Interview with MG Author Emma Otheguy

We are thrilled to have Emma Otheguy on our blog today! Read more about her newest middle grade, Cousins in Time of Magic. 

KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? 
 
EO: Cousins in the Time of Magic took a very long time to write, mainly because the process of historical research was so intensive. The book starts in current-day Miami, then the protagonists travel back in time to Virginia at the time of the Civil War, then they fly to Mexico in a hydrogen balloon and arrive in time for the Battle of Puebla (i.e. Cinco de Mayo). 
 
I read extensively about the 1860s and visited the important sites in the United States and Mexico while I was writing this book–and that was just the historical research process, not the actual writing! 
 
Figuring out the time travel and the magical element of this book took many, many, revisions. I have thirty-eight drafts saved on my computer, meaning that’s the number of times the changes I was making to the manuscript were substantial enough to merit hitting “Save As.” 
 
My editor was extraordinarily patient and I received a lot of guidance from her in the form of phone calls and editorial letters. The book was a big effort, but in the end I think we–and it really is a we because so many talented people worked on the book, including the editor and illustrator–came up with something pretty special: an accessible, action-packed adventure that tells the story of one of the most critical moments in America’s history from a too-often ignored perspective. I would do it again in a heartbeat. 
 
KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book?
 
EO: Poly Bernatene outdid himself! His illustrations certainly helped with the historical elements (for example, it is much easier to imagine an ironclad from an illustration than from a writer’s description). But more than that, the illustrations convey the characters’ emotions and add a feel of wonder to the whole book. 
 
It would be impossible to choose just one illustration, but I do particularly love the one of the children examining the sword by the light of an oil lamp. There’s something magical and a tiny bit spooky about the way he illustrated that scene. But I love the cover most of all–it’s fresh and inviting and makes me want to jump in the boat with those kids. 
 
KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?
 
EO: When I visit schools to talk to kids about this book, I tell them that history teaches us that we solve our problems when we work with, not against, our neighbors. It’s critical that kids learn that the United States does not exist in a vacuum, but rather, that our freedoms are intertwined with people throughout the Americas. 
 
I hope every single kid who reads Cousins in the Time of Magic gets swept up in an exciting adventure. If some of those kids learn the incredible role of Latinos in the history of the United States–and if that understanding becomes a part of them and stays with them–I will be thrilled. 

Click here to purchase a copy of Cousins in the Time of Magic: 
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cousins-in-the-Time-of-Magic/Emma-Otheguy/9781665915182
 

Emma Otheguy is the author of several books for young readers, including the picture books A Sled for Gabo and Martina Has Too Many Tías, the bilingual picture book Martí’s Song for Freedom, and the middle grade novels Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene, Cousins in the Time of Magic, Silver Meadows Summer, and, with Adam Gidwitz, The Madre de Aguas of Cuba, part of the Unicorn Rescue Society series. Visit her at EmmaOtheguy.com.