A single book magically changed a life. Hollyn talks to award-winning author Alda P. Dobbs about her childhood spent dodging a harsh kindergarten teacher and resisting English to the night she read The Catcher in the Rye straight through, discovering that stories can carry a person across borders without moving an inch. From there, we trace the spine of her Petra Luna novels to the heartbeat of her great‑grandmother’s escape during the Mexican Revolution, layered with her grandmother’s poverty, her mother’s grit, and Alda’s own experience returning from military service to a world that looked at her differently.
We go deep on research that makes history breathe: oral histories of children who survived the revolution, refugee accounts in period newspapers, and the field notes of journalist John Reed traveling with rebel troops. Alda explains how corridos and folk songs shaped scenes and tone, and why she carefully places Spanish words into English prose so readers feel the cadence without reaching for a glossary. We talk craft, too—how studying The Hunger Games helped her structure momentum and build a heroine whose resilience feels urgent and real for today’s classrooms and book clubs.
Then we pivot to her picture book, The Giving Flower: The Story of the Poinsettia, uncovering a surprising journey from Aztec gardens to Spanish legend to an American ambassador’s greenhouse. Alda shares the discipline of picture‑book writing—500 to 800 words where every syllable earns its place—and the collaborative art process that turns research into luminous spreads kids want to revisit. Throughout, the throughline is connection: stories as bridges that let a Ukrainian child, a Texas teacher, or a bilingual family see themselves in a girl crossing a desert a century ago.
If you value history that feels human and craft tips you can use, hit play and join us. Subscribe, rate, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories—and tell us which moment stayed with you long after the outro.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Hollyn (00:05):
Welcome to Stories Without Borders the podcast.
I'm your host, Hollyn.
Here we interview people whouse the power of stories and
service to promote connection,empathy, and understanding
around the world.
You can learn more online atstoriesithoutborders.org or
follow us on Instagram andYouTube at Stories Underscore
Without Borders.
Thanks for listening.
Here's today's episode.
(00:27):
Today we are speaking withaward-winning author, Alda P.
Dobbs.
Alda is the author of thehistorical novels Barefoot
Dreams of Petra Luna and TheOther Side of the River.
Barefoot Dreams of Petra Lunareceived the Pura Belpre Honor
and is a Texas blue bonnetmaster list selection.
Alda's passionate aboutconnecting children to their
past, their communities,different cultures, nature, and
(00:50):
writing.
Her upcoming book is titled TheGiving Flower: The Story of the
Poinsettia.
It's a picture book about thehistory of the Poinsettia flower
and the holiday traditions ithas inspired.
So welcome Alda!
Alda (01:01):
Thank you.
Thank you, Hollyn, for havingme here.
Hollyn (01:03):
Of course.
Thank you so much for comingon.
I'm super excited to dive intothis interview.
I've heard you speak a lotabout how you were born in a
small town in northern Mexico,but moved to America at a very
young age.
And you've also mentioned thatyou never really enjoyed writing
as a kid and that you neverreally engaged in writing as a
kid.
So I'm wondering like, wasthere a specific moment where
(01:25):
you realized, oh, this is what Iwant to do?
This is my jam.
Alda (01:29):
No, that's a great question because yeah, I moved
here to the United States fromMexico when I was a baby, but
everything in my neighborhoodwas in Spanish.
So I didn't learn English orstart learning English until I
got into kindergarten.
And the teacher I had there inkindergarten, he had his own
traumas.
He was a-- he spoke Spanish,but it was me and this immigrant
(01:53):
boy that he just he would getfrustrated because we didn't
learn English fast enough.
And so he would get hisfrustrations out on us, and I
was terrified of him.
He would shake us and dodifferent things like that.
And and I was terrified of him,I was terrified of English.
I had him for kindergarten,second grade, and fourth grade.
(02:13):
By the time I was in the fourthgrade, I spoke English a little
bit better, but I didn't likethe language.
I didn't like him, I didn'tlike the language, I didn't want
to read books, I kind ofrebelled against English.
And I told myself, you knowwhat, I don't want to do
anything, have anything to dowith English.
I will stick to math becausemath comes easy.
And, but something I did likethat I never put books and
(02:37):
English together is the stories.
I love stories.
I love storytelling.
And so since I was little,stories have been my favorite.
And to the point that when Iwas out playing with friends, I
would be talking to their auntsor their uncles, grandparents
about a story, and my friendswould be like, come on, let's go
outside and play.
And I'd be like, No, you know,wait, your your aunt's almost
(02:58):
done with their story, you know,because I wanted a story, but I
never put two and two togetherthat books are stories.
And it wasn't until I was 16years old, I was working in a
mall and in the food court, andafter we shut the or closed the
restaurant down for the night,cleaned, I took the bus back
home the way I always did.
(03:19):
And that night I remember I haddone my homework, so I was
about to put my backpack downand take a nap because I was
exhausted.
Before putting my backpackdown, there's a book there next
to me, and I picked it up and Isaid, I wonder what this is
about, and it was saidCatcher in the Rye.
And I said, Ah, I wonder, youknow, what this story is about.
(03:39):
So I sat there and, you know, Ihad done my homework, so I
opened it up, started reading,and I was blown away.
I-- the magic of books came tome at that moment, and I read it
the whole night.
I didn't go to sleep that nightand finished it in the morning
right before school.
And I said, This is incredible.
I'm like, this is magicalbecause I was that character in
(04:00):
that book, even though I wasvery different from that, you
know, that white kid from theNortheast who's rich.
I was a poor Mexican girl fromthe south side in San Antonio,
but I was him, that angst, thatfeeling that was me.
So that's the first time that Itold myself, maybe I could do
this one day, you know.
But of course, you know, Itried my best throughout high
(04:23):
school to learn English better,how to write it.
I read a lot more books.
I felt like I had a lot ofcatching up to do.
Once I got into college, I tookthe entrance exams and did
really well in math.
But when I came to English, Ibombed it, you know.
And that's when I realized, youknow what, the the universe was
telling me not not to be awriter.
(04:44):
So so I just put that dreamaway and went into physics and
engineering, and that was mycareer.
It wasn't until my 30s that Iactually had the courage to
finally realize that I do have apassion for telling stories and
writing.
Hollyn (04:58):
Yeah, and now you have two amazing novels out in the
world.
Alda (05:01):
Thank you.
No, I'm very humbled.
Hollyn (05:03):
Yeah, it's-- they're really incredible, and they have
this story about the MexicanRevolution.
So a little historical contextfor our listeners.
The Mexican Revolution was acivil war and a political
uprising from 1910 to 1920 thatfought to overthrow dictator
Porfirio Diaz.
Something that really surprisesme is that not a lot of people,
a lot of my American peers,they don't really know that much
(05:27):
about the history of theMexican Revolution.
It was taught to me in school,but it-- we never really went
in depth to it.
And the book sort of reallyreplenished that and sort of
filled in the gaps.
And I mean, now I know a littlebit more because I did my
research, I was like, this isincredible.
But I heard you speak and yousaid that they were inspired by
your great-grandmother'sjourney.
(05:47):
And so I was wondering if you'dlike to touch on that, like how
much of Petra's journey wasbased on your grandmother, and
how much of it was, you know,fictionalized or made up.
Alda (05:58):
Yes, it was-- it's a little bit of everything.
It's a collection of storiesyou do growing up, and then you
throw everything, you know, thatyou feel that comes to you
naturally in the story as itunfolds.
So, yeah, the the story, theheart of the story was based on
my great-grandmother's journeywhen she escaped her town, and
they were burning down her town,the Federales, and her and her
(06:20):
family had to cross the desertescaping the the Federales who
were after them.
So a lot of the, like I said,the heart of the novel is based
on that.
But there's other scenesbecause my grandmother was also
very poor.
And there are a lot of scenesthat that I actually depict my
great-- my grandmother'sexperiences too, being poor.
(06:40):
And that's something that Ithrew in there and also
experiences my mom had, and evenexperiences I had.
For instance, when I joined themilitary, I-- being the first
woman in my family to joinsomething like that, and that
had its own experience.
Once I came back after joiningthe military, people looked at
me differently, they treated medifferently.
(07:02):
So part of that too went intothat story.
So it's a lot, it's acollection of things.
But yeah, the the heart of thenovel was based on my
great-grandmother.
Hollyn (07:10):
I actually-- something I was really impressed with about
your grandmother's story isthat she taught herself how to
read.
Alda (07:15):
Yeah, I was impressed.
That's something that alwaysimpressed me about my
grandmother, that at the age ofseven, she wanted to go to
school bad.
I mean, she saw other kidsdoing it, and at one point she
said, around that age, she went,I think she was nine, she went
to school, just showed up, andher father found out and pulled
her out of the class and said,What are you thinking?
(07:36):
You don't belong here.
You you have to go work.
This is not for you.
And she said, But I want tolearn how to read and write.
And they said, No, no, that'snot for you.
You have to work.
So they pulled her out and andshe was upset, frustrated, but
she said, You know what?
I somehow, somehow I'm gonnafigure it out.
I don't know how, but I'm gonnado it.
So what she did is every timeshe saw a sign or anything in
(07:58):
writing, she would ask peoplearound her that knew how to read
and write what that said.
And little by little shestarted putting sounds to
letters, and by the time she was12, she figured it out.
It was like breaking a code.
Hollyn (08:09):
That's amazing.
Alda (08:10):
Yeah, to me, for a little girl to have that determination
at nine to say that and fulfillthat promise-- to me, that that
is so impressive.
Hollyn (08:19):
It's incredible.
I see a lot of that spark andresilience in Petra as well.
Like I can totally see thesimilarities, but I also-- I
don't know your grandmother, ofcourse, but I feel like they are
two completely differentcharacters, and Petra is really
well fleshed out, and I feellike she's like really living in
the novel.
And so I'm just wondering like,how was that research process?
(08:40):
What was it like for you?
Alda (08:41):
It was great.
I had to-- there's a lot offamily stories I had to jot
down, remember, and also go backto family members and hear, you
know, because every time youyou speak to different family
members, you get a differentversion or you get new details
that you could add.
And then I also went the otherway.
I went to the library and justsearched a bunch of books on the
Mexican Revolution, especiallythe ones that touched on the
(09:03):
topic of children in therevolution.
To me, that was valuablebecause there's a lot of people
who had been interviewed lateron, decades later, they recalled
their experiences as kids inthe revolution.
And that was gold to me becausea lot of it, you know, there
was parallels in the emotionsand whatnot.
But I was able to use that forthe book to create the
(09:28):
characters.
Hollyn (09:29):
So you have two books in the series.
I've heard a lot of writers,and they've all said that the
sequel of the first book isalways the hardest book for them
to write.
Was that true for you?
Alda (09:38):
Yes and no.
I would say in a way, no,because I didn't realize I had
two books.
I kept writing and writing andwriting.
So until my husband, you know,began reading the whole thing
and he said, Wait a minute, itseems like you have two books
here.
And I'm like, I have no ideabecause this is the first time
I'm doing this.
And it wasn't until I got anagent that she's the one that
said, Yeah, you have two novelshere.
(09:59):
And I was like, Oh my goodness,this is great.
So by the time I signed thecontract for the first novel,
the second one was about 70%complete, so it wasn't too bad,
you know.
So it helped, you know, that Ihad both almost written.
But the third one that theycall it the sophomore, I
consider this one my sophomorenovel, the one I'm working on
right now, which is a differentcharacter, it's not Petra Luna.
(10:22):
That one is challenging becauseit's all from scratch.
A new character, new setting,new world.
And yeah, that one it is achallenge.
Hollyn (10:31):
So will there be more books and or stories about
Petra?
Or are you thinking of justsort of ending it there?
Alda (10:36):
I'd like there-- there's people that have asked me about
Marietta.
Hollyn (10:40):
Oh, yeah.
Alda (10:41):
They're like, are you gonna write a book, you know,
about Marietta, like a YA novelor something?
Because more people want tofind out about her.
Hollyn (10:47):
Yeah.
Alda (10:47):
She was the soldier that Petra Luna comes across when
she's begging for money.
Hollyn (10:53):
Yes, I remember.
Alda (10:53):
Yeah, and that she's one of the rebels.
Yeah.
And I've been told about PetraLuna too.
Because I I like the way thesecond book ends, it you know,
leaves it in the question, likeit's up to you what you want her
to follow through with.
But yeah, it just depends onyou know a lot of
circumstances.
I guess if my publisher asks,you know, for that.
Hollyn (11:13):
Yeah.
Alda (11:14):
We'll see, maybe I'll do a spin-off on Marietta one day.
Hollyn (11:17):
Yeah, that's so cool.
And I know the rebels were anactual thing.
So did you do any research?
Did you do any interviews?
Were there any like interviewsfrom the survivors of the
Mexican Revolution that wererebels?
Alda (11:29):
Yeah, but my research was on books, reading a lot of books
on interviews.
There's one by a journalist,his name is-- I think it's John
Reed.
He went with a bunch ofthe troops and interviewed and
you know, took notes of theirdaily lives.
And that book was just golden.
I loved all the information ithad there.
And I used a lot of that.
(11:50):
And also newspapers, you know,there was a lot of journalists
during that time that wouldinterview refugees coming over
to describe what they wereleaving behind.
So I researched that as well.
And yeah, read a lot of books,not only on the people's
experiences, but also on thepolitical side, the turmoil,
(12:11):
because it it's amazing.
I always tell people there'sthe the show Game of Thrones.
And yeah, that's how I feltMexico was like everybody was
trying to sit on the throne, andbut at the same time, you know,
people are suffering because ofthat.
And just the parallels how yousee that in history repeating
(12:31):
itself again too politically.
Hollyn (12:33):
Yeah.
So I wanted to congratulate youon your newest upcoming picture
book, The Giving Flower, Thestory of the Poinsettia.
So can you tell us a little bitwhat it is about and what the
process of writing the storywas?
Alda (12:48):
Yeah, so it was a lot of fun because I first of all I
love the flower.
I think poinsettias, I I keepsaying pointseta, but it's
poinsettia.
It's very, I love that flower.
But so my I knew it came fromMexico, but I didn't know to
what extent or or how.
So one time, one Christmas,two, three years ago, I said,
(13:09):
you know what, let me find outabout this flower.
And I found out that the Aztecswere the first to cultivate the
flower.
So I was amazed, been surprisedby that.
I didn't realize it was thatold.
And then at the same time, Ithought it had always existed as
what we know now.
But no, it was very, verydifferent.
You know, first it was at thebeginning it was wild, and it
(13:30):
was in kind of, I guess the wordwould be tamed.
It was in, you know, it justgrew just the petals were all
over.
They weren't really neat andorderly the way they are now.
But the Aztecs were the firstone who got the plant, started
cultivating it to make it growstronger and prettier, and they
used it for different things,medicinal purposes, for inks and
(13:52):
stuff like that, and also todecorate their homes.
They liked it, and you know,they they liked how it flowered,
how it bloomed in the winter.
And later on the Spanish cameand they also were mesmerized by
the flower, and a legend cameout of that.
And it wasn't until Mexicobecame independent, and United
(14:13):
States sent its first ambassadorto Mexico, and his name was
Poinsett.
And he's the one that saw theflower and was just enamored by
it, sent cuttings back home, andback in the US, it just took
off.
I mean, people loved it.
So, of course, they named itPoinsettia in honor of him,
right?
So that's when I said, Oh, Isee now the whole relation.
(14:34):
And to me, connections, I lovefinding connections within
history, within people,cultures, traditions.
And I found that big onebetween the United States and
Mexico.
And of course, being fromMexico, I love that and living
here, you know, because I loveboth countries.
So yeah, I found thatconnection.
I said, okay, I have to explorethis more.
And so, yeah, that's how theresearch, you know, began more
(14:57):
thorough and all that.
And realizing that I had neverseen a book like this that
explained the whole history ofit.
So I thought it was a goodopportunity to again show kids
that history, which I'mpassionate about.
Hollyn (15:08):
What was it like working with an illustrator for the
entire novel?
I mean, was it the entirenovel?
Alda (15:14):
It was interesting because with the-- in the publishing
world, the publisher chooses theillustrator.
So yeah, they chose EmilyMendoza, and I am so fortunate
they chose her because yeah, shedid incredible work.
And like I tell kids, becausethey all ask me about the the
cover of the books too, for likeBarefoot Dreams, if I had any
(15:34):
say.
So and I said, Yeah, they'llask me for suggestions, but it's
the publisher who decides whatto do with the covers.
And the same thing with the artfor for the picture book.
But like I tell kids again,it's a whole team that goes
behind the work and the art.
Just in-- the example I use islike in movies, you know, you
have a movie director whodirects the actors how to act
(15:58):
and what to do.
Here you have the art directorwho tells the artists what they
need to draw, you know, what howto place it and whatnot.
For instance, the BarefootDreams of Petra Luna, I met met
the artist, John J.
Capway, and he's phenomenal.
And he told me that he doesn'tread the books when he does the
art.
And I was you know dumbfoundedwhen he told me that because I
(16:19):
said, Well, Petra looks likePetra, and and you have all the
you have the comet, the moon,and all that.
So how do you know Petra if henever read the book?
He said he doesn't like readingthe book because he doesn't
want to be biased in terms ofthe art, what he does.
So he relies on the artdirector to tell him what to
draw and how to draw it andstuff like that.
So he follows that direction.
(16:40):
So it's amazing just the theamount of people that come
together to to create a book.
You know, it's not just theauthor, there's you know, many,
many, many people behind thatbook.
Hollyn (16:50):
What was the process like writing this book versus
writing Petra Luna and The OtherSide of the River?
Alda (16:57):
It's it's very different with the novel.
You have I-- I've pictured likea huge playground where you
just run-- a whole forest, youknow, you could run wild and and
create different things.
In a picture book, you'reconfined to small space, which
is usually 500 to no more than800 words, and each word weighs
(17:18):
a lot.
So you gotta make sure youchoose the right word for that
right sentence.
I mean, and editors will getreally picky, like, why are you
using this one word?
You know, and it's yeah, it'slike that.
And so I learned that thatlesson, but at the same time, I
appreciate the language more.
And I was fortunate that I gotto translate it in Spanish,
(17:42):
which is a different techniqueof writing.
But again, each word weighs alot.
And I just I fell in love withSpanish all over again just
because of the words, youknow, how they sound, how they
flow together, how they connect.
And yeah, it's just a-- it's ithas its own challenges, but it
(18:04):
also has its own treats, youknow, and surprises when when
you write them.
Hollyn (18:08):
The challenge for the picture book for you was just
the limit to the words?
Alda (18:12):
It was the limit to the words, but also the the fact
that they have to fit togetherlike a puzzle.
Hollyn (18:17):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Alda (18:18):
They have to flow.
And I noticed that when youwrite in English, sometimes it's
easier, quote unquote.
It could be easier becausewords in English a lot of times
are single syllable.
And you know, for instance, thebody parts you have feet, head,
nose, eyes, you know, it's allsingle-syllable words.
So to me, I'm used to thattechnique of how to make things
(18:39):
flow when it's a single syllableword.
But in Spanish, you know,again, you take the body, you
have oreja, espalda, you know,rodilla.
So you have different, youknow, multisyllable words.
So you're gonna have to find adifferent way to make things
fit.
But so that that was achallenge in translating, but
(18:59):
also in writing and making itflow and also making it
interesting for kids to gettheir attention and at the same
time teach something.
So yeah, there you have a lotof things coming at you at once,
and you're kind of confined tothis little space, and you have
to do it all-- the magic trickshave to be done right here and
there.
You know, you don't have thisample space like you would in a
(19:20):
novel.
You have more freedom, butyeah, both have their good
parts and challenging parts.
Hollyn (19:26):
Do you have a favorite writing exercise that helps you
get out of like a writing slumpor writer's block?
I do.
If I'm really stuck, I tend towalk away, go for a walk, just--
or jog, you know, just get awayfrom, you know, because the
more I stay there, the harder itis to get out.
Yeah.
Alda (19:43):
Or if I'm under pressure that I have to write something,
something I like doing isgetting my favorite book,
opening it up, and start typinga scene from that book.
And before you know it, I I'mitching to go back to my work,
you know, and sometimes I don'tlet myself, I'm like, no, no,
let's make-- let it grow, youknow, and and to the point that
I'm like, okay, I'm ready, I'mready, and I'm just itching to
(20:05):
go back.
And so that helps me a lot.
Hollyn (20:07):
What book do you turn to the most if there is any?
Alda (20:10):
It depends what I'm working on.
For instance, Barefoot Dreamsof Petra Luna.
I studied the the Hunger Gamesa lot for that.
So I read that book probablyover, you know, 20, 30 times.
