Q&A with Blanca Sissa

 

 

 

Blanca Sissa is the author of the new children's picture book Jewish Mindfulness for Kids. A teacher of mindfulness and kids' yoga, she lives in Madrid, Spain.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Jewish Mindfulness for Kids?

 

A: I would love for our future generations to be kinder and more peaceful so we can make this world a better place.

 

I am a mindfulness and yoga teacher, and throughout my career I have been able to see the impact of teaching these practices to young children, who benefit greatly by learning techniques that calm them down and help them self-regulate more and more every day.

 

We know kids nowadays are under a lot of stress from our digital nonstop culture. Sadly, most parents and teachers lack the tools to help them fight against it.

 

I believe the way to deal with our kids’ stress must be through techniques that speak their language. My book aims to provide the needed tools, by doing it in a playful tone, we can teach kids how to relax and connect with themselves.

 

I am convinced that childhood is the best time to plant the seeds of mindfulness in their young minds, so they will grow up to be healthier and happier. We can help our children to be better connected to themselves, and with the “here and now.”

 

Let me add a little here about how mindfulness for kids, and the Jewish side of meditation come all together.

 

When I became a mother, I got in close contact with childhood needs, tantrums, and fears. I understood that it was essential to teach kids techniques of emotional self-regulation, to help them calm down. There really wasn’t any material available so I decided to create it. That is how I entered the world of mindfulness for children.

 

From my study of Jewish traditions I learned about Yishuv Hadaat. This concept means to calm the mind. Yishuv means settling, and Daat means the mind. The term “yishuv hada'at” often appears in Jewish ethical works, and It is commonly understood to mean peace of mind, tranquility and composure.

 

Once I put them all together, the idea of working on Jewish mindfulness for kids took on a life of its own, and I am very excited about the book it has become.

 

Q: What do you think Camila Carrossine’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: This is the first time I have collaborated with Camila and I think she has done a great job. The illustrations are beautiful. I am very happy in the way they manage to convey exactly what the book wants to say, in such a way that even the youngest and new readers can understand it.

 

Q: How did you first get interested in the concept of mindfulness?

 

A: It all started with a personal experience. After a deep breathing session I always feel better. I know it works. Mindful meditation is a way for me to be more focused and calm.

 

I arrived at mindfulness from yoga, which I started practicing almost 30 years ago. As we have all heard by now, mindfulness is a type of meditation that connects us to the here and now, and yoga is sometimes defined as meditation in motion.

 

I studied mindfulness and became certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) of Jon Kabat-Zinn. I also follow the growing scientific research that validates its health benefits.

 

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

 

A: I would like children to know that they can take charge of their own well-being and peace of mind. Make them feel empowered, and not helpless.

 

Mindfulness can be fun and they can easily learn to consciously decide to pause, breathe deeply, and calm their mind to feel better when they need to.

 

I want them to have a good time and enjoy the activities in the book.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: At the moment I have three projects related to Mindfulness, Judaism and children.

 

The first one is a manual for teachers to learn how to teach Mindfulness and Yoga to children, the second one is about Jewish Mindfulness, and the third one shows yoga poses for little kids.

 

How to Teach Mindfulness and Yoga to Children is a manual specifically aimed at preschool and primary school teachers who want to use mindfulness and yoga resources in education.

 

Adding Mindfulness and Yoga to everyday school classes leads to calmer and more focused students with better grades, a healthier school environment and most importantly, happier kids.

 

Jewish Mindfulness. The Jewish people have a longstanding reputation of being “the people of the book”; nevertheless, we have, among our lesser-known traditions, a great respect for meditation.

 

I make the case to my adult readers, give them ways to meditate, calm the mind and do relaxation exercises that come from our ancestral tradition. Current fashion around mindfulness does not mention the Jewish people anywhere but we already had that practice for many years.

 

Jewish Yoga Poses teaches yoga poses to the little ones, using characters from the Jewish world as a guide.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Mindfulness should be a part of how we live our lives and not just a practice to do for 15 minutes every day. But if you, and your kids, do only the 15-minute practice that is also good.

 

When we are mindful we can enjoy who we are, manage our stress, make the best of every moment, and so can our children if we help them develop mindfulness.

 

We can make the world a better and kinder place by spreading mindfulness.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

April 2

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
April 2, 1805: Hans Christian Andersen born.

Q&A with Van Hoang

Photo by Francisco J. Zuniga

 

Van Hoang is the author of the new novel The Monstrous Misses Mai. Her other books include the middle grade novel Girl Giant and the Monkey King. She lives in Los Angeles.  

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Monstrous Misses Mai, and how did you create your character Cordi?

