Celebrating Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos with Stephanie Wildman

I’m so excited that we will be celebrating Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos with Stephanie Wildman, one of the authors of Ghost Writer, along with Cecilia Populus-Eudave and illustrated by Estefania Razo from Lawley Publishing. (also available in Spanish as Escritor Fantasma)

Me: Welcome Stephanie and thank you for taking the time to chat with me about your writing journey. As we begin to enjoy the cooler fall weather, thoughts of Halloween, pumpkins, and goblins enter my mind. I always enjoy a good Halloween story, especially one that shares traditions with us. I can’t wait to hear more about this story and how it came about. Speaking of the Halloween season, do you have a favorite season? Is it Fall?

Stephanie: While fall would be a better answer for this post and for the sake of the book, I confess spring is my favorite season because that’s when my birthday occurs. But my half-birthday is in October, and I celebrate that too!

Stephanie Wildman

Cecilia Populus-Eudave

Estefania Razo

Me: How long have you been writing?

Stephanie: I did create a pen name for myself in fourth grade, so it’s fair to say I’ve always wanted to be a writer. And I wrote a lot in my day job as a law professor – books, articles, op-eds. But I didn’t start writing for children until 2018, when I took a class from Maxine Rose Schur.

Me: What or who inspired you to write this book?

Stephanie: Several inspirations came together to create Ghost Writer. The initial idea came from my grandson asking me repeatedly over months, “Grandma, did you know Julio died?” Julio was their beloved Boston Terrier, and I knew he was trying to process his sadness and the death itself. At the same time, I was working with illustrator Estefania Razo on the second Flor, Roberto, and Luis story – Breath by Breath. I love Estefania’s artwork, and I thought what fun it would be for her to illustrate a story about Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. I interviewed her about her own family customs. I also interviewed Cecilia Populus-Eudave, who has been the Spanish translator for the series about how her family celebrated Dia de los Muertos, and that’s how we became co-authors in telling the story.

Me: Tell me a little bit about this book’s journey to publication, were there any bumps and bruises along the way, obstacles you had to overcome, aha-moments? You can share the good, bad, ugly lol, or not.

Stephanie: The publication journey was smooth, because Ghost Writer is the third book in a series – so we had all worked with the team at Lawley Publishing before. But a wonderful aha moment came when Kid Lit author and blogger/podcaster Gina Soldano interviewed me. One of the headings on her website said Ghost Writer and that’s how this book found its title!

Me: What is one piece of advice you can give to writers who are just starting out, or who are still in the query trenches?

Stephanie: I always beat the drum about rejections. I think many writers get devastated by bad news, but honestly, there are so many opportunities for rejection in this business – not just from agents and publishers, but from bloggers who don’t want to interview you or bookstores who won’t carry the book. So I urge writers to embrace the rejection – it means you are out there doing what you love – being a writer.

Me: What are your plans for the future? Writing or otherwise, traveling, hobbies, etc.

Stephanie: I’m happy to share that another Flor, Roberto, and Luis book is in the works. It’s coming on October 14, 2025, and is titled Story Power! and the co-author is my grandson Simon Wildman-Chung (because the book was his idea). And I have another book coming out in November – Miri’s Moving Day, coauthored with Adam Ryan Chang and illustrated by Dream Chen from Kar-Ben Publishing. Maybe next time you interview me, we will talk about co-authoring.

Me: Yes, that sounds like a plan! I love that your grandson is a co-author of a book with you; I’m looking forward to hearing all about that. I’d love for you to share a recipe with me. I have a collection of recipes from friends and family that goes back many years. I would love to include yours, as well as share it with my readers.

Stephanie: I’m happy to share my chicken soup recipe, which combines my grandmother’s recipe with a NY times recipe.

Not My Grandmother’s Chicken Soup

(Although my grandmother Lena Sokol did tell me she put beef short ribs in her chicken soup.)

Place in a large pot & barely cover with water (I have a little of the chicken not covered in water):

1 3 ½ to 4 ½ lb. chicken (whole) – (take any chunks of fat out of body cavity opening &include all inner parts, if available)

1.5 lbs. beef short ribs (optional if prefer no beef)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

bunch of cilantro (washed and tied with string)

1tbsp. dried oregano

1 large yellow onion, chopped

Before adding water, season with pepper, paprika, and turmeric – a few healthy shakes of each

Cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours until chicken is done. Remove chicken and parts, ribs, and cilantro with string.