But uh, but that's one book Iwould type and it would motivate
me just because I seePetra Luna, you know, trying to
help her siblings, trying tofight, you know, the people that
(20:34):
are after her and and trying tofulfill her dreams, you know.
So that's I saw a lot of hercharacter in Katniss.
So yeah, that was my myfavorite go-to book.
Hollyn (20:45):
They have a lot of the same spark and sort of energy.
So that makes sense.
I know Katniss's character,and she's sort of like, oh, I
volunteer as tribute to go andplay in these games.
And I see a lot of that inPetra, maybe not like I
volunteer to, you know, but Ifeel like I see a lot of that
same sort of resilience and sortof the same, I'm going to help
(21:06):
my siblings, I'm going to learnhow to read, I'm going to learn
how to write, I'm going to go toschool, I'm going to get a job
to support my family, and alsoI'm going to go find my papa.
A lot of that is in Petra.
And honestly, just the more Ithink about it, the more it's
like, okay, yeah, that totallymakes sense.
So you are bilingual, correct?
Alda (21:23):
Yes, I am.
Hollyn (21:23):
That's amazing.
Do you speak English andSpanish?
Alda (21:27):
English and Spanish, yes.
Hollyn (21:28):
Gotcha.
How do you think yourbilingualism has influenced your
writing?
Like, I know you said that likewhen you were translating The
Giving Flower, it sort of feltlike you fell in love with the
language again.
But has the bilingualism sortof influenced like your writing
even before you translated thebooks?
Alda (21:44):
It has.
That's an interesting questionbecause looking back at
Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna,the English version, I have a
lot of Spanish words in there.
Hollyn (21:52):
Yeah.
Alda (21:53):
And even choosing the right Spanish word so that the
so that it wouldn't bedistracting, I had to do that.
I had to work and focus, okay,what what Spanish word can I put
in this phrase that won'tdistract the reader?
Because a lot of people say,well, you don't have a glossary
in the back of the book, but Istill understand what's what the
(22:13):
references in the Spanish word.
And that's what I meant to do.
I wanted for the reader tounderstand what was being said
without having to say, okay, letme look at the dictionary and
see what it is.
And I do have a glossary in mywebsite in case you know some
people were like, because thereare there are people who say,
no, I do want a glossary, so Iput one on my website.
But yeah, choosing the word sothat it flows.
(22:35):
So I liked it because it wasplaying with two languages at
the same time.
How can I make it flow with youknow, if I embed one Spanish
word on there?
Hollyn (22:46):
Gotcha.
Yeah, because when I read it,it was-- I didn't, I mean, I
speak Spanish, so I mean it'sprobably a little bit easier for
me, but I didn't really feellike it was like, oh, what does
this mean?
Because there are still someSpanish words that I don't know,
but I didn't think that Oh, Ineed to know what this means, I
don't understand.
I felt like it was reallyintegrated into the story very
(23:07):
smoothly and very nicely.
So yeah.
Thank you.
Of course.
Alda (23:10):
And a lot of people told me too that it almost sounded
like Spanglish, you know, andthere's some paragraphs there
that have more Spanish words,and I'm like, yeah, it's
probably hearing my family talksometimes when it makes Spanish
and English, and then it kind ofnaturally I'm like, oh, that's
that's why we use these wordslike this, because naturally our
speech, you know, we try tosometimes, especially in
(23:32):
Spanish.
My husband says this that thatSpanish tends to be more poetic
than English naturally.
Hollyn (23:37):
Totally.
Alda (23:37):
So because sometimes I'll tell him I'll interpret songs or
something my mom said, and he'slike, Wow, that is beautiful,
you know, that should be poetry.
I'm like, that's just with theway we talk.
But yeah, now when we mix both,you know, it's it I think it's
a new form of poetry when wemix both languages.
Hollyn (23:55):
Yeah, I mean, there's actually a song I listened to in
Spanish, and one of the lyricswas que cosa fueras la masa sin
cantera, and that translatesinto what would the masses be
without the singer?
I mean, which one sounds morepoetic.
I mean, I mean the Spanish onejust sounds like lyrical and
smooth.
And the English one, just likehere is straight fact and more
(24:17):
fact.
Alda (24:17):
Yeah, that's what my husband says like in English,
nobody would, you know, peoplewould laugh at that song, but in
Spanish it just sounds so sobeautiful.
Hollyn (24:24):
Yeah, and the message too, it's like who's gonna sing
life?
Alda (24:28):
Exactly right.
Hollyn (24:29):
And I feel like honestly, I mean, I just brought
that song out of nowhere, but Ifeel like that kind of ties
into Petra as well because thereare some songs in Spanish that
are incorporated into the booksof Petra.
Alda (24:40):
Yeah, yeah, music.
I mean, the songs, because Ithink the-- in any war, like the
Civil War, World War II, alot of wars, people will come up
with their own songs and musicand all that.
So that's why I had toincorporate a lot of the music
because it it gives feeling tothe texture to the novel, to the
(25:02):
story.
Hollyn (25:03):
Yeah.
And did you listen to music atall when writing the Petra Luna
books?
I did.
I did.
A lot of times the MexicanRevolution songs, there's a lot
of folk songs that they wroteduring that time that if you
really listen, there's messages,you know, of what's going on,
you know, with the people andyou know, women in the military
(25:23):
and stuff like that.
And then you just get inspiredby it.
You're thinking, oh mygoodness, people listen to this
as they're you know climbing thetrain or boarding the train to
go to battle or stuff like that.
So yeah, that really inspiredme.
And on my website I have aplaylist too of the of the
songs.
So if you want to listen tothem while you're reading the
(25:45):
novel.
That's awesome.
So did you do this translationfor the Petra Luna books?
Alda (25:50):
No, they they offered me to do it, and I was really
excited.
At first I had accepted theoffer and then I translated the
prologue and it took me twoweeks to translate the prologue.
And I said, Oh my goodness,it's gonna take me years to do
the whole novel.
And it's just because Iwanted it to sound natural, I
wanted it to sound, you know,because it's based on a girl
(26:11):
from Mexico, and-- but at thatpoint my agent said, You know
what?
It leave that for theprofessionals, you know, there's
professional translators.
So you're a writer, you're nota translator, you know, and it's
gonna take you a while tofigure it out.
So what we decided was thatwe're gonna get a translator,
but I was gonna help out, youknow, with suggestions and stuff
like that.
So I was lucky, you know, wegot a great translator, but
(26:35):
there's instances where becausethe story is based in northern
Mexico and the translator wasfrom Mexico City, which you know
the dialects tend to be alittle bit different, the ways
of talking.
So at that point I said, yeah,let's make it give it that
flavor, northern Mexican flavor.
And yeah, I've had peoplereach out to me and say, Oh my
(26:58):
goodness, you know, the songsthey're singing, the way they
talk, I feel like I'm there innorthern Mexico.
So that makes me happy.
Hollyn (27:04):
That's amazing.
So it's like sort of you havesomeone like a professional, but
then you also, you know,because you're from northern
Mexico--
Alda (27:10):
Yes.
Hollyn (27:11):
So you have sort of the experience of, oh, this is how
they talk, this is some of theirmannerisms, and this is like
the culture there.
Alda (27:17):
Exactly.
Yeah, it's like in the UnitedStates too, right?
You have Forrest Gump, youknow, in the South, and then he
couldn't be talking like aYankee, right?
I mean, it'd be totally adifferent book.
So same here.
Hollyn (27:28):
I mean, I feel like I mean Texas and California are
two very different-- I mean,like imagine if there's a book
written in Spanish, for example,about a character based in
Houston, but then the translatoris someone from I don't know,
Minnesota.
Alda (27:41):
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, exactly.
The way they see the world isdifferent.
Hollyn (27:46):
Absolutely, yeah.
So what do you hope youraudience takes away from your
work?
Alda (27:51):
Oh my goodness, that's a that's a big question.
For me, it's connection.
I aim for people to connectwith community with everyone.
Whether it's, you know, adifferent culture, a different
era.
I just --I strive forconnection.
You know, I want people-- Ithink like I said, being a
(28:14):
writer is a lonely job.
And I'm always seekingconnection.
And I want people through booksto realize, you know, hey,
we're very similar, you know,despite being from different
cultures, religions, places,we're very similar.
You know, we all seekcompanionship, we all seek you
know, to help each other.
So we gotta connect ourselvesmore.
And especially after whathappened with the pandemic and
(28:36):
all that, I think that kind ofisolated us, and we're still
trying to come out and connectwith with our community.
So I'm hoping that's what thesebooks that no matter what
time of period you look at, it'sit's essential for us to come
out and connect with people.
Hollyn (28:53):
Totally.
I've actually heard the saying,I think it's the more niche
your pieces, the more peopleconnect to it.
Alda (28:58):
I've given a lot of talks at like bilingual programs with
Spanish speakers, and now thatthe Spanish book is out, I'm
getting more invitations to talkto to people like that because
they find especially whenthey're immigrants, they find
that connection.
Like and at first I thoughtit'd be only you know from Latin
America, but now I've hadpeople from Ukraine, you know,
(29:19):
there was a center with Ukrainepeople, children that are
reading this book and theyconnected with it because of the
war situation and displacement.
And I'm like, yes, you know,I'm glad that that's my strive
that to let people realize howthese things repeat themselves
in history, you know, the thenot only the displacement of
people, but also that that gapbetween the have and the have
(29:45):
nots rich, you know, you seethat happening more in society
and that's what had-- Petra's,you know, situation that's what
caused her not to get aneducation and struggle and all
that.
And you see that happeningaround the world again, the
disparities.
Hollyn (30:00):
Yeah, and even if you can't relate to Petra's
experience, I still feel like--I mean, at least for me, I still
feel like it has such an impacton you because like you see
this young girl and all shewants is to learn and to have a
safe space where she can learnhow to read and write and tell
stories.
And it's just so heartwrenching to see, you know, her
trying and failing and all thesechallenges she has to face.
(30:20):
So I feel like it's reallyimportant that we have stories
like this out there.
So thank you so much for youknow writing that and giving the
world, you know, a taste ofPetra.
All right, let's do some funlightning round questions.
I'm really excited.
So the format I usually do forlightning round is quick
question, quick answer.
Are you cool with that?
Alda (30:40):
Okay, let me let me take a breather.
Okay.
Okay, ready!
Hollyn (30:44):
Ready, set, go.
What fruit would you want tobe?
Alda (30:47):
What fruit would I--?
banana.
Hollyn (30:49):
Banana?
Alda (30:50):
Yeah, because they're long and I could be taller, I guess.
Hollyn (30:54):
I think I'd want to be a cherry.
Alda (30:56):
A cherry.
Why is that?
Hollyn (30:58):
I don't know, because I heard a fun fact about cherries
is that their pits have cyanidein them.
Alda (31:03):
Yeah, that's true.
My my son would love-- becausehe eats cherries, like all kinds
of cherries.
So I like that.
Hollyn (31:11):
What animal would you want to be able to talk to?
Alda (31:13):
Oooh, lizards.
Hollyn (31:15):
Lizards are awesome.
Alda (31:17):
I can't do-- I have lizards in my backyard a lot,
and I'm always catching them.
Hollyn (31:20):
Oh my god.
How do you catch them?
They're like little squigglysquirmies.
Alda (31:24):
You just have to get really slow, really slow, and
then just grab them real quick.
Hollyn (31:28):
My friend and I, we caught a few of them and I was
like, I feel so special.
I've been blessed.
Alda (31:34):
Yeah, no, lizards.
I'm sure they'd probably belike, lady, what are you doing?
Hollyn (31:40):
Just let me go.
Alda (31:42):
Exactly.
Hollyn (31:43):
I'd probably want to talk to a cat just because--
Alda (31:46):
Oooh, that'd be an interesting--
Hollyn (31:47):
Or also a crow because they're extremely intelligent.
Alda (31:50):
Yeah, that's a good one.
I'll change it again to a crow.
Hollyn (31:54):
How do you feel about people wearing socks with
sandals?
Alda (31:59):
I think it's funny, especially because you know I've
grown up wearing sandals inMexico and whatnot.
So when I see it with socks,you know, I think it's very
American.
Hollyn (32:10):
It is very American.
Alda (32:12):
But it looks comfortable though.
I mean I'll try it one day.
Hollyn (32:15):
One day in the privacy of my own home.
Alda (32:18):
No, because my feet get always always get cold.
So yeah, I think I'm gonna haveto try it.
Hollyn (32:22):
What do you like to dip your french fries into?
Alda (32:25):
Ooh, uh, probably salt.
Hollyn (32:28):
Salt?
Alda (32:29):
I add more salt.
Not dip them, but I usually--
Hollyn (32:33):
Oh, like sprinkle. I thought you meant like --
Alda (32:34):
No, no, not dip them, but I usually put more salt.
I don't like ketchup anddepends on the mayonnaise.
If it's like homemade, nicemayonnaise.
I may do it a little bit, butnot really.
Oh, you know what I do, that sauce, Greek sauce,
tzatziki sauce.
Hollyn (32:50):
Tzatziki sauce, yeah.
Alda (32:51):
That's good stuff.
Yeah.
Hollyn (32:52):
I'll have to try that.
I just dip my fries in plainold ketchup.
Alda (32:56):
Oh, really?
My kids love ketchup.
Hollyn (32:58):
I love ketchup.
What's your favorite chocolatebar?
Like is it Twix, Snickers?
Alda (33:04):
I would say I just bought these little chocolates because
I-- usually they're too sweetfor me, but there's these little
little chocolates.
I don't know the name of them,but they sell them at Costco and
they're really good, andthey're little.
So I like those.
Those are my favorite rightnow, but I'll probably switch
next month or something.
So there'll be a new candy.
Hollyn (33:21):
Yeah, me too.
My favorite right now isprobably a hundred grand, and
there's-- I just I love thatit's like kind of like a crunch
bar and a Twix and a Snickers.
Alda (33:33):
My husband traveled to Japan in Tokyo, and they sell
these Japanese chocolates thatare kept cool in a fridge, and
those are they melt in yourmouth.
They're just out of thisworld.
Hollyn (33:46):
Japan pays so much attention to--
Alda (33:49):
Yeah, when I had that, I looked at him and I'm like, oh
my goodness, I'm in heaven.
Yeah.
But uh yeah, those are good.
Hollyn (33:53):
I've also-- I've been also really digging, I think
it's an Australian brand.
It's called Violet Delight.
It's like chocolate-coveredhoneycomb, and it's really good.
Alda (34:04):
Oh my goodness.
Hollyn (34:04):
It's delicious.
Alda (34:05):
I'm gonna have to get some of that.
Hollyn (34:06):
It sticks my teeth a little bit, but you know, I
think it's worth it.
What is the most uncomfortableshoe you've ever worn?
Alda (34:15):
Besides Petra Luna and her shoes, right?
Let me see.
I'd have to say it was theseshoes I got when I was nine
years old.
Back then my aunt had awedding, and my mom got them
for me.
They didn't fit, and she wantedme to wear them because that
was it.
I didn't have any other shoes,so for the wedding, and I wore
(34:36):
them and I blistered my feet.
Like to this day, I rememberthose shoes.
I don't like white shoes nowbecause of that, probably
because of that experience.
Hollyn (34:46):
I think the most uncomfortable shoe I've worn was
when I was at the airport a fewweeks ago, and my mom is
laughing in the corner becauseshe remembers this.
But I was going to an event inBoston with my mom, and it was
the same day, our flight was thesame day as the event.
So we were like, we we'll haveno time to change when we get to
(35:07):
the hotel, so we have to wear afancy outfit and fancy shoes.
So we wore these nice dressshoes, got to the airport, our
flight got delayed, and we'relike, it's gonna be too late.
So we sprinted two miles to thenext terminal, and then we
sprinted even more to get ontothe plane.
And when I got to the hotelafter the event, I took off my
(35:29):
shoes and they were blistered.
Alda (35:30):
Oh, no!
Hollyn (35:31):
So yeah.
So do you like skirts better orpants better?
Alda (35:36):
I love the way skirts look.
You know, sometimes I'll beshopping around and I'll see a
skirt like this is gorgeous.
And I try it on and it doesn'tfit so usually I wear more
pants.
I'm always wearing pants, butbut one day I have faith I'll
find that perfect skirt to wear.
Hollyn (35:54):
I like a good maxi skirt.
Alda (35:56):
Those are nice, yeah.
Hollyn (35:58):
But I feel like midi skirts, I already wear enough of
those in my school uniform.
So I mean I stick with pants,especially sweatpants.
Alda (36:04):
Yeah, no, those are nice.
Hollyn (36:06):
So our last question for the lightning round, if you
could give one piece of adviceto your younger self, what would
it be?
Alda (36:14):
That is another big question.
I would say hang in there.
I would say, you know, justhave faith, you know, keep doing
what you're doing, work hard,and you know things will happen,
just hang in there, you know.
Because a lot of times when Iwas I was a kid growing up poor,
(36:34):
you know, I always felt likewhat what's gonna be in life?
What what do I have to do?
What I felt like I was neverdoing enough, never working hard
enough, never and but Inoticed, you know, if you just
chill, things will happen, youknow.
Just keep focused on whatyou're doing and things will
happen, you know, because I wasalways anticipating, okay, you
(36:56):
know, why is that not happeningfaster or quicker?
You know, just I would tellmyself patience, just be more
patient.
When I was younger, I was soso so shy, and I wish I would
have been more open to to seekmentors, you know, and I didn't
start doing that until I was inhigh school.
But yeah, that's something thatI wish I would have known
younger.
Hollyn (37:16):
I don't know if this is related, but I heard a
psychology term and it's calledthe hedonic treadmill, and it's
basically like where you'realways looking for the next
thing, where you're always sortof anticipating.
So that just reminded me ofthat.
Alda (37:26):
Oh wow, that's that's pretty neat.
I've never heard of it in thatway.
But yeah, no, you're anincredible interviewer, so I
appreciate that.
Hollyn (37:33):
Thank you.
Alda (37:33):
I've had a wonderful time.
Hollyn (37:35):
Yeah, so as I mentioned originally when I reached out to
you, the Petra Luna series isactually the inspiration for
Stories Without Borders' firstservice project, which is a
collaboration with Yes We CanWorld Foundation, which is a
nonprofit that supports aquality education for migrant
and refugee children.
And the service project that wedid was we went down to the
(37:56):
border with some school suppliesthat we did in a bunch of
school supply drives thatambassadors did at their
schools, and we went down toTijuana.
And you can learn a lot moreabout this on our Instagram.
So follow that.
And I've said this so manytimes, but I want to let you
know how grateful I am thatPetra's story found its way
into my hands.
(38:17):
When your message reached meand I was reading it.
I mean, one of the things too,one of the highlights when
you're a writer, especially achildren's book writer, is when
a kid comes to you and says, Iwasn't a reader, but your book
was the first one I read.
To me that's, I love that, youknow, 'cause I was like that.
I found that one magical bookthat changed my life.
(38:40):
But when you came to me withthat note, you know, that you
had been inspired to start thisorganization, to me that was
another, you know, like, oh mygoodness, I had to sit there and
like this is incredible, youknow, that and not only that,
but now that that you're doingthat, you're touching lives,
you're reaching out, you know,going above and beyond to to
(39:03):
help these people becausethere's a lot of, I guess I the
way I grew up, I just I wish Iwould have had access to books.
I wish somebody would havesaid, Hey, you know, and I used
to daydream about it as a kid,you know, that somebody would
come and give me Spanish books.
Because I didn't have Spanishbooks, there were books in
English at school, but Ididn't-- like I told you I had
(39:23):
an issue with English.
But I wish, you know, Spanishbooks would have been-- had been
available back then.
So the fact that you're doingthis just yeah, it moves me.
And at your age, you know, Ijust-- it gives me faith in this
new generation.
I'm like, okay, we're fine.
We're good.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
And before we wrap up, I wantedto ask if there was any
(39:46):
particular cause or organizationthat's near and dear to your
heart.
As you know, Stories WithoutBorders, we believe in the power
of stories and service, and sowe'd love to amplify anything
that you care about.
Alda (39:59):
I really like the Imagination Library that gives
so many books to children.
And there's a lot oforganizations out there that I
have my eye on.
Like I said, I want to learnfrom them, you know, how they
do-- there's festivals in SanAntonio, Texas.
There's one called thepicture book festival and
(40:23):
another one that's a YA festivalthat I like to you know to look
at because I one day hope toemulate what they do by having
my own festival there in thesouth side.
So, you know, I couldn't nameall the organizations, you know,
because there's so manywonderful organizations out
there that are doing thecommunity work and reaching out
(40:47):
to impoverished neighborhoodsand whatnot.
That's just what what we needright now.
Hollyn (40:51):
Thank you so much for sharing and thank you so much
for being on this podcast.
Alda (40:54):
Oh my goodness.
Oh, thank you for foreverything, for having me here.
I'm just excited to have metyou too.
Hollyn (41:02):
Thank you so much.
Alda (41:03):
Hollyn, you're gonna go places, so just keep doing what
you're doing.
It's wonderful.
I'm very proud of you.
Hollyn (41:09):
Well, thank you so much, Alda.
Thanks for listening to StoriesWithout Borders the podcast.
Please rate and review the showon your favorite podcast
platform.
You can learn more from mine atstorieswithout borders.org.
Or follow us on Instagram atstories underscorewithout
borders.
If you like to watch everybody,I'll be able to do it.
Welcome to Stories Without Borders the podcast.
I'm your host, Hollyn.
Here we interview people whouse the power of stories and
service to promote connection,empathy, and understanding
around the world.
You can learn more online atstoriesithoutborders.org or
follow us on Instagram andYouTube at Stories Underscore
Without Borders.
Thanks for listening.
Here's today's episode.
(00:27):
Today we are speaking withaward-winning author, Alda P.
Dobbs.
Alda is the author of thehistorical novels Barefoot
Dreams of Petra Luna and TheOther Side of the River.
Barefoot Dreams of Petra Lunareceived the Pura Belpre Honor
and is a Texas blue bonnetmaster list selection.
Alda's passionate aboutconnecting children to their
past, their communities,different cultures, nature, and
(00:50):
writing.
Her upcoming book is titled TheGiving Flower: The Story of the
Poinsettia.
It's a picture book about thehistory of the Poinsettia flower
and the holiday traditions ithas inspired.
So welcome Alda!
Alda (01:01):
Thank you.
Thank you, Hollyn, for havingme here.
Hollyn (01:03):
Of course.
Thank you so much for comingon.
I'm super excited to dive intothis interview.
I've heard you speak a lotabout how you were born in a
small town in northern Mexico,but moved to America at a very
young age.
And you've also mentioned thatyou never really enjoyed writing
as a kid and that you neverreally engaged in writing as a
kid.
So I'm wondering like, wasthere a specific moment where
(01:25):
you realized, oh, this is what Iwant to do?
This is my jam.
Alda (01:29):
No, that's a great question because yeah, I moved
here to the United States fromMexico when I was a baby, but
everything in my neighborhoodwas in Spanish.
So I didn't learn English orstart learning English until I
got into kindergarten.
And the teacher I had there inkindergarten, he had his own
traumas.
He was a-- he spoke Spanish,but it was me and this immigrant
(01:53):
boy that he just he would getfrustrated because we didn't
learn English fast enough.
And so he would get hisfrustrations out on us, and I
was terrified of him.
He would shake us and dodifferent things like that.
And and I was terrified of him,I was terrified of English.
I had him for kindergarten,second grade, and fourth grade.
(02:13):
By the time I was in the fourthgrade, I spoke English a little
bit better, but I didn't likethe language.
I didn't like him, I didn'tlike the language, I didn't want
to read books, I kind ofrebelled against English.
And I told myself, you knowwhat, I don't want to do
anything, have anything to dowith English.
I will stick to math becausemath comes easy.
And, but something I did likethat I never put books and
(02:37):
English together is the stories.
I love stories.
I love storytelling.
And so since I was little,stories have been my favorite.
And to the point that when Iwas out playing with friends, I
would be talking to their auntsor their uncles, grandparents
about a story, and my friendswould be like, come on, let's go
outside and play.
And I'd be like, No, you know,wait, your your aunt's almost
(02:58):
done with their story, you know,because I wanted a story, but I
never put two and two togetherthat books are stories.
And it wasn't until I was 16years old, I was working in a
mall and in the food court, andafter we shut the or closed the
restaurant down for the night,cleaned, I took the bus back
home the way I always did.
(03:19):
And that night I remember I haddone my homework, so I was
about to put my backpack downand take a nap because I was
exhausted.
Before putting my backpackdown, there's a book there next
to me, and I picked it up and Isaid, I wonder what this is
about, and it was saidCatcher in the Rye.
And I said, Ah, I wonder, youknow, what this story is about.
(03:39):
So I sat there and, you know, Ihad done my homework, so I
opened it up, started reading,and I was blown away.
I-- the magic of books came tome at that moment, and I read it
the whole night.
I didn't go to sleep that nightand finished it in the morning
right before school.
And I said, This is incredible.
I'm like, this is magicalbecause I was that character in
(04:00):
that book, even though I wasvery different from that, you
know, that white kid from theNortheast who's rich.
I was a poor Mexican girl fromthe south side in San Antonio,
but I was him, that angst, thatfeeling that was me.
So that's the first time that Itold myself, maybe I could do
this one day, you know.
But of course, you know, Itried my best throughout high
(04:23):
school to learn English better,how to write it.
I read a lot more books.
I felt like I had a lot ofcatching up to do.
Once I got into college, I tookthe entrance exams and did
really well in math.
But when I came to English, Ibombed it, you know.
And that's when I realized, youknow what, the the universe was
telling me not not to be awriter.
(04:44):
So so I just put that dreamaway and went into physics and
engineering, and that was mycareer.
It wasn't until my 30s that Iactually had the courage to
finally realize that I do have apassion for telling stories and
writing.
Hollyn (04:58):
Yeah, and now you have two amazing novels out in the
world.
Alda (05:01):
Thank you.
No, I'm very humbled.
Hollyn (05:03):
Yeah, it's-- they're really incredible, and they have
this story about the MexicanRevolution.
So a little historical contextfor our listeners.
The Mexican Revolution was acivil war and a political
uprising from 1910 to 1920 thatfought to overthrow dictator
Porfirio Diaz.
Something that really surprisesme is that not a lot of people,
a lot of my American peers,they don't really know that much
(05:27):
about the history of theMexican Revolution.
It was taught to me in school,but it-- we never really went
in depth to it.
And the book sort of reallyreplenished that and sort of
filled in the gaps.
And I mean, now I know a littlebit more because I did my
research, I was like, this isincredible.
But I heard you speak and yousaid that they were inspired by
your great-grandmother'sjourney.
(05:47):
And so I was wondering if you'dlike to touch on that, like how
much of Petra's journey wasbased on your grandmother, and
how much of it was, you know,fictionalized or made up.
Alda (05:58):
Yes, it was-- it's a little bit of everything.
It's a collection of storiesyou do growing up, and then you
throw everything, you know, thatyou feel that comes to you
naturally in the story as itunfolds.
So, yeah, the the story, theheart of the story was based on
my great-grandmother's journeywhen she escaped her town, and
they were burning down her town,the Federales, and her and her
(06:20):
family had to cross the desertescaping the the Federales who
were after them.
So a lot of the, like I said,the heart of the novel is based
on that.
But there's other scenesbecause my grandmother was also
very poor.
And there are a lot of scenesthat that I actually depict my
great-- my grandmother'sexperiences too, being poor.
(06:40):
And that's something that Ithrew in there and also
experiences my mom had, and evenexperiences I had.
For instance, when I joined themilitary, I-- being the first
woman in my family to joinsomething like that, and that
had its own experience.
Once I came back after joiningthe military, people looked at
me differently, they treated medifferently.
(07:02):
So part of that too went intothat story.
So it's a lot, it's acollection of things.
But yeah, the the heart of thenovel was based on my
great-grandmother.
Hollyn (07:10):
I actually-- something I was really impressed with about
your grandmother's story isthat she taught herself how to
read.
Alda (07:15):
Yeah, I was impressed.
That's something that alwaysimpressed me about my
grandmother, that at the age ofseven, she wanted to go to
school bad.
I mean, she saw other kidsdoing it, and at one point she
said, around that age, she went,I think she was nine, she went
to school, just showed up, andher father found out and pulled
her out of the class and said,What are you thinking?
(07:36):
You don't belong here.
You you have to go work.
This is not for you.
And she said, But I want tolearn how to read and write.
And they said, No, no, that'snot for you.
You have to work.
So they pulled her out and andshe was upset, frustrated, but
she said, You know what?
I somehow, somehow I'm gonnafigure it out.
I don't know how, but I'm gonnado it.
So what she did is every timeshe saw a sign or anything in
(07:58):
writing, she would ask peoplearound her that knew how to read
and write what that said.
And little by little shestarted putting sounds to
letters, and by the time she was12, she figured it out.
It was like breaking a code.
Hollyn (08:09):
That's amazing.
Alda (08:10):
Yeah, to me, for a little girl to have that determination
at nine to say that and fulfillthat promise-- to me, that that
is so impressive.
Hollyn (08:19):
It's incredible.
I see a lot of that spark andresilience in Petra as well.
Like I can totally see thesimilarities, but I also-- I
don't know your grandmother, ofcourse, but I feel like they are
two completely differentcharacters, and Petra is really
well fleshed out, and I feellike she's like really living in
the novel.
And so I'm just wondering like,how was that research process?
(08:40):
What was it like for you?
Alda (08:41):
It was great.
I had to-- there's a lot offamily stories I had to jot
down, remember, and also go backto family members and hear, you
know, because every time youyou speak to different family
members, you get a differentversion or you get new details
that you could add.
And then I also went the otherway.
I went to the library and justsearched a bunch of books on the
Mexican Revolution, especiallythe ones that touched on the
(09:03):
topic of children in therevolution.
To me, that was valuablebecause there's a lot of people
who had been interviewed lateron, decades later, they recalled
their experiences as kids inthe revolution.
And that was gold to me becausea lot of it, you know, there
was parallels in the emotionsand whatnot.
But I was able to use that forthe book to create the
(09:28):
characters.
Hollyn (09:29):
So you have two books in the series.
I've heard a lot of writers,and they've all said that the
sequel of the first book isalways the hardest book for them
to write.
Was that true for you?
Alda (09:38):
Yes and no.
I would say in a way, no,because I didn't realize I had
two books.
I kept writing and writing andwriting.
So until my husband, you know,began reading the whole thing
and he said, Wait a minute, itseems like you have two books
here.
And I'm like, I have no ideabecause this is the first time
I'm doing this.
And it wasn't until I got anagent that she's the one that
said, Yeah, you have two novelshere.
(09:59):
And I was like, Oh my goodness,this is great.
So by the time I signed thecontract for the first novel,
the second one was about 70%complete, so it wasn't too bad,
you know.
So it helped, you know, that Ihad both almost written.
But the third one that theycall it the sophomore, I
consider this one my sophomorenovel, the one I'm working on
right now, which is a differentcharacter, it's not Petra Luna.
(10:22):
That one is challenging becauseit's all from scratch.
A new character, new setting,new world.
And yeah, that one it is achallenge.
Hollyn (10:31):
So will there be more books and or stories about
Petra?
Or are you thinking of justsort of ending it there?
Alda (10:36):
I'd like there-- there's people that have asked me about
Marietta.
Hollyn (10:40):
Oh, yeah.
Alda (10:41):
They're like, are you gonna write a book, you know,
about Marietta, like a YA novelor something?
Because more people want tofind out about her.
Hollyn (10:47):
Yeah.
Alda (10:47):
She was the soldier that Petra Luna comes across when
she's begging for money.
Hollyn (10:53):
Yes, I remember.
Alda (10:53):
Yeah, and that she's one of the rebels.
Yeah.
And I've been told about PetraLuna too.
Because I I like the way thesecond book ends, it you know,
leaves it in the question, likeit's up to you what you want her
to follow through with.
But yeah, it just depends onyou know a lot of
circumstances.
I guess if my publisher asks,you know, for that.
Hollyn (11:13):
Yeah.
Alda (11:14):
We'll see, maybe I'll do a spin-off on Marietta one day.
Hollyn (11:17):
Yeah, that's so cool.
And I know the rebels were anactual thing.
So did you do any research?
Did you do any interviews?
Were there any like interviewsfrom the survivors of the
Mexican Revolution that wererebels?
Alda (11:29):
Yeah, but my research was on books, reading a lot of books
on interviews.
There's one by a journalist,his name is-- I think it's John
Reed.
He went with a bunch ofthe troops and interviewed and
you know, took notes of theirdaily lives.
And that book was just golden.
I loved all the information ithad there.
And I used a lot of that.
(11:50):
And also newspapers, you know,there was a lot of journalists
during that time that wouldinterview refugees coming over
to describe what they wereleaving behind.
So I researched that as well.
And yeah, read a lot of books,not only on the people's
experiences, but also on thepolitical side, the turmoil,
(12:11):
because it it's amazing.
I always tell people there'sthe the show Game of Thrones.
And yeah, that's how I feltMexico was like everybody was
trying to sit on the throne, andbut at the same time, you know,
people are suffering because ofthat.
And just the parallels how yousee that in history repeating
(12:31):
itself again too politically.
Hollyn (12:33):
Yeah.
So I wanted to congratulate youon your newest upcoming picture
book, The Giving Flower, Thestory of the Poinsettia.
So can you tell us a little bitwhat it is about and what the
process of writing the storywas?
Alda (12:48):
Yeah, so it was a lot of fun because I first of all I
love the flower.
I think poinsettias, I I keepsaying pointseta, but it's
poinsettia.
It's very, I love that flower.
But so my I knew it came fromMexico, but I didn't know to
what extent or or how.
So one time, one Christmas,two, three years ago, I said,
(13:09):
you know what, let me find outabout this flower.
And I found out that the Aztecswere the first to cultivate the
flower.
So I was amazed, been surprisedby that.
I didn't realize it was thatold.
And then at the same time, Ithought it had always existed as
what we know now.
But no, it was very, verydifferent.
You know, first it was at thebeginning it was wild, and it
(13:30):
was in kind of, I guess the wordwould be tamed.
It was in, you know, it justgrew just the petals were all
over.
They weren't really neat andorderly the way they are now.
But the Aztecs were the firstone who got the plant, started
cultivating it to make it growstronger and prettier, and they
used it for different things,medicinal purposes, for inks and
(13:52):
stuff like that, and also todecorate their homes.
They liked it, and you know,they they liked how it flowered,
how it bloomed in the winter.
And later on the Spanish cameand they also were mesmerized by
the flower, and a legend cameout of that.
And it wasn't until Mexicobecame independent, and United
(14:13):
States sent its first ambassadorto Mexico, and his name was
Poinsett.
And he's the one that saw theflower and was just enamored by
it, sent cuttings back home, andback in the US, it just took
off.
I mean, people loved it.
So, of course, they named itPoinsettia in honor of him,
right?
So that's when I said, Oh, Isee now the whole relation.
(14:34):
And to me, connections, I lovefinding connections within
history, within people,cultures, traditions.
And I found that big onebetween the United States and
Mexico.
And of course, being fromMexico, I love that and living
here, you know, because I loveboth countries.
So yeah, I found thatconnection.
I said, okay, I have to explorethis more.
And so, yeah, that's how theresearch, you know, began more
(14:57):
thorough and all that.
And realizing that I had neverseen a book like this that
explained the whole history ofit.
So I thought it was a goodopportunity to again show kids
that history, which I'mpassionate about.
Hollyn (15:08):
What was it like working with an illustrator for the
entire novel?
I mean, was it the entirenovel?
Alda (15:14):
It was interesting because with the-- in the publishing
world, the publisher chooses theillustrator.
So yeah, they chose EmilyMendoza, and I am so fortunate
they chose her because yeah, shedid incredible work.
And like I tell kids, becausethey all ask me about the the
cover of the books too, for likeBarefoot Dreams, if I had any
(15:34):
say.
So and I said, Yeah, they'llask me for suggestions, but it's
the publisher who decides whatto do with the covers.
And the same thing with the artfor for the picture book.
But like I tell kids again,it's a whole team that goes
behind the work and the art.
Just in-- the example I use islike in movies, you know, you
have a movie director whodirects the actors how to act
(15:58):
and what to do.
Here you have the art directorwho tells the artists what they
need to draw, you know, what howto place it and whatnot.
For instance, the BarefootDreams of Petra Luna, I met met
the artist, John J.
Capway, and he's phenomenal.
And he told me that he doesn'tread the books when he does the
art.
And I was you know dumbfoundedwhen he told me that because I
(16:19):
said, Well, Petra looks likePetra, and and you have all the
you have the comet, the moon,and all that.
So how do you know Petra if henever read the book?
He said he doesn't like readingthe book because he doesn't
want to be biased in terms ofthe art, what he does.
So he relies on the artdirector to tell him what to
draw and how to draw it andstuff like that.
So he follows that direction.
(16:40):
So it's amazing just the theamount of people that come
together to to create a book.
You know, it's not just theauthor, there's you know, many,
many, many people behind thatbook.
Hollyn (16:50):
What was the process like writing this book versus
writing Petra Luna and The OtherSide of the River?
Alda (16:57):
It's it's very different with the novel.
You have I-- I've pictured likea huge playground where you
just run-- a whole forest, youknow, you could run wild and and
create different things.
In a picture book, you'reconfined to small space, which
is usually 500 to no more than800 words, and each word weighs
(17:18):
a lot.
So you gotta make sure youchoose the right word for that
right sentence.
I mean, and editors will getreally picky, like, why are you
using this one word?
You know, and it's yeah, it'slike that.
And so I learned that thatlesson, but at the same time, I
appreciate the language more.
And I was fortunate that I gotto translate it in Spanish,
(17:42):
which is a different techniqueof writing.
But again, each word weighs alot.
And I just I fell in love withSpanish all over again just
because of the words, youknow, how they sound, how they
flow together, how they connect.
And yeah, it's just a-- it's ithas its own challenges, but it
(18:04):
also has its own treats, youknow, and surprises when when
you write them.
Hollyn (18:08):
The challenge for the picture book for you was just
the limit to the words?
Alda (18:12):
It was the limit to the words, but also the the fact
that they have to fit togetherlike a puzzle.
Hollyn (18:17):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Alda (18:18):
They have to flow.
And I noticed that when youwrite in English, sometimes it's
easier, quote unquote.
It could be easier becausewords in English a lot of times
are single syllable.
And you know, for instance, thebody parts you have feet, head,
nose, eyes, you know, it's allsingle-syllable words.
So to me, I'm used to thattechnique of how to make things
(18:39):
flow when it's a single syllableword.
But in Spanish, you know,again, you take the body, you
have oreja, espalda, you know,rodilla.
So you have different, youknow, multisyllable words.
So you're gonna have to find adifferent way to make things
fit.
But so that that was achallenge in translating, but
(18:59):
also in writing and making itflow and also making it
interesting for kids to gettheir attention and at the same
time teach something.
So yeah, there you have a lotof things coming at you at once,
and you're kind of confined tothis little space, and you have
to do it all-- the magic trickshave to be done right here and
there.
You know, you don't have thisample space like you would in a
(19:20):
novel.
You have more freedom, butyeah, both have their good
parts and challenging parts.
Hollyn (19:26):
Do you have a favorite writing exercise that helps you
get out of like a writing slumpor writer's block?
I do.
If I'm really stuck, I tend towalk away, go for a walk, just--
or jog, you know, just get awayfrom, you know, because the
more I stay there, the harder itis to get out.
Yeah.
Alda (19:43):
Or if I'm under pressure that I have to write something,
something I like doing isgetting my favorite book,
opening it up, and start typinga scene from that book.
And before you know it, I I'mitching to go back to my work,
you know, and sometimes I don'tlet myself, I'm like, no, no,
let's make-- let it grow, youknow, and and to the point that
I'm like, okay, I'm ready, I'mready, and I'm just itching to
(20:05):
go back.
And so that helps me a lot.
Hollyn (20:07):
What book do you turn to the most if there is any?
Alda (20:10):
It depends what I'm working on.
For instance, Barefoot Dreamsof Petra Luna.
I studied the the Hunger Gamesa lot for that.
So I read that book probablyover, you know, 20, 30 times.
But uh, but that's one book Iwould type and it would motivate
me just because I seePetra Luna, you know, trying to
help her siblings, trying tofight, you know, the people that
(20:34):
are after her and and trying tofulfill her dreams, you know.
So that's I saw a lot of hercharacter in Katniss.
So yeah, that was my myfavorite go-to book.
Hollyn (20:45):
They have a lot of the same spark and sort of energy.
So that makes sense.
I know Katniss's character,and she's sort of like, oh, I
volunteer as tribute to go andplay in these games.
And I see a lot of that inPetra, maybe not like I
volunteer to, you know, but Ifeel like I see a lot of that
same sort of resilience and sortof the same, I'm going to help
(21:06):
my siblings, I'm going to learnhow to read, I'm going to learn
how to write, I'm going to go toschool, I'm going to get a job
to support my family, and alsoI'm going to go find my papa.
