Skip to main content

Author Interview: Mae Respicio

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

How are you all celebrating? As part of my celebration, I'm sharing my chat with author Mae Respicio. Her middle grade novel The House That Lou Built (Wendy Lamb Books, 2018) is about Lou Bulosan-Nelson and her dream to build a tiny house (only 100 square feet!) all on her own and on land that she inherited from her father. This Filipino American coming-of-age story is the recipient of the Asian Pacific American Library Association (APALA) 2019 Honor Award in Children’s Literature. Keep reading to discover more about Mae and the book!

Congratulations, Mae! What inspired you to write The House That Lou Built?

There were many things that inspired this book such as my love of building, my desire to write a strong girl at the center of a coming-of-age adventure, and wanting to write a book set in the Bay Area! Although above any of these things what kept me inspired throughout the (sometimes grueling!) writing process, was wanting to write a book that focused on a large, loving Filipino American family. As a kid I was a huge bookworm but middle grade books about Filipino American families didn’t exist—even now they're still rare. I wrote The House That Lou Built largely as a love letter to my culture.

It is SO COOL that you're into building just like Lou! Can you please share a bit more about your experience in building?

I've always been very inspired by building, architecture and design, and I have been through the process of fixing up a house before. My family's first home was a fixer upper in Los Angeles. My husband and I were young and broke at the time, so we ended up taking on most of the renovations ourselves. I took free home improvement classes at our local Home Depot learning how to grout and do other DIY projects, that sort of thing, which was fun and also a huge learning process. Those experiences gave lot of spark to my development of Lou's character and in the tiny house idea.

What was your research and creative process when writing The House That Lou Built?

This is an #ownvoices book for sure, and I drew a lot from memories of my childhood and also just by watching my kids grow up as Filipino American. So a lot of details are familiar to me, like Lou dancing in a Filipino folk dance troupe or living with her lola and coming from a big, lively family. Even the settings are familiar to me since I live in the Bay Area—I really wanted to capture the essence of what places like San Francisco or the redwoods are like. As far as the tiny house element I’ve done a few of my own construction projects, including working on a couple of fixer upper homes with my husband. I’ve never lived in a tiny house though or have built one so I did research that aspect, which was a lot of fun. I spent time talking to people who’ve built them and visited a tiny house in person. The passion within that community is inspiring.

My writing process is that I write every single day and I set regular deadlines for myself, in addition to whatever deadlines I'm given by my editors. It took me a long time to figure this out, but my best advice if you're an aspiring writer is to still treat it like a jobthat means setting a regular writing schedule so that you're on your way to "building a writing practice." It's all about creating a habit of writing, even on the days that you're tired or uninspired (which happens for us all!). I've learned that the only way to get words down—and to keep improving your craft—is by having actual "butt in the chair" time. The good part is that the more you do this the more ingrained it becomes. I talk a little more about that here on Episode 66 of the MomWritesPodcast.

As a writer, what are your 10 essentials?

Oooh… hard/good one! Okay, l’ll try:

1. Paper (instead of the screen)
2. My favorite writing pen (Uni-Ball Air Micro—black for writing, red for revising)
3. Water
4. My longtime "writing date" partner
5. Writer friends who don’t want to talk writing and would rather get together for drinks and appetizers
6. Any café with no wifi
7. A good sense of what’s at stake in my story (and what my main character most desires)
8. Iced coffee
9. Chocolate
10. My trusty Neo2 Alphasmart Word Processor (seriously, look it up if you don’t know what this is—your writing will thank you!)

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on my next book, slated to come out in 2020! It’s another heartwarming coming-of-age middle grade novel about a twelve-year-old girl named Kaia. Kaia's obsessed with special effects make-up and uses her unique passion to help her family navigate through a sudden change in their lives.

Bonus: What kind of house are you? :-D

I’d like to think I’m a bahay kubo—the Filipino version of a tiny house!

Thank you so much, Mae! Dear readers, please make sure to grab The House That Lou Built when it's out in paperback in June!