Add to the pot and bring back to a boil before lowering heat to simmer:

handful of diced ginger

1 large yam (peeled and cut)

8-10 small red potatoes (cut in half)

2 – 3 ears of corn — broken into halves or thirds

cubed Butternut squash (I use about 3-4 cups, often sold pre-cut)

1-2 jalapeno chili(s) – seeds removed and diced

After another ½ hour to 1 hour stir and add to the pot:

2-3 large tomatoes – chopped

2-3 zucchini, cubed

Return diced chicken (I don’t use the innards, except the liver) and beef to the pot and let simmer for at least ½ hour, but the soup is very forgiving as to how long.

About 15 minutes before serving stir and add 1 bag of washed spinach to the pot. Stir again before serving.

Serve with these garnishes:

capers

sour cream

chopped avocado

This recipe combines my grandmother’s recipe with inspiration from this recipe in the NY Times food section for Columbian-Style Chicken, Short Rib and Potato Stew.

Me: Thanks for taking time to chat with me during this spooky Halloween season. It’s always fun getting to know writing friends! I look forward to interviewing you again, and, I plan on making your chicken soup recipe, I like that it has a little ginger in it to spice it up.

You can learn more about Stephanie at http://www.stephaniewildman.com/

You can connect with Stephanie here:

You can purchase her books here.

Celebrating Summer Solstice with Jeanette Fazzari Jones

I’m so excited that we will be celebrating Summer Solstice by interviewing Jeanette Fazzari Jones, the author of MEATBALLS FOR GRANDPA, which was released in March of this year by Two Lions Press. In this sensory-rich picture book, a little girl and her grandparents make the family’s traditional spaghetti and meatballs recipe together and hope to jog Grandpa’s fading memory.

Me: Welcome, Jeanette and thank you for taking the time to chat with me about your writing journey. It’s hard to believe that summer is upon us, it seems like just yesterday that the trees were beginning to bloom, and now we are in full swing barbecue season!

Jeanette: Yes! I just returned from a short trip out of state and arrived to find my garden had tripled in size! My pumpkin plants seem to be ready to overtake our back yard, and my tomatoes are threatening to burst out of their cage-stands!

Me: Do you have any special plans for the summer?

Jeanette: Our big trip this summer just wrapped up. We returned to my hometown in New Jersey to see family and do a few book visits. One of them was my own elementary school—a special, sweet little place nestled in one of those towns you think only exists in Hallmark movies. Seeing how it’s both changed and stayed exactly the same over the years was definitely a highlight. Of course, while I was in town we went to the beach and got our fill of the best pizza in the world.

Me: Are there any activities that you participate in related to the season?

Jeanette: As for summer activities—I’d love to lie and say that I’m enjoying lazy-days, but actually I’m zooming around the house cleaning and organizing all the things I didn’t get to during the school year. People ask how I take on so many things—teach, write, bake, and be a mom. I tell them to look at the state of my living room and that will speak volumes!

Me: Do you have a favorite season?

Jeanette: I don’t have a favorite season, honestly because I love how they are constantly changing and offering us new ways to appreciate nature. The vibrant greens of summer with the smack-you-in-the-face heat; the crisp evening air during the fall; watching a silent blanket of white cover the earth during winter; and the spring morning smell of dew on grass. There’s always something to look forward to!

Me: How long have you been writing?

Jeanette: I’ve always enjoyed writing and found little ways to hone my skills over the years. Truly learning how to be a children’s author came about when I started back to work as a kindergarten teacher. I wanted a new hobby, I LOVED reading to my own young children and students, and I loved how books could transport you through any time, place or topic. So, writing seemed like a good fit. Then, the pandemic hit. While locked inside with nothing but time, I decided to look into the publishing industry. Fast forward 4 years, and here I am!

Me: What or who inspired you to write this book? June is Alzheimer’s Awareness month, and I understand that is one of the themes in your book. Can you tell me about that?

Jeanette: Yes! MEATBALLS FOR GRANDPA is based on my real grandfather. Sadly, he passed away from Alzheimer’s Disease when I was 17. The book was also inspired by the spaghetti-sauce and meatball recipe in the back. One day, I set out my sauce to simmer, then took a walk. I was playing around with words that sounded and smelled like my kitchen in those moments. So, it started as a poem. One my critique partners suggested adding a layer from my family history, and one of them showed me a similar story she was working on. Combining the concepts really helped me hone in on the big why behind the story—the little things we do can have a big impact on those we love.

