to find peace, yet that quiet and solitude can also pose incredible danger and risk, from both natural and human forces. When my publisher approached me with the idea for Murder on the Trail, that contrast immediately grabbed me.

 

National parks are the beautiful places we (some of us anyway!) go to feel restored and safe, so when tragedy occurs in those spaces, it feels especially unsettling. I wanted to explore the stories behind the headlines, focus on the victims’ lives, and examine the larger impact of these cases. 

 

Q: How did you choose the cases to include in the book?

 

A: I wanted to share compelling, human stories and the investigative journeys within them. Some are well-known and essential to any book about national park mysteries, deaths, and disappearances, while others are lesser-known cases that deserve attention.

 

In selecting cases, I sought a mix that reflected the book's broader theme: how ordinary landscapes can conceal extraordinary, and sometimes tragic, events. Each case offered something meaningful — whether it was investigative complexity, community impact, or a story that continues to resonate.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what surprised you most?

 

A: Research involved digging through archival newspapers, investigative reports, court records, books – any and all information I could find.

 

If you’ve been around true crime for five minutes, you probably would agree that investigative miscues tend to be the most surprising (yet somehow also entirely predictable) aspects — that “How could they have missed that?” kind of surprise is quite common. 

 

Back to my research, though, it was important to me to provide a broader context for the stories, so my research extended well beyond the case itself and into the time period when it happened.

 

A case can feel very different when you understand what was happening in the world at that time, socially, politically, economically — sometimes even meteorologically. Investigations never happen in a vacuum.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I hope readers feel the human depth behind these stories — the loss, resilience, and the lasting impact on loved ones and communities. I hope the book encourages greater awareness and compassion, reminding readers that real people exist behind the headlines.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on a new book for Ulysses Press that explores crime on cruise ships — another environment people associate with leisure and escape. Much like national parks, cruise ships operate in isolated settings with complex jurisdictional frameworks that can complicate investigations and accountability when something goes wrong.

 

To be clear, though, I promise I’m not trying to discourage everyone from taking vacations.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I love hearing from readers, especially when they share local knowledge or perspectives about a case —  the colder or more obscure the better! It’s a reminder that true crime isn’t just about the past; it’s about memory and how stories endure.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

March 22

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
March 22, 1908: Louis L'Amour born.

Q&A with G. Neri

  

 

 

G. Neri is the author of the new children's picture book My Bicentennial Summer. His other books include My Antarctica. He lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

 

Q: Why did you decide to write My Bicentennial Summer?

 

A: A few years ago, I came across some Polaroids I had taken on this trip, along with some souvenirs. It got me thinking: was it really as big a trip as I vaguely remembered it?

 

I started looking into it, trying to recreate our route and when things happened. And the more I laid it out, the more I started remembering.

 

And then I realized it was not only the makings for a great book, but a great vehicle to talk about the promise of America and what it means to be an American. That’s what the Bicentennial is all about. And what perfect timing to release in during our nation’s 250th birthday!

 

Q: What do you think Corban Wilkin’s illustrations, and the combination of graphics and old photos, add to the book?

 

A: Like its predecessor, My Antarctica, the combination of photos and drawings gives it a kind of scrapbook/travelogue feeling. In many ways, it helped me explore this country the way I explored Antarctica: from the curiosity of a kid.

 

Initially, it was hard to write about myself but seeing young me as a cartoon character really helped me think of it as an epic story of a family road trip…that just happened to be me! Plus Corban really captured our family dynamics at the time.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book calls it an “indelible family adventure exploring all things American—the good, bad, and ugly.” What do you think of that description, and how did you try to balance the “good, bad, and ugly” in the book?

 

A: When you’re a kid who’s never been anywhere but California, everything outside of that is a shock, either in a surprising way (accents, food) or an amazing way (national parks and monuments) or a kind of bad way (tornados, bears, war). I think it’s an apt description of the journey.

 

What I love most is that as a kid, I get to ask some very simple but profound questions: How did the Grand Canyon get so big? Why did they kill president Kennedy? Was Billy the Kid real? Why was there a civil war? Can we take a raft down the Mississippi like Huck Finn? Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? If all men are created equal, what about women? Or Black people? Or Native Americans? If you threw a penny off the Empire State Building, what would happen? How come people talk different in the South and the East? What is a crawdaddy? Best schooling I ever got.

 

Q: How would you compare the U.S. of 1976 with that of today?

