LA MALA SUERTE IS FOLLOWING ME

Today I’m thrilled to chat with my friend and fellow Musa Ana Siqueira about her soon to be released book La Mala Suerte is Following Me. It’s illustrated by Carlos Vélez Aguilera and will be published by Charlesbridge on March 12th, 2024.

Ana has been an inspiration to me for a long time. For a while we were critique partners and we occasionally swap manuscripts, so I’ve learned so much from her and I admire the success she has accomplished with all of her amazing books. For these reasons, I’m delighted to have this conversation with her so you can get to know more about her upcoming book, which will also be released in Spanish.

About La Mala Suerte is Following Me:

In this fun picture book romp about superstitions, can Miguel learn to make his own luck—and be rid of La Mala Suerte—before it’s too late? Miguel’s abuelita warns him that opening an umbrella in the house will bring La Mala Suerte (Mrs. Bad Luck) who will follow him wherever he goes, and now Miguel’s life is ruined! He trips, fails an exam, and can’t block a shot to save his life at soccer practice. Nothing he tries works to get rid of Mrs. Bad Luck—looking for a four-leaf clover, his aunt’s “existential” oils… Now what?

Simultaneously published in Spanish and English with Spanish insertions, this silly and heartfelt look at superstitions will leave kids excited to get out there and make their own luck.

***

Now on to our interview:

M. Ana, I’m so glad to have you on the blog today! I’m so excited about your upcoming book, it sounds like a lot of fun. Can you share why did you decide to write a story about bad luck and superstitions? What inspired you?

A. I am a believer that our attitude toward life can make things happen. Of course, not everything is under our control, but some are. For example, Miguel blamed La Mala Suerte for failing his math exam. But when Mami says he makes his own luck, Miguel decides to study extra hard for the spelling and he aces it. Writers can’t control if a publisher or agent will like their stories, but if they keep on learning and trying, one day they will get there. As the philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is opportunity meets preparation.”

M. That is such a powerful statement! Speaking about superstitions, are there any superstitions that you believe in or that you grew up with?

A. I believed the number 13th was bad luck and I was born on July 13th. But now, I’m a big fan of the number 13 just like Taylor Swift.

M. I didn’t know your birthday was July 13th! For me it’s also a special day since my dad and husband celebrate their birthdays on that day too. Now, regarding the Spanish, how did you decide which Spanish words to add to the manuscript? Was it easy? Was your editor on board?

A. All my books have Spanish sprinkled throughout. Being a Spanish teacher, I can’t help it. My rule to sprinkle Spanish words is: the words are illustratable (el gato) or cognates, that is, words similar in English and Spanish, such as desastre and examen. My editor Karen Boss was super on board. The book is also coming in Spanish – La Mala Suerte Me Sigue.

M. I love that about your books, it’s kind of one of your signatures. Can you share your path to publication for this book?

A. This story is a LatinxPitch success story. During the 2022 Twitter event, I pitched two stories, one of them was La Mala Suerte is Following Me. Karen Boss messaged me saying she was not participating in the event, but she would like to see my other story titled Walking in Each Other’s Zapatos, but I could also send La Mala Suerte. And the funny thing, she didn’t like the one she wanted and she liked La Mala Suerte. From there, we made a few changes, she asked the wonderful Carlos Vélez Aguilera to illustrate it, and voila!

M. Wow! It seems like it was meant to be with your editor! That is such a great story! Can you tell us what advice would you give authors and children waiting to achieve their dreams?

A. If you have a dream, go for it. Things will be tough and sometimes you will need a break. But the only way to achieve your dreams or goals is to keep on fighting for them. If you are a writer, keep learning, and keep on writing, even when you might need a day job, like me. If you are a student, be prepared for your tests, your soccer tournaments, or your violin recital. Believe in yourself and your luck. Now, some things are not under control. Just try to keep on going even when things don’t go the way you want.

M. That’s wonderful advice! Thank you! Finally, Ana, are there any new projects that you’re currently working on? What comes next for you?

A. To make my own luck as a writer, I need to keep on challenging myself. So I have a graphic novel on submission, I have a chapter book series to be soon announced, and I’m learning the craft of writing middle-grade novels. I have three picture books coming out in 2025 and one in 2026 plus others to be announced. A big thanks to my agent, Joyce Sweeney, who works hard to make our goals a reality. I feel lucky to get her to represent me.

Ana that’s amazing news! Congratulations! 🎉 I can’t wait to know more about your soon to be announced books! As always, I wish you the best with your projects and I hope you’ll have a lot of success with La Mala Suerte is Following Me.

Readers, if you’d like to celebrate with Ana the release of her book, you can join her in this wonderful double Virtual Launch Event along author Nathalie Alonso (Old Clothes for Dinner?!), illustrators Carlos Vélez Aguilera and Natalia Rojas Castro, and host Josh Funk.

Register here:  https://bit.ly/booklaunchAna

Pre-order a signed book here: https://bit.ly/preorderLaMalaSuerte (in English- find it there also in Spanish)

****

ANA’S BIO

Ana Siqueira is a Spanish-language elementary teacher and an award-winning children’s book author based in Tampa, Florida. Her books include Bella’s Recipe for Success (Beaming Books 2021), If Your Babysitter is a Bruja (S&S 2022), Abuela’s Super Capa/ La Supercapa de Abuela (HarperCollins 2023), Our World Brazil (Barefoot Books 2023), Boitata: the Fire Snake (Capstone 2023), La Mala Suerte is Following Me (Charlesbridge 2024), If Your Abuelo is un Astronauta (Simon & Schuster 2025), Mami’s Heart (HarperCollins 2026) among others. Ana is also a global educator and a PBS Media innovator. She’s the co-founder of Latinxpitch, a pitch event to promote Latin authors and illustrators. She lives in Palm Harbor with her husband and loves to play with her Cuban-Brazilian- American grandkids.

Website: https://anafiction.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SraSiqueira1307

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asiqueira1307/

Thanks for reading,

M

PS. Remember you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking the pink button. Thanks!

Cover photo by Sudipta Mondal.