Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Bessie Flores Zaldívar!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Bessie Flores Zaldívar
Born in 1997 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Bessie Flores Zaldívar is a writer and professor of fiction. They’re currently based in the New Haven area. Libertad is Bessie’s debut novel.
About the Book: Libertad
A queer YA coming-of-age set during the rigged Honduran presidential election about a young poet discovering the courage it takes to speak her truth about the people and country she loves.
As the contentious 2017 presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, churns louder and faster. For her part, high school senior Libertad (Libi) Morazán takes heart in writing political poetry for her anonymous Instagram account and a budding romance with someone new. But things come to a head when Mami sees texts on her phone mentioning a kiss with a girl and Libi discovers her beloved older brother, Maynor, playing a major role in the protests. As Libertad faces the political and social corruption around her, stifling homophobia at home and school, and ramped up threats to her poetry online, she begins dreaming of a future in which she doesn’t have to hide who she is or worry about someone she loves losing their life just for speaking up. Then the ultimate tragedy strikes, and leaving her family and friends—plus the only home she’s ever known—might be her only option.
*“An emotionally charged must-read.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
~Author Chat~
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
BFZ: The character I had the most fun writing was Abuela, the protagonist’s grandmother. In some ways, she felt like the most complex character, or at least the one I knew the least about going in and had to spend the most time with to really understand and empathize with. I like when a character is not so familiar to me that they can surprise me, challenge me.
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
BFZ: I feel like there’s two ways to answer this question. Depends on what you mean by “finished.” There’s finished as in the first draft of the novel is done; you have reached the end of the story, and you know it’s time to leave your characters’ side. You’re at the end of their journey, per say. And there’s finished as in the book is ready to be seen by the world, you don’t get to keep moving that one comma around.
As for knowing you’re at the end of the journey with your characters, early on in the process of writing Libertad, I got to attend a writing workshop for YA writers led by Mark Oshiro. One thing that really stuck with me was hearing them say that when thinking about how to end books, they tried to envision a final image, the last thing readers see in their head before closing the book. Then they try to write towards that image, “earn it” in some ways. I approached writing the ending of Libertad the same way—I knew what I wanted to be the final image and I worked towards earning it.
Now, knowing when a book is finished as in ready to see the world is much more complicated. I don’t know that I yet feel that way about any of my writing. There’s always one more comma to change, a word to cross out, another to add. I think that if it was up to me, I’d probably continue to revise and edit Libertad for ten more years. But luckily, that’s where editors and the whole team working to publish the book come in.
YABC: What research did you do to write this book?
BFZ: Writing Libertad required extensive personal and historical research. Some of the events depicted in the book, such as the tragic helicopter accident resulting in the death of Hilda Hernandez and five others, are deeply ingrained in my memory. I vividly remember witnessing these events unfold on live television while I was in Honduras. Additionally, being present during the aftermath of the 2017 election further enriched my understanding of the context.
When I embarked on writing about these pivotal moments, I relied heavily on my own recollections. However, I also made a point to consult with family members, seeking their perspectives and memories to ensure accuracy. Oftentimes, they would recall details that had slipped my mind, adding depth to my narrative.
In addition to personal insights, I delved into secondary research, particularly focusing on the issue of los desaparecidos. Growing up, I had heard stories about individuals who vanished without a trace, victims of government oppression. To gain a comprehensive understanding, I turned to various sources, including newspaper archives and grassroots organizations. One organization that significantly influenced my writing process was the COFADEH (Committee of Relatives of the Disappeared in Honduras). Their documentary, “Una Historia en 6 Partes,” released in 2022, provided invaluable insight into the historical context of disappearances in Honduras since the 1980s. Through their dedicated efforts to document these crimes against humanity, COFADEH ensures that the victims and their stories are not forgotten.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
BFZ: I want to say around the time I was 12 or so. I don’t think I had the language to name why I wanted to be a writer then, but I definitely had the understanding deep in my body that storytelling sustains us the way food or water does, that our species craves stories in the same vein we long for connection. And I can’t really imagine a cooler thing to do with my life than getting to produce those stories and share them with others.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
BFZ: It helps that I interact with older teenagers almost every day. I teach first-year writing to freshmen students in college and creative writing to upper-classmen, so I’m always talking and reading the work of people ages 18-21. I think that like any writer, I just try to listen and really take in the language registers the people who are both the subjects and audiences of my work are engaging with, always aiming for authenticity, which can only come from a place of listening without imposing any projections or pre-conceived ideas. It also helps that we are all teenagers once, right? It wasn’t too long ago, for me. And things do change so fast. I’m always in awe of how teenagers create language. Teenage girls in particular, are always creating language that then enters out mainstream lexicon.
