A former assistant to reknown literary agent Julie Castiglia, Jamie Martinez Wood is the author of several books in the young adult and nonfiction categories, including The Enchanted Diary, Como Te Llamas, Baby? and A to Z of Latino Americans: Latino Writers and Journalists, for which she recently won the 2008 International Latino Book Awards for Best Reference Book.
Congratulations on the award and thanks for this interview, Jaime. Why don't you begin by teling us about your latest young adult novel, Rogelia's House of Magic?
My latest book, Rogelia's House of Magic, is about three very different 15-year-old girls who learn about friendship and magic from a curandera, or spiritual healer. My inspiration for this novel comes from my desire to express to teens the need for a mentor whom they can trust and respect, as well as the importance of friendships and a strong belief in oneself. I wanted to convey that magic is real, not fantasy, and accessible through a relationship with the world, trusting in this connection (intuition) and conviction to your dreams.
How was your creative process while writing this novel?
I began Rogelia's House of Magic with an outline that morphed as the characters revealed the direction they wanted to take the plot. The storyline was a combination of three different aspects of my early life, represented by the three main characters. Because of the fact that there were three points of view, I needed to practice detachment from these teen experiences to present an omniscient arc rather than becoming bogged down in one character.
What type of writer are you - the one who experiences before writing, like Hemingway, or the one who mostly daydreams and fantasizes?
I prefer to experience prior to writing. My writing is largely an expression, interpretation, and healing process, with an eagle eye view of my relationships, beliefs, and life's events. I work through the stories I have told myself of my life through the pages of my books so that I can feel at peace, in acceptance, pleased, and excited about the life I have created.
As a writer, what scares you the most?
The thing that scares me the most about writing is that I will never actualize a strong, clear writer's voice. This fear is underlined by worry that I'll appear so far-fetched to become marginalized, an easy target for ridicule or hatred based on others' fear of the subjects I explore. Or that an editor or critic will say something that will change what I say to be more "marketable" or "mainstream" and I'll sell out. But I'm learning to be more courageous than anxious.
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