Introducing Bettina Restrepo...

I know we at Wolfy Chicks tend to lend on the side of paranormal...but every now and then, something that has nothing do to with the supernatural, but is still extremely well, supernatural comes along. We have the great pleasure to introduce to you YA author, Bettina Restrepo. She part of the Class of 2k11 with her debut novel Illegal.
(Check out her page here: www.classof2k11.com)





Hi, Bettina Thanks for joining us!

1. What projects are you working on/have published?

My next novel is called Telenovela. A telenovela is a Latin flavored soap opera. Usually it’s over dramatic, a bit sexy, and lasts about 180 episodes. This YA novel follows Mercedes, a Colombian foreign exchange student, as she come to Texas. The novel has a an actual telenovela script set within the novel.

2. What's your road to publication story?

9 years with my butt-in-chair writing. A ton of rejections. Endless writing conferences and about a bazillion drafts.

3. Why YA?

My voice always turns back to myself at 15. I think I tortured myself a lot during those years.

4. Best writing advice you've heard?

Don’t publish fast. Publish well. – Cynthia Leitch Smith told me this over Chinese food in 2003.

5. What inspires you?

Life and people. A crack in the sidewalk, a funny expression, a mournful glance, stirring gray clouds.

6. Did you write stories as a teen? If yes, what has/hasn't changed?

No, but I told a lot of lies – which is great practice for writing. An effective liar should be a writer – if that doesn’t work out, the liar can become a lawyer or a contractor. 

7. Describe your office/workspace/writer's cave.

I like order. I have labeled files. I prefer to scan in what I think I’ll keep, and I throw away a lot. But, I write everywhere – while driving, while standing in line, while watching TV.

8. Who is your favorite character in your work and why?


Nora. Because she has been with me the longest and I’ve watched her change the most. Originally, when ILLEGAL was a picture book about a girl who lost a library book and was afraid she would be kicked out of school. She was 9 when I started and fourteen when I ended. I was afraid if I didn’t get published soon, Nora would end up in menopause.

Here's a blurb about Bettina's debut novel...

Harper Collins- Katherine Tegen Books, March 11, 2011

ISBN: 9780061953422

Nora is on a desperate journey far from home. When her father leaves their beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora fights to make sense of her loss while waiting for her father’s return and a better day. When the letters and the money from her father stop coming, Nora decides she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a harrowing experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place called Houston. Now, Nora figures out how to survive while still aching for small comforts: friends, a new school and a quinceaña to mark her fifteenth birthday.

We are all immigrants.

Bettina Restrepo’s powerful and deeply hopeful debut novel captures the challenges of one girl’s unique yet universal immigrant experience.


For more information on Illegal and to get to know Bettina please check out her website.
www.bettinarestrepo.com

Thanks for stopping by and chatting with us.