YABC: What type of scene do you love to write the most?
BFZ: This is a recent development, but I’m finding that I enjoy writing the “connective tissue” like scenes in a book the most. By that I mean the scenes that are not big plot points, pre-planned. The scenes that you sort of have to write in to account for time gaps or to connect point A to point B or to develop the relationship between two characters, the more mundane scenes. I find that when I write these scenes, I get to actually learn something about my characters I might not have known before, like certain mannerisms or tics that only really reveal themselves when I’m forced to spend “down-time” with the characters.
YABC: What word do you have trouble overusing?
BFZ: Right now, it seems to be “second” as in “it took just a second” or “for a second it seemed like.” I’ll be editing and notice I used it 5-7 times in a paragraph.
YABC: What is your favorite writing space?
BFZ: Any place with high ceilings feels good to me. A poet friend recently told me that high ceilings feel good to write under because they can let our thoughts rise, they can fit more thoughts above our head, which is such a poet thing to say, but I believe it.
YABC: How do you plan to celebrate the launch of your book?
BFZ: I’m having a little book release event at Café con Libros in Brooklyn that I’m really excited about!
YABC: What hobbies do you enjoy?
BFZ: Right now, I’m really into puzzling, but I cycle through hobbies with the seasons. I enjoy going on long walks in the fall and the spring. I was into roller-skating last-last summer and I think I might pick it up again soon.
YABC: What’s your least favorite word or expression and why?
BFZ: Horn-dog. I don’t have a good reason, really. I was out on a date once with a girl who said it and I just felt like I had to call the whole thing off, which I think reflects more poorly on me than the girl.
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
BFZ: Usually go on a long walk, but I don’t like to think of it as procrastinating. I feel like I do a lot of my writing through my body, through moving my body.
YABC: What kind of animal would your main character be and why?
BFZ: I think Libertad would be a squirrel, but that might just be because I’m really into squirrels right now. I recently learned that when squirrels see you and they climb up a tree to shake their tail, they’re alerting others that they see a predator and will leave if you get any closer. I think my character is observant and concerned about others like that. I also learned that sometimes squirrels will pretend to bury a seed just to throw other squirrels or people off about where they actually will hide their food. I think my character can resource-guarded in a similar way, too—and even a bit of a liar, at times.
YABC: What is your favorite holiday or tradition and why?
BFZ: I love New Year’s Eve when I’m home, in Honduras. I have a very close family (much like the narrator’s family in Libertad). I actually used my family’s traditions for New Year’s in the book. My grandparents make paella, and we all eat together at around midnight. Then when the clock strikes midnight, we wish each other a happy new year but it’s also my brother’s birthday—so we sing happy birthday to him.
YABC: What other age group would you consider writing for?
BFZ: I am hoping to write a few “adult fiction” books in the future! But honestly, I’d love to try to write for every age group at some point.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
BFZ: I’m working on my second YA novel, which is in some ways similar to Libertad and in other ways completely different.
Title: LIBERTAD
Author: Bessie Flores Zaldívar
Release Date:
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0593696123
ISBN-13: 9780593696125
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Age Range: 14+
~ Giveaway Details ~
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Libertad (Bessie Flores Zaldívar) ~US Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