Me: Tell me a little bit about this book’s journey to publication, were there any bumps and bruises along the way, obstacles you had to overcome, amazing, aha-moments? You can share the good, bad, ugly, or not lol.

Jeanette: This book actually had a pretty quick turn around when it comes to the snail-paced publishing industry… about three or so years from start to finish. There were a few false starts—a R&R from one publishing house that became a no. When Marilyn, my editor at Two Lions Press got a hold of it, she helped me develop the vision for the story even further. Then, Jaclyn Sinquett came on board and pure magic happened! My aha-moment was definitely in there—the collaboration process and the little tweaks everyone brought to the project made it so much stronger than I could have ever done by myself.

My other aha goes hand-in-hand with the first… There is always another revision. Even after publication! Every time I read MEATBALLS FOR GRANDPA, I think of a sentence I can change or a word I can remove. I’m thankful for my editor and critique partners who tell me that it’s time to stop, haha!

Me: What is one piece of advice you can give to writers who are just starting out, or who are still in the query trenches?

Jeanette: It’s the same advice that I give myself:

One – Figure out what you want to say to the world and don’t give up. Your voice has value, even if an editor or an agent says you’re not the right fit right now.

Two – Find a way to make it fun. Writers invest a lot of time and even money into our craft. We all get in slumps; we all wonder if there is any point to pushing forward. BUT—if we can shift our thinking and enjoy the different aspects of the writing community, then it’s never a waste! I love my critique group, entering writing contests, playing with words, and coming up with concepts that make me chuckle. Sometimes we just have to take a step back and embrace those moments.

Me: What are your plans for the future? Writing or otherwise, traveling, hobbies, etc.

Jeanette: I have a second book, DUCK, DUCK, GROOVE(The Little Press), coming out in Fall, 2025, so that’s super exciting! Hopefully there will be more down the road as well! By day, I’m a kindergarten teacher and by night I’m a chauffeur to my amazingly extroverted daughter and base-ball playing son. I also accidentally started a mini-bakery out of my kitchen a few years back when my friends suggested I sell my decorated cookies…so in my spare time, I take on orders.

As for writing, right now I’m back in the query trenches. Sadly, my sweet agent, Dawn Dowdle, passed away last fall from a sudden heart attack. I’m a member of SCBWI and 12×12, so I’ve been using all their resources to build up my portfolio. I’ve sent a few queries out, and I think I’ve wound up in some “maybe piles.” But I really want to have about 6-8 polished, amazing, ready-to-wow manuscripts to present to a prospective agent before I get serious about querying. I plan to do that next year, so for right now I’m writing-revising-rewriting and revising some more!

Me: I’m sorry to hear about what happened to your agent. I know it’s tough to be in the query trenches, but it sounds like you’re on the right track. SCBWI and 12×12 are full of helpful resources for Kid Lit authors, and the 12×12 community offers a lot of friendly help and support for its members.

Me: I’d love for you to share a recipe with me, I have a collection of recipes from friends and family that goes back many years. I would love to include yours, as well as share it with my readers.

Jeanette: Well, since MEATBALLS FOR GRANDPA has a recipe in the back, I’ll give you all some desert! I mentioned I love baking, and everyone loves a good story, so this one even comes with a little laugh.

When my husband and I were dating, he told me that he once said he’d marry the first girl that baked him his favorite cookies—Snickerdoodles. Well, I took that as a challenge! I’d been baking cookies for as long as I could remember, and Snickerdoodles were one of my favorites. I wanted him to have his fill so I doubled the recipe… all except the butter. He was away at grad school, and so I mailed him cinnamon flavored bricks! It worked out for me though; we’re celebrating our 16^th anniversary this year and have two beautiful children!

Snickerdoodles (or Cinnamon Cookies … but not Cinnamon Bricks!)

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon sugar

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs.

Combine the dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients.

Refrigerate the dough for 30+ minutes.

Roll into balls and dip in cinnamon sugar. (I make them about the size of a golf ball, but you can make them bigger or smaller based on your preference. Just adjust the cooking time).

Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes. Let sit on the warm tray for about 2-3 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.

Me: Thanks for taking time out of your very busy schedule. It’s always fun getting to know writing friends! I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer, and I look forward to seeing more of your books out in the world.

Jeanette: You’re very welcome, thanks for letting me be a part of your blog.

You can contact Jeanette here: Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Bluesky