Comments

  1. WWJD ..??
    Hmmmm...
    Thats avery poignant question.
    I think He'd try His best to save
    your soul, dont you??

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love you.
    Cya soon.
    be@peace.
    Dominus Vobiscum
    (Latin: peace BwU)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lemon juice, cranberry juice, and apple cider vinegar are some well-known natural detox drinks. They are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and boost your health by removing toxins from various parts of your body. Besides being inexpensive and easily available, these drinks act as a personal deep cleanser, so it takes some time to work effectively. To all the coffee lovers out there, here is good news. There are many benefits of drinking coffee, such as giving you a rush of energy and weight loss. But, are you aware of its detoxification properties? Coffee can be a life savior not just for people who need to stay awake, but for those who smoke weed because it is an all-natural diuretic. The more coffee you drink, the more fluids and toxins you release. But, it is advisable to drink water along with it and take vitamin B supplements before your drug test. Also, do not exceed the limits of your coffee consumption because you can experience some side effects. There is not an exact time or time frame during which all traces of THC will leave your system. The times it takes for THC to leave your system to differ from person to person. Usually, it takes about 30 to 60 days for the traces of THC to be expelled from your system naturally. A few days without drug use will not do the trick. Unless you completely stop consumption for 90-120 days in advance, this simply will not work. Some people think that hair dye and bleach can be an effective way to pass a hair follicle test. While this may help to change your appearance, it won’t do much to change your test result from positive to negative.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino (I Am A Good Filipino) by Noel Cabangon and Jomike Tejido

This one is a real crowd pleaser: Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino , Lampara Books ' 2012 picture book adaptation of Noel Cabangon 's song, with Cabangon's original Filipino lyrics, functional English translations by Becky Bravo , and illustrations by Jomike Tejido ! Cabangon's inspiring lyrics remind children of the ways they can be good Filipinos, such as doing their best in school and obeying their parents. There are plenty of reminders for adults too, such as following traffic rules and not selling their votes during elections. Tejido's illustrations are warm and wholesome, acrylic paintings on hand-woven mats that depict different ways to be good citizens.    You just can't go wrong with Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino ! Children and adults will understand and appreciate the lyrics and paintings. The chords of the song are provided, so music lovers can play and sing along. There are notes and guide questions for educators. There is even

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

There is a barren mountain aptly called Fruitless Mountain, and by it lies the dark Jade River. In the shadow of the mountain is a poor village where everything is the dull color of mud. In this village live Ba and Ma and their quick-thinking daughter Minli. Ba, Ma, and Minli work hard in the fields every day, yet they only have plain rice to eat for their meals. Ma sighs with discontentment all the time. Minli looks at her weary father, her dissatisfied mother, and her desolate village and wishes she knew how she could change their fortune. Ba has told Minli wonderful stories about the Never-Ending Mountain and the Old Man of the Moon who knows the answer to all important questions, for he alone holds and reads the Book of Fortune. Minli decides to find the Never-Ending Mountain and climb up to the moon so that she can ask the Old Man how she can change her family's fortune. And so begins Minli's journey. Along the way, she makes many new friends, including a dragon, a buffa

Author Interview: Edna Cabcabin Moran

This was originally posted at Into the Wardrobe on May 28, 2009. Today, I am SO PROUD to present my interview with Filipino American author illustrator Edna Cabcabin Moran . *bursts with pride* Welcome, Edna!! Author/Illustrator, Edna Cabcabin Moran. Photo by Mark Moran. Can you tell us a bit about your Asian American heritage? My parents are from Eastern Samar, Philippines, an historic island in the Visayan island chain. My father was a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer who brought my mom and older siblings to this country. I am the first American-born child in the family. Growing up, I always felt like I straddled two cultures. I'm very American in the way I dress, speak and carry myself. I don't know Tagalog and I lost touch with my parent's dialect, Waray Waray. However, I have strong cultural roots and have retained much of my Filipino-ness which includes a deep, abiding respect for the elders and their stories. Perhaps the family meal is a good indicator of how one is ra