A lot of that is in Petra.
And honestly, just the more Ithink about it, the more it's
like, okay, yeah, that totallymakes sense.
So you are bilingual, correct?
Alda (21:23):
Yes, I am.
Hollyn (21:23):
That's amazing.
Do you speak English andSpanish?
Alda (21:27):
English and Spanish, yes.
Hollyn (21:28):
Gotcha.
How do you think yourbilingualism has influenced your
writing?
Like, I know you said that likewhen you were translating The
Giving Flower, it sort of feltlike you fell in love with the
language again.
But has the bilingualism sortof influenced like your writing
even before you translated thebooks?
Alda (21:44):
It has.
That's an interesting questionbecause looking back at
Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna,the English version, I have a
lot of Spanish words in there.
Hollyn (21:52):
Yeah.
Alda (21:53):
And even choosing the right Spanish word so that the
so that it wouldn't bedistracting, I had to do that.
I had to work and focus, okay,what what Spanish word can I put
in this phrase that won'tdistract the reader?
Because a lot of people say,well, you don't have a glossary
in the back of the book, but Istill understand what's what the
(22:13):
references in the Spanish word.
And that's what I meant to do.
I wanted for the reader tounderstand what was being said
without having to say, okay, letme look at the dictionary and
see what it is.
And I do have a glossary in mywebsite in case you know some
people were like, because thereare there are people who say,
no, I do want a glossary, so Iput one on my website.
But yeah, choosing the word sothat it flows.
(22:35):
So I liked it because it wasplaying with two languages at
the same time.
How can I make it flow with youknow, if I embed one Spanish
word on there?
Hollyn (22:46):
Gotcha.
Yeah, because when I read it,it was-- I didn't, I mean, I
speak Spanish, so I mean it'sprobably a little bit easier for
me, but I didn't really feellike it was like, oh, what does
this mean?
Because there are still someSpanish words that I don't know,
but I didn't think that Oh, Ineed to know what this means, I
don't understand.
I felt like it was reallyintegrated into the story very
(23:07):
smoothly and very nicely.
So yeah.
Thank you.
Of course.
Alda (23:10):
And a lot of people told me too that it almost sounded
like Spanglish, you know, andthere's some paragraphs there
that have more Spanish words,and I'm like, yeah, it's
probably hearing my family talksometimes when it makes Spanish
and English, and then it kind ofnaturally I'm like, oh, that's
that's why we use these wordslike this, because naturally our
speech, you know, we try tosometimes, especially in
(23:32):
Spanish.
My husband says this that thatSpanish tends to be more poetic
than English naturally.
Hollyn (23:37):
Totally.
Alda (23:37):
So because sometimes I'll tell him I'll interpret songs or
something my mom said, and he'slike, Wow, that is beautiful,
you know, that should be poetry.
I'm like, that's just with theway we talk.
But yeah, now when we mix both,you know, it's it I think it's
a new form of poetry when wemix both languages.
Hollyn (23:55):
Yeah, I mean, there's actually a song I listened to in
Spanish, and one of the lyricswas que cosa fueras la masa sin
cantera, and that translatesinto what would the masses be
without the singer?
I mean, which one sounds morepoetic.
I mean, I mean the Spanish onejust sounds like lyrical and
smooth.
And the English one, just likehere is straight fact and more
(24:17):
fact.
Alda (24:17):
Yeah, that's what my husband says like in English,
nobody would, you know, peoplewould laugh at that song, but in
Spanish it just sounds so sobeautiful.
Hollyn (24:24):
Yeah, and the message too, it's like who's gonna sing
life?
Alda (24:28):
Exactly right.
Hollyn (24:29):
And I feel like honestly, I mean, I just brought
that song out of nowhere, but Ifeel like that kind of ties
into Petra as well because thereare some songs in Spanish that
are incorporated into the booksof Petra.
Alda (24:40):
Yeah, yeah, music.
I mean, the songs, because Ithink the-- in any war, like the
Civil War, World War II, alot of wars, people will come up
with their own songs and musicand all that.
So that's why I had toincorporate a lot of the music
because it it gives feeling tothe texture to the novel, to the
(25:02):
story.
Hollyn (25:03):
Yeah.
And did you listen to music atall when writing the Petra Luna
books?
I did.
I did.
A lot of times the MexicanRevolution songs, there's a lot
of folk songs that they wroteduring that time that if you
really listen, there's messages,you know, of what's going on,
you know, with the people andyou know, women in the military
(25:23):
and stuff like that.
And then you just get inspiredby it.
You're thinking, oh mygoodness, people listen to this
as they're you know climbing thetrain or boarding the train to
go to battle or stuff like that.
So yeah, that really inspiredme.
And on my website I have aplaylist too of the of the
songs.
So if you want to listen tothem while you're reading the
(25:45):
novel.
That's awesome.
So did you do this translationfor the Petra Luna books?
Alda (25:50):
No, they they offered me to do it, and I was really
excited.
At first I had accepted theoffer and then I translated the
prologue and it took me twoweeks to translate the prologue.
And I said, Oh my goodness,it's gonna take me years to do
the whole novel.
And it's just because Iwanted it to sound natural, I
wanted it to sound, you know,because it's based on a girl
(26:11):
from Mexico, and-- but at thatpoint my agent said, You know
what?
It leave that for theprofessionals, you know, there's
professional translators.
So you're a writer, you're nota translator, you know, and it's
gonna take you a while tofigure it out.
So what we decided was thatwe're gonna get a translator,
but I was gonna help out, youknow, with suggestions and stuff
like that.
So I was lucky, you know, wegot a great translator, but
(26:35):
there's instances where becausethe story is based in northern
Mexico and the translator wasfrom Mexico City, which you know
the dialects tend to be alittle bit different, the ways
of talking.
So at that point I said, yeah,let's make it give it that
flavor, northern Mexican flavor.
And yeah, I've had peoplereach out to me and say, Oh my
(26:58):
goodness, you know, the songsthey're singing, the way they
talk, I feel like I'm there innorthern Mexico.
So that makes me happy.
Hollyn (27:04):
That's amazing.
So it's like sort of you havesomeone like a professional, but
then you also, you know,because you're from northern
Mexico--
Alda (27:10):
Yes.
Hollyn (27:11):
So you have sort of the experience of, oh, this is how
they talk, this is some of theirmannerisms, and this is like
the culture there.
Alda (27:17):
Exactly.
Yeah, it's like in the UnitedStates too, right?
You have Forrest Gump, youknow, in the South, and then he
couldn't be talking like aYankee, right?
I mean, it'd be totally adifferent book.
So same here.
Hollyn (27:28):
I mean, I feel like I mean Texas and California are
two very different-- I mean,like imagine if there's a book
written in Spanish, for example,about a character based in
Houston, but then the translatoris someone from I don't know,
Minnesota.
Alda (27:41):
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, exactly.
The way they see the world isdifferent.
Hollyn (27:46):
Absolutely, yeah.
So what do you hope youraudience takes away from your
work?
Alda (27:51):
Oh my goodness, that's a that's a big question.
For me, it's connection.
I aim for people to connectwith community with everyone.
Whether it's, you know, adifferent culture, a different
era.
I just --I strive forconnection.
You know, I want people-- Ithink like I said, being a
(28:14):
writer is a lonely job.
And I'm always seekingconnection.
And I want people through booksto realize, you know, hey,
we're very similar, you know,despite being from different
cultures, religions, places,we're very similar.
You know, we all seekcompanionship, we all seek you
know, to help each other.
So we gotta connect ourselvesmore.
And especially after whathappened with the pandemic and
(28:36):
all that, I think that kind ofisolated us, and we're still
trying to come out and connectwith with our community.
So I'm hoping that's what thesebooks that no matter what
time of period you look at, it'sit's essential for us to come
out and connect with people.
Hollyn (28:53):
Totally.
I've actually heard the saying,I think it's the more niche
your pieces, the more peopleconnect to it.
Alda (28:58):
I've given a lot of talks at like bilingual programs with
Spanish speakers, and now thatthe Spanish book is out, I'm
getting more invitations to talkto to people like that because
they find especially whenthey're immigrants, they find
that connection.
Like and at first I thoughtit'd be only you know from Latin
America, but now I've hadpeople from Ukraine, you know,
(29:19):
there was a center with Ukrainepeople, children that are
reading this book and theyconnected with it because of the
war situation and displacement.
And I'm like, yes, you know,I'm glad that that's my strive
that to let people realize howthese things repeat themselves
in history, you know, the thenot only the displacement of
people, but also that that gapbetween the have and the have
(29:45):
nots rich, you know, you seethat happening more in society
and that's what had-- Petra's,you know, situation that's what
caused her not to get aneducation and struggle and all
that.
And you see that happeningaround the world again, the
disparities.
Hollyn (30:00):
Yeah, and even if you can't relate to Petra's
experience, I still feel like--I mean, at least for me, I still
feel like it has such an impacton you because like you see
this young girl and all shewants is to learn and to have a
safe space where she can learnhow to read and write and tell
stories.
And it's just so heartwrenching to see, you know, her
trying and failing and all thesechallenges she has to face.
(30:20):
So I feel like it's reallyimportant that we have stories
like this out there.
So thank you so much for youknow writing that and giving the
world, you know, a taste ofPetra.
All right, let's do some funlightning round questions.
I'm really excited.
So the format I usually do forlightning round is quick
question, quick answer.
Are you cool with that?
Alda (30:40):
Okay, let me let me take a breather.
Okay.
Okay, ready!
Hollyn (30:44):
Ready, set, go.
What fruit would you want tobe?
Alda (30:47):
What fruit would I--?
banana.
Hollyn (30:49):
Banana?
Alda (30:50):
Yeah, because they're long and I could be taller, I guess.
Hollyn (30:54):
I think I'd want to be a cherry.
Alda (30:56):
A cherry.
Why is that?
Hollyn (30:58):
I don't know, because I heard a fun fact about cherries
is that their pits have cyanidein them.
Alda (31:03):
Yeah, that's true.
My my son would love-- becausehe eats cherries, like all kinds
of cherries.
So I like that.
Hollyn (31:11):
What animal would you want to be able to talk to?
Alda (31:13):
Oooh, lizards.
Hollyn (31:15):
Lizards are awesome.
Alda (31:17):
I can't do-- I have lizards in my backyard a lot,
and I'm always catching them.