 

A: Back then, we were coming out of a down period of the country: Vietnam, Watergate, the end of the moon landings. So the Bicentennial was about reclaiming the ideals of America as seen in the eyes of the Founders. It was a huge celebration and restored some national pride, however misplaced.

 

Now is similar: the loss of human rights, equality and the destruction of many of the major foundations of this country, has rocked people’s lives. But like the revolution, we are rising up to defend democracy. Just in time for our 250th birthday!

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

A: I’ve just finished two huge books that have been many years in the making: We Are All Apollo about the Black history of the space program and how it affected our quest for equal rights, and Black Chrysalis, my first foray into horror-fantasy epic storytelling. Both have been incredible journeys into the unknown.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Making this book has helped restore my faith in people and how our differences is what really binds us together as well. We are a nation of immigrants and different cultures and that’s what makes us unique. Our divisions are manufactured by outside forces looking to divide us.

 

But I still think we are more united than we realize, once you start exploring the country in person. I’ve traveled to 48 of our 50 states and met amazing people across the board. We the People is a real thing once you get out there on the road.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with G. Neri. 

Q&A with Robin Becker

  

 

Robin Becker is the author of the new poetry collection Midsummer Count: New and Selected Poems. Her many other books include The Black Bear Inside Me. She is a liberal arts research professor emerita in English and women's studies at the Pennsylvania State University, and she lives in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. 

 

Q: Over how long a period did you write the poems collected in Midsummer Count?

 

A: The poems in Midsummer Count span a 50-year period, forming a neat half-century.

 

I think of my first poems as emerging from the turbulence of the 1970s, especially the cultural shifts brought about by the women’s movement.

 

In a recent poem, the speaker refers to her mistrust of the current president and her fear of current government practices.

 

My first book, Personal Effects, came out in 1976 with Alice James Press.

 

Q: How was the collection’s title (also the title of one of the poems) chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Midsummer, for me, is the richest and most gorgeous time of year, and I’ve cherished it since I was a child.

 

In the poem, the speaker recalls a group of childhood friends—girls, “changelings,” genderless creatures not yet boxed and categorized. Comparing these pre-pubescent girls to ponies and ducks and young vassals, the speaker imagines herself in “bright plumage,” starring in her own “Midsummer Count.” A love for and an identification with other living creatures infuses the poem with joy.

 

At the same time, the longest day of the year portends the inevitable shortening of days, an “accounting” that requires we pay attention to time in its many manifestations.

 

The actual “Midsummer Count” refers to organized bird counts that take place throughout the year in various places. The Audubon Society leads two major citizen-participation bird counts, the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) in February. Others, organized by state (such as Connecticut) run summer bird counts.  

 

A “Midsummer Count” holds both glory and decline. It acknowledges the dualities and contradictions and inevitabilities within which we live our mortal lives. I thought it would make a good title for a New and Selected.   

 

Q: How did you choose the order in which the poems would appear in the book?

 

A: I thought about organizing the poems by theme but eventually decided to create a chronological collection, starting with the most recent poems. This choice emphasizes the book-by-book development, showcasing selected poems from each earlier collection.

 

As in every New and Selected,  this one does not include many poems that would contribute to a more “complete” picture, but space limitations required that I make hard decisions. A more “complete” picture will have to wait for another occasion!

 

Q: The poet Alicia Ostriker said of the book, “Robin Becker’s voice as a poet is unique. It is complex. There’s a rasp in it, but also a sweet viola.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I’m especially fond of Alicia Ostriker’s characterization of my voice here, and I’m grateful for the words “rasp” and “sweet viola.” Sometimes we want language that abrades or files or scrapes; and, sometimes we seek language that sings—delicious, fragrant, fresh. I like thinking that Alicia found complexity and a range of tones in this book.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Like many poets, I’m trying to find a way to respond to our current political climate, and I’m struggling to find the language to do so. Simultaneously, I want to write about this “new” stage of life; I’ll be 75 years old in March.

 

Oddly, when I start to write about being an older person, I end up recalling —and writing about—an important childhood event. I’m currently working on a poem that includes the young Black woman who left Georgia to work for my family in Philadelphia, caring for two white children while leaving her own son in the care of her mother.

 

I’m interested in the impact of the Great Migration on white, Jewish families like mine. All of my grandparents were born in Russia or what was called The Pale of Settlement.  

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Interviews, readings, and publications related to the book will take place throughout 2026. Please check my Amazon author page and my UNM Author page for information on readings around the country this year.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb