The
Latina Book Club welcomes Valerie Tejeda, a journalist turned author. She had a dream about Marilyn Monroe and a
book idea was born. Despite her writing
credits and contacts, getting published was not easy, but not impossible. We are looking forward to her book’s debut
next July. Congratulations, Valerie!
CONTEST! Enter to win an advance readers copy of
HOLLYWOOD WITCH HUNTER by visiting valerietejeda.com/showmethemagic.
Good luck!
“Writing
and performing have always been passions of mine, even though now I wouldn't
be caught dead acting!” – Valerie Tejeda
Q: Are you a "Valley Girl?" Tell us
about yourself and what you love most about living in Southern California.
Well,
I was born in North Hollywood, California, grew up in Burbank and spent my high
school years in the Sacramento area, so I am truly a California girl! To be honest, I love everything about
Southern California! I love the weather. I love the people. I just love the
vibe there! Southern California will always have a special place in my heart.
But am I a “Valley Girl”? I don't think so, but maybe my friends would
disagree. I do however say the word “totally” more than the average person.
Q: You are an entertainment journalist
interviewing authors like Veronica Roth (Divergent) and James Dasher (The Maze
Runner), Selena Gómez' stylist, athletes, actors, etc. Did your love of
"Hollywood" inspire your book?
I
definitely think my love for Hollywood inspired my book! Since I was a little
girl I have always wanted to be in the entertainment industry. As soon as I was
old enough to write, I started writing plays for my Barbies and stuffed
animals, and then that evolved into me writing plays for me and my friends to
act out. So writing and performing have always been passions of mine, even
though now I wouldn't be caught dead acting!
The older I got, the more I was drawn to the writing side of
entertainment, such as journalism, books, scripts, etc. My first real writing
gig was for Latina Magazine and I will always be incredible grateful to Latina
for taking a chance on me. And being part-Mexican, writing for Latina was
seriously a dream come true and the experience was invaluable.
Q: Tell us about your book, Hollywood Witch
Hunter. Why YA and why witches? Wouldn't vampires be more fun?
HOLLYWOOD
WITCH HUNTER is about a coven of witches in Hollywood who are
bent on retaining their youth and must sacrifice the beautiful, and the rich
women of Southern California. There is also a society of witch hunters who
strive to protect the humans at all costs. The idea came to me after I had a dream that
Marilyn Monroe did not die of a drug overdose but instead, was killed by a
witch. The next day it got me to thinking, "Why would a witch ever want to
kill Marilyn Monroe?" I came to the conclusion that the witch was most
likely trying to steal her incomparable beauty. So the idea kind of developed
from there. Plus, there have been other stories about witches sacrificing to
preserve their youth, so witches just seemed fitting.
I
chose to write HOLLYWOOD WITCH HUNTER for a young adult audience because I
wanted to not only write a fun story, but also a story about finding yourself
and figuring out who you really are. Since a lot of this self-discovery happens
in the teen years, YA was the perfect fit!
Q: You noted on your bio that your favorite
thing about being a writer is telling someone else's story. Was it easy to
write your book since you are a journalist?
I
don’t really think writing HOLLYWOOD WITCH HUNTER as a journalist made it
easier or harder. However, I do think my background in journalism prepared me
for the publishing industry in the sense that I was used to sending out pitches
to magazines and getting rejected over and over again. So it’s safe to say my
journalism work helped me develop thick skin for the publishing industry.
Q: Was it easy to sell your book given your
connections and fans?
You
know, I don't think my connections in the journalism world helped me get a book
deal. I still had to go the same route as everyone else -- completing a full
manuscript, sending out queries, etc. I do think my relationships with other
authors (many whom I met through interviews) gave me some valuable insight into
what to expect in the publishing industry. But other than that, the process of
selling my book was no different than the next person.
Q: What advice would you give to new writers?
Think
outside the box. The publishing industry has drastically changed over the last
few years and there are opportunities now for authors that were not available a
few years ago. So keep writing, don’t give up, and be open-minded about
traditional and non-traditional ways to get your book published.
Q: When can we expect your book debut? Is there
a cover?
As
of now, HOLLYWOOD WITCH HUNTER will be debuting in July of 2015 from Bloomsbury
Publishing under their imprint Spark. The exact publication date is not quite
set, but it should be finalized soon! The
cover will be coming sometime in the New Year, and I am very excited to work on
this process with Bloomsbury! All of Bloomsbury’s covers are just amazing, but
their Spark line in particular has some beautiful ones! I honestly can’t wait!
Q: How can fans find you on the internet and on
social networks?
Anyone
can find me on
Website: www.valerietejeda.com
– for updates on my journalism work and books!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/valerietejeda
Instagram: http://instagram.com/valtejeda_writer
Hollywood
Witch Hunter can be found on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23202520-hollywood-witch-hunter).
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