Hollyn (31:20):
Oh my god.
How do you catch them?
They're like little squigglysquirmies.
Alda (31:24):
You just have to get really slow, really slow, and
then just grab them real quick.
Hollyn (31:28):
My friend and I, we caught a few of them and I was
like, I feel so special.
I've been blessed.
Alda (31:34):
Yeah, no, lizards.
I'm sure they'd probably belike, lady, what are you doing?
Hollyn (31:40):
Just let me go.
Alda (31:42):
Exactly.
Hollyn (31:43):
I'd probably want to talk to a cat just because--
Alda (31:46):
Oooh, that'd be an interesting--
Hollyn (31:47):
Or also a crow because they're extremely intelligent.
Alda (31:50):
Yeah, that's a good one.
I'll change it again to a crow.
Hollyn (31:54):
How do you feel about people wearing socks with
sandals?
Alda (31:59):
I think it's funny, especially because you know I've
grown up wearing sandals inMexico and whatnot.
So when I see it with socks,you know, I think it's very
American.
Hollyn (32:10):
It is very American.
Alda (32:12):
But it looks comfortable though.
I mean I'll try it one day.
Hollyn (32:15):
One day in the privacy of my own home.
Alda (32:18):
No, because my feet get always always get cold.
So yeah, I think I'm gonna haveto try it.
Hollyn (32:22):
What do you like to dip your french fries into?
Alda (32:25):
Ooh, uh, probably salt.
Hollyn (32:28):
Salt?
Alda (32:29):
I add more salt.
Not dip them, but I usually--
Hollyn (32:33):
Oh, like sprinkle. I thought you meant like --
Alda (32:34):
No, no, not dip them, but I usually put more salt.
I don't like ketchup anddepends on the mayonnaise.
If it's like homemade, nicemayonnaise.
I may do it a little bit, butnot really.
Oh, you know what I do, that sauce, Greek sauce,
tzatziki sauce.
Hollyn (32:50):
Tzatziki sauce, yeah.
Alda (32:51):
That's good stuff.
Yeah.
Hollyn (32:52):
I'll have to try that.
I just dip my fries in plainold ketchup.
Alda (32:56):
Oh, really?
My kids love ketchup.
Hollyn (32:58):
I love ketchup.
What's your favorite chocolatebar?
Like is it Twix, Snickers?
Alda (33:04):
I would say I just bought these little chocolates because
I-- usually they're too sweetfor me, but there's these little
little chocolates.
I don't know the name of them,but they sell them at Costco and
they're really good, andthey're little.
So I like those.
Those are my favorite rightnow, but I'll probably switch
next month or something.
So there'll be a new candy.
Hollyn (33:21):
Yeah, me too.
My favorite right now isprobably a hundred grand, and
there's-- I just I love thatit's like kind of like a crunch
bar and a Twix and a Snickers.
Alda (33:33):
My husband traveled to Japan in Tokyo, and they sell
these Japanese chocolates thatare kept cool in a fridge, and
those are they melt in yourmouth.
They're just out of thisworld.
Hollyn (33:46):
Japan pays so much attention to--
Alda (33:49):
Yeah, when I had that, I looked at him and I'm like, oh
my goodness, I'm in heaven.
Yeah.
But uh yeah, those are good.
Hollyn (33:53):
I've also-- I've been also really digging, I think
it's an Australian brand.
It's called Violet Delight.
It's like chocolate-coveredhoneycomb, and it's really good.
Alda (34:04):
Oh my goodness.
Hollyn (34:04):
It's delicious.
Alda (34:05):
I'm gonna have to get some of that.
Hollyn (34:06):
It sticks my teeth a little bit, but you know, I
think it's worth it.
What is the most uncomfortableshoe you've ever worn?
Alda (34:15):
Besides Petra Luna and her shoes, right?
Let me see.
I'd have to say it was theseshoes I got when I was nine
years old.
Back then my aunt had awedding, and my mom got them
for me.
They didn't fit, and she wantedme to wear them because that
was it.
I didn't have any other shoes,so for the wedding, and I wore
(34:36):
them and I blistered my feet.
Like to this day, I rememberthose shoes.
I don't like white shoes nowbecause of that, probably
because of that experience.
Hollyn (34:46):
I think the most uncomfortable shoe I've worn was
when I was at the airport a fewweeks ago, and my mom is
laughing in the corner becauseshe remembers this.
But I was going to an event inBoston with my mom, and it was
the same day, our flight was thesame day as the event.
So we were like, we we'll haveno time to change when we get to
(35:07):
the hotel, so we have to wear afancy outfit and fancy shoes.
So we wore these nice dressshoes, got to the airport, our
flight got delayed, and we'relike, it's gonna be too late.
So we sprinted two miles to thenext terminal, and then we
sprinted even more to get ontothe plane.
And when I got to the hotelafter the event, I took off my
(35:29):
shoes and they were blistered.
Alda (35:30):
Oh, no!
Hollyn (35:31):
So yeah.
So do you like skirts better orpants better?
Alda (35:36):
I love the way skirts look.
You know, sometimes I'll beshopping around and I'll see a
skirt like this is gorgeous.
And I try it on and it doesn'tfit so usually I wear more
pants.
I'm always wearing pants, butbut one day I have faith I'll
find that perfect skirt to wear.
Hollyn (35:54):
I like a good maxi skirt.
Alda (35:56):
Those are nice, yeah.
Hollyn (35:58):
But I feel like midi skirts, I already wear enough of
those in my school uniform.
So I mean I stick with pants,especially sweatpants.
Alda (36:04):
Yeah, no, those are nice.
Hollyn (36:06):
So our last question for the lightning round, if you
could give one piece of adviceto your younger self, what would
it be?
Alda (36:14):
That is another big question.
I would say hang in there.
I would say, you know, justhave faith, you know, keep doing
what you're doing, work hard,and you know things will happen,
just hang in there, you know.
Because a lot of times when Iwas I was a kid growing up poor,
(36:34):
you know, I always felt likewhat what's gonna be in life?
What what do I have to do?
What I felt like I was neverdoing enough, never working hard
enough, never and but Inoticed, you know, if you just
chill, things will happen, youknow.
Just keep focused on whatyou're doing and things will
happen, you know, because I wasalways anticipating, okay, you
(36:56):
know, why is that not happeningfaster or quicker?
You know, just I would tellmyself patience, just be more
patient.
When I was younger, I was soso so shy, and I wish I would
have been more open to to seekmentors, you know, and I didn't
start doing that until I was inhigh school.
But yeah, that's something thatI wish I would have known
younger.
Hollyn (37:16):
I don't know if this is related, but I heard a
psychology term and it's calledthe hedonic treadmill, and it's
basically like where you'realways looking for the next
thing, where you're always sortof anticipating.
So that just reminded me ofthat.
Alda (37:26):
Oh wow, that's that's pretty neat.
I've never heard of it in thatway.
But yeah, no, you're anincredible interviewer, so I
appreciate that.
Hollyn (37:33):
Thank you.
Alda (37:33):
I've had a wonderful time.
Hollyn (37:35):
Yeah, so as I mentioned originally when I reached out to
you, the Petra Luna series isactually the inspiration for
Stories Without Borders' firstservice project, which is a
collaboration with Yes We CanWorld Foundation, which is a
nonprofit that supports aquality education for migrant
and refugee children.
And the service project that wedid was we went down to the
(37:56):
border with some school suppliesthat we did in a bunch of
school supply drives thatambassadors did at their
schools, and we went down toTijuana.
And you can learn a lot moreabout this on our Instagram.
So follow that.
And I've said this so manytimes, but I want to let you
know how grateful I am thatPetra's story found its way
into my hands.
(38:17):
When your message reached meand I was reading it.
I mean, one of the things too,one of the highlights when
you're a writer, especially achildren's book writer, is when
a kid comes to you and says, Iwasn't a reader, but your book
was the first one I read.
To me that's, I love that, youknow, 'cause I was like that.
I found that one magical bookthat changed my life.
(38:40):
But when you came to me withthat note, you know, that you
had been inspired to start thisorganization, to me that was
another, you know, like, oh mygoodness, I had to sit there and
like this is incredible, youknow, that and not only that,
but now that that you're doingthat, you're touching lives,
you're reaching out, you know,going above and beyond to to
(39:03):
help these people becausethere's a lot of, I guess I the
way I grew up, I just I wish Iwould have had access to books.
I wish somebody would havesaid, Hey, you know, and I used
to daydream about it as a kid,you know, that somebody would
come and give me Spanish books.
Because I didn't have Spanishbooks, there were books in
English at school, but Ididn't-- like I told you I had
(39:23):
an issue with English.
But I wish, you know, Spanishbooks would have been-- had been
available back then.
So the fact that you're doingthis just yeah, it moves me.
And at your age, you know, Ijust-- it gives me faith in this
new generation.
I'm like, okay, we're fine.
We're good.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
And before we wrap up, I wantedto ask if there was any
(39:46):
particular cause or organizationthat's near and dear to your
heart.
As you know, Stories WithoutBorders, we believe in the power
of stories and service, and sowe'd love to amplify anything
that you care about.
Alda (39:59):
I really like the Imagination Library that gives
so many books to children.
And there's a lot oforganizations out there that I
have my eye on.
Like I said, I want to learnfrom them, you know, how they
do-- there's festivals in SanAntonio, Texas.
There's one called thepicture book festival and
(40:23):
another one that's a YA festivalthat I like to you know to look
at because I one day hope toemulate what they do by having
my own festival there in thesouth side.
So, you know, I couldn't nameall the organizations, you know,
because there's so manywonderful organizations out
there that are doing thecommunity work and reaching out
(40:47):
to impoverished neighborhoodsand whatnot.
That's just what what we needright now.
Hollyn (40:51):
Thank you so much for sharing and thank you so much
for being on this podcast.
Alda (40:54):
Oh my goodness.
Oh, thank you for foreverything, for having me here.
I'm just excited to have metyou too.
Hollyn (41:02):
Thank you so much.
Alda (41:03):
Hollyn, you're gonna go places, so just keep doing what
you're doing.
It's wonderful.
I'm very proud of you.
Hollyn (41:09):
Well, thank you so much, Alda.
Thanks for listening to StoriesWithout Borders the podcast.
Please rate and review the showon your favorite podcast
platform.
You can learn more from mine atstorieswithout borders.org.
Or follow us on Instagram atstories underscorewithout
borders.
If you like to watch everybody,I'll be able to do it.
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