 

A: At first, I was simply obsessed with the aesthetics of 1950s fashion and hairstyles. The hats! The gloves! The coffee percolators! Like most women I know, I would love more pockets in my clothes, and wanted to put that into a book, as well.

 

In fact, The Monstrous Misses Mai is just filled with all the things I love, including the music.

 

When the story first emerged, I was stuck at home at the height of the pandemic on maternity leave, and had also just graduated with my master’s in library science with nowhere to go, and in a way, I wanted to escape into a different time period and be somewhere cheerful.

 

All those emotions went into this book, as well as our main character. Cordi was born out of a need to deal with some things I went through in my 20s, when I was her age.

 

Coming to terms with my family trauma and how difficult it is to make friends as you enter adulthood, though of course she is not me and I’m not her–she grew into her own character the more she left my brain and emerged on the page.

 

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

 

 A: I read books and magazines published in that time period–like Valley of the Dolls, Life magazine, Mademoiselle. I hunted down microfilms, searched online newspaper databases, and read as much as I could to get the voice and language of how people spoke, especially in L.A.

 

Thank God for libraries with local history departments, newspaper collections, and digital archives.

 

What I found most challenging was giving myself permission to write about a city that belongs to so many people and claim the authenticity to do so, because Los Angeles feels so old yet so young, vast but also a microcosm of diverse cultures with so much personality.

 

I wanted to know what daily life was like for single women in their 20s, so I printed an old map of Los Angeles during 1959 and plotted all the locations that appeared in the book, charting out how Cordi could get to work, what routes the girls would take during their outings.

 

I watched remastered YouTube videos of cars driving down streets during that time. I happened to have a friend who works for the L.A. County Planning Department, and picked her brain on the transit system and other past developments.

 

And of course, my agent Mary encouraged me to breathe 1959 into every scene of the book, and assigned me homework, like watching movies and shows or reading amazing books.

It helps that I absolutely love old documents, photographs, and anything that hints at what daily life was like. I spent hours looking at advertisements, classifieds, and missed connections, which I find so entertaining.

 

The research felt daunting at first–I didn’t set out to write a historical novel but one set in a secondary world inspired by the 1950s, but after early talks with my agent, I realized that I was just scared of the work. Once I got into it, I got really into it and found it so fascinating and gratifying. I think I’m addicted now.

 

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

 

A: There is this running joke in the Vietnamese community that when non-Viet writers make up Viet female characters, they always choose the name Mai.

 

It’s a popular name–I myself might know a Mai or five–so I wanted to take ownership of that and to also poke fun at how sometimes people in our culture will exhaust a name we really love.

 

My mom was one of many Nguyens, for example–though I know that has a lot more history behind it–and my sisters and I all have the same middle name (unfortunately, it is not Mai).

 

Also, the fact that Mai is not exclusive to Vietnamese people but is a popular name among other cultures made it feel like a nod to female solidarity.

 

Q: This is your first novel for adults after writing for kids--do you have a preference?

 

A: I am, at heart, a middle grade tween, so I will always love the silliness and wonder that goes into books for kids. If I hadn’t read some of my favorite books when I was that age, I might not be who I am or do what I do now, and the idea that I could, in turn, help shape someone else’s life is so gratifying and magical.

 

On the other hand, I really love being able to cuss in my adult books and to acknowledge the existence of drinking and sex without covering my eyes, so that’s a huge draw.

 

But joking aside, I love that in the adult space, I don’t have to hold back–I can explore any dark themes or scary details I want. Though you could say that about children’s books as well–I can be as silly as I want and there is really no limit to how silly I can be.

 

So, the short answer is no, I love them both.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m finishing the follow-up to The Monstrous Misses Mai, which is not a sequel. It’s set in 1930s Old Hollywood and there are ghosts and smokey magic and Asian aunties involved.

 

I’m having so much fun because it’s another novel in which I get to combine all the things I’m obsessed with while dealing with some real-life trauma on the page, on my own terms.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: This is a book about young women going through adulty things, and they all happen to be Asian.

 

It doesn’t set out to deal with any racism going on at that time because I believe that girls like me deserve fun stories too, to wear cute dresses with pockets, and to simply have problems that don’t directly address their ethnicity.

 

This book doesn’t ignore those issues. I literally cannot ignore those issues. I deal with microaggression every day. Which is why I didn't want to write a whole book about it. Women of color deserve to have stories without having to justify that they’re worth telling just because they don’t deal with the problems we have to deal with in real life.

 

And I honestly had a lot of fun writing this book so I hope readers have a lot of fun reading it too.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Christopher Reich

 

 

 

Christopher Reich is the author of the new novel Matterhorn. His many other novels include The Take.  

 

Q: What inspired you to write Matterhorn, and how did you create your character Mac Dekker? 

 

A: Matterhorn came about as a marriage of two long simmering ideas.  

 

The first was a spy story I’d been thinking about…something in the vein of John Le Carre, my favorite author, and maybe, Ken Follett. A story about two rival spies, both aging and out of the game, drawn back to their old careers for a final confrontation.  

 

The second idea was drawn from my love of outdoor/adventure documentaries, notably involving alpinism and climbing. I love the photographer, Jimmy Chin, who filmed “Free Solo” chronicling Alex Honold’s breathtaking climb of the face of El Capitan without any ropes or what is called, “protection.” 

 

I wanted to find a vehicle to bring Chin’s talents to my local movie theater…a fictional story where he could bring his skills to bear.  

 

Matterhorn is the result. Picture Jimmy Chin putting an IMAX camera on the face of the Matterhorn and filming George Clooney chase Brad Pitt (the two spies!) to the summit. Now that’s something I’d pay to watch!!  

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the novel, and, if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I’ve been to Zermatt many times. I’ve done a bit of climbing myself.I know the region. It’s one of the most spectacular landscapes on earth. 

 

Naturally, I’m fascinated by the Matterhorn. It’s the most iconic mountain in the world. The history of modern climbing begins with Edward Whymper’s daring ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. In addition, I watched dozens of videos showing the climb itself. 

 

What really thrilled me, however, was that these days the world’s elite climbers nearly run up the mountain in a bid to set new time records. What would take a normal guide eight hours – four hours up, four hours down – can be accomplished in 90 minutes or less.  

 

Naturally, they don’t have time to use any ropes. It’s just man against the mountain. The smallest mistake results in death. If you fall 4,000 feet, you have plenty of time to realize what’s coming! 

 

Q: Without giving anything away, did you know how the book would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying that I knew the story had to end on the Matterhorn. The fun was in figuring out how to get my characters up there. You never know how things are going to end up when you start a book. Once pen touches paper, anything can happen!  

 

Q: The novel is set in various European locations--how important is setting to you in your writing? 

 

A: Exotic locales and foreign destinations are hallmarks of all my books. I’ve lived in Europe and the Far East. I went to Outward Bound School in East Africa on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I have a love of travel…the farther away the better.  

 

Setting is everything to me. I want to take the reader to places he may never have been. Your imagination can transport you anywhere! 

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

A: Matterhorn is book 1 in my Mackenzie “Mac” Dekker series. All I can reveal presently is that there is a book 2 and that it begins in Paris at the wonderful Jules Verne restaurant on the second level of the Eiffel Tower. Odds are Mac won’t make it to dessert before something interesting happens….

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with C.M. Surrisi

 

 

 

C.M. Surrisi is the author of the young adult book The Bones of Birka: Unraveling the Mystery of a Female Viking Warrior. Her other books include the middle grade novel The Unofficial Lola Bay Fan Club. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Bones of Birka?

 

A: I have always had an interest in Vikings and Scandinavian culture. This fascination led me to a membership in the American Swedish Institute (ASI) in Minneapolis where I regularly attend exhibits and events. 

 

So it happened that I attended a lecture at ASI in 2019 that featured two archaeologists, Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson and Neil Price, who are leading experts on the Vikings.

 

They described the Viking town of Birka and how they had overseen the DNA testing of bones found in graves, with the result that the most well-established Viking warrior grave (Bj 581) was shown to be female, not male as always assumed. 

 

My immediate reaction was: mind blown … Sploosh. I wanted to write about this for kids. I was thinking, “female Viking warrior. COOL!”

 

This sent me on a three-year journey of learning everything about Vikings, archeology, Ancient DNA, academic research methodology, the peer review process, research bias, and so much more. And the people I met!! Oh, my goodness! 

 

But, definitely, it was the shocking reveal at the lecture that started it all. 

 

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

 

A: I practiced law for many years, and I approach writing nonfiction the same way I would write a brief. I deep dive into everything and follow all tributaries and side issues. Joyfully, I might add.  

 

In this case, I started with the archeologists Hedenstierna-Jonson and Price. I read all their papers and communicated with them initially by email. They were extraordinarily gracious and zoomed several times with me, helping me focus my research so it could best serve readers 12 and up. 

 

I learned that the events following the reveal of the DNA results turned out to be surprisingly fraught. By that I mean, when the research results were published, the archeological community went a little berserk. There was a vast wave of support for the results and an equal amount of rejection of their publications.

This, in and of itself, was odd since the results were straightforward scientific data. The bones of the sole person in the grave with all those weapons were XX, not XY. 

 

Those who refused to believe that a woman could have been a warrior were harsh critics. They felt that the role of Viking women was in the home and around the farm. They asserted that there had to have been a male body in the grave who owned the weapons, or that the lab results were incorrect.

 

Some challenged Hedenstierna-Jonson and Price by saying, “You can’t prove there wasn’t a second body in the grave at some point.” Price replied, “No, we can’t, but only in the same way that we can’t prove there was never a second female body there either. Or three of them in a pile, or an ostrich, or anything else for which there is no evidence whatsoever.”

 

These criticisms led the team to publish an in-depth, follow-up paper rebutting the contrary theories that had been advanced. The follow-up paper was filled with the details of the excavation of the grave in the late 1800s and all the research that transpired since, which included two different osteological examinations that concluded the bones were female. 

 

During the course of my research, I learned about ancient DNA, osteology, the original excavator, Hjalmar Stolpe, peer review, research bias and so much more.  

 

The thing that most surprised me was that people were willing to reject scientific results because they couldn’t or didn’t want to believe a woman could have been a warrior. 

 

Q: The writer Caren Stelson said of the book, “Surrisi’s in-depth and timely research turns Viking narratives into questions and doing so challenges our own biases about our history and ourselves.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I’m delighted by Caren Stelson’s comment. I carefully laid out the history of the dig, the science that accompanies archaeology, and all of the literature and research that is amassed to weigh facts and form interpretations.

 

I hope that readers will come to appreciate how this particular finding illustrates the challenge of evaluating ancient people without inserting our own biases into the interpretation.

 

Q: Can you say more about what you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson and Neil Price participated in a panel discussion with me at ASI to launch the book. Neil was asked what he hoped readers would take from the book and he answered, “that certainty is the enemy of science.”  

 

That is what I learned and what I have worked to deliver to readers through my book. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on a nonfiction book about the London Necropolis Railway, which alleviated the massive congestion of dead bodies in London during the Victorian era by transporting them to a vast cemetery several miles away.

 

It’s filled with gory details about the inception of public health reform, the politics around it, and the power of the Church of England over corpses. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Evaluating the people of the past is not the only time we should check our bias. It’s a worthy endeavor every day. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Claudia Recinos Seldeen

Photo by Kory Reid Photography

 

Claudia Recinos Seldeen is the author of the new young adult novel Definitely Not a Love Story. Her other books include the YA novel Everything I Know. She lives in Kansas City.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Definitely Not a Love Story, and how did you create your characters Ana and Alejandro?

 

A: My publisher, West 44 Books, was looking to publish more lighthearted teen romance. My editor, Caitlin McAneney (who is AN AMAZING POWERHOUSE FORCE OF NATURE) encouraged me to try to come up with a story idea.

 

I'm Guatemalan, so I knew I wanted to make both of my main characters Latine. I think representation is so important, and love is a universal experience. I also knew I wanted to write an enemies-to-lovers romance because that's my all-time favorite trope.

 

I came up with a basic idea for two characters who were completely different on the surface, but who had the same basic fear of being hurt at their core.

 

Ana's motivation was easy to find. We all fear giving our heart away because we see heartbreak all around us. Alejandro's was tougher because he's so upbeat and resilient on the outside. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that his insecurities came to light, and I got a feel for who he truly was.

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book called it an "endearingly romantic story told in engaging verse for reluctant readers." What do you think of that description?

 

A: I'm over the moon with that description! Definitely Not a Love Story is a verse novel, a genre that lends itself very well to romance.

 

The book is also intended to be accessible to struggling and/or reluctant readers. The language is pared down, but I took great pains not to oversimplify it or the plot.

 

I'm delighted that the Kirkus review speaks to the tone of the story, while acknowledging its appeal to a broad spectrum of readers.

 

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

 

A: It was always intended to be a tongue-in-cheek title. I wanted to write a story about a girl in denial. Throughout the story, Ana insists that love is not for her. She's confident she knows what her life story is, and that it's "definitely not a love story." But, of course, she's wrong.

 

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

 

A: I hope readers see themselves in the story. I hope they see that being afraid of rejection is a universal experience. I hope they find the courage to be afraid, but to put themselves out there anyway, because that's what life is all about.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm currently working on another verse novel. I can't reveal too much because it's still in the early stages. But I can tell you that it's definitely a love story...

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Definitely Not a Love Story will be released April 1, 2024. If you'd like to stay up to date on future books and book signings, you can find me on Instagram (@recinosseldeen) where I'm currently running a giveaway! You can also check out my website (www.recinosseldeen.com).

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

April 1

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
April 1, 1926: Anne McCaffrey born.