YA Publication as an Immigrant: A Conversation with Sofía Lapuente & Jarrod Shusterman

Sofía: Chupa chups and tears. I can still taste the bitter sweet blend of my childhood, when I would sit on the steps in my pleated uniform after grade school finishing my extra homework. My evil extra homework. Why the punishment? It wasn’t because I tied María’s pig tales together, or copied exams with my friend Patricia. No, I was in trouble because I was thirsty for knowledge and maybe I talked too much because of it. I was so understimulated that I questioned everything. Always asking ¿Por qué? And so my teachers gave me extra homework. I cried to mamá, expecting her to do battle in my honor. But instead, she told me that my teachers were actually on my team. And I couldn’t understand why, until my mother posed me a question I’d never forget.

“¿Quieres ser cola de león o cabeza de ratón?” Do you want to be the tail of a lion or the head of a mouse. Did I want to be a small part of something big, or a big part of something small? I asked myself that question all throughout my life, promising myself that I would at least be a part of that lion, until it brought me all the way to the United States. Seven years later and many scars later I have the honor of teaching a writing course at UCLA in the same program in which I was a student, and I am publishing my first YA novel RETRO—but I still struggle in the lion’s den every single day.

Writing a novel isn’t easy, but it’s a major challenge to do it with a thick accent like mine—when English isn’t your mother tongue. So for all of you out there who share my struggle, I am here to promise you that you’re not alone. It is possible. And I have to say that I’m also really grateful to work with my wonderful supportive writing partner, life partner and sharing of the last piece of pizza partner, Jarrod Shusterman.

Jarrod: Our book RETRO was a labor of love that covers some important themes about culture, how we treat each other and responsible technology usage. Students take the Retro Challenge, which begs the question: can you survive a year without your smart technology? And if you can, you’ll win the scholarship of their dreams. Only problem is, characters start going missing, and if our protagonist Luna doesn’t figure out who’s behind it all, maybe she’s next…

Sofía: Luna is a bull-headed, seventeen-year-old girl who is total best friend material and always says the wrong thing at the right time. It was important for me that she was from a Hispanic immigrant family because Hispanic culture is widely underrepresented in YA fiction. And this was my biggest motivator. We include lots of Spanish frases (and never italicized because why make a language feel other?) I wanted to give us a voice, and a fun one—that you can both cry and laugh with.

I believe there is an important place for serious dramas but why does culture and immigration always come with tears and seriousness? Often, we are the fiesta! Luna makes mistakes and fails every day. She battles anxiety. She values amigos and familia and wants to be the protagonist of her world, not just a side character. So we think everyone can empathize with her. Luna is a straight up superhero, even if she wears less spandex tights than Captain America ever will.

Jarrod: And since Sofi became my life partner, writing partner, Oreo eating partner—I have learned so much about her culture. After probably one week of dating, Sofi asked me if I believed in equality, to which I responded “absolutely” and then she said, “Great! Then you’re going to learn Spanish so we don’t always have to talk in English!” Now I speak Spanish, and I’m absolutely loving everything about her world, even if I mix up the words for being ‘embarrassed’ and being ‘pregnant’ (embarazado) all the time in front of friends and family.

Sofía: And while Jarrod is working on his Spanish I have my own imposter syndrome to deal with in English. How does a girl who sometimes spells things wrong in English and who has an accident thicker than puss in boots write professionally in America? Google can only help me so much, and there’s lots of second guessing to the point where sometimes I even forget some words in Spanish. But then if someone bothers me for these lacks, I remind myself that why should I feel bad for speaking two languages when they only speak one? Why am I the one who is made to feel stupid here?

In Retro we discuss some of these themes. About culture, expectations and familia. In addition, Luna takes the Retro Challenge so she can go to college and someday sponsor her immigrant mother. And immigration isn’t as easy as ‘just getting in line’ like so many think. There’s no line. I couldn’t find it anywhere. It’s more difficult than finding the exit of an Ikea. So Luna’s core motivation is rooted in a struggle that is a lived experience for me.

Jarrod: Now, you may be wondering why did we write a thriller with fun vibes? Well, during the pandemic we were tired of reading and watching scary, or melancholic stories—so we thought the world needed some escape with thrilling twists and all the good vibes possible.

Sofía: In addition, keeping the attention span of the readers is an integral part of our writing style. And that’s also why every single chapter title is a Retro song, so the index is a playlist that you can listen to while you read. With all of our favorites from Cindy Lauper to Ricky Martin to Nirvana. And with the music we wanted to include Hispanic songs, but also use it to help break common stereotypes. Like people think we just eat rice and beans and dance reggaeton twenty-four hours a day when we are just in the supermarket buying boring broccoli.

Luna and her friends are smart, strong characters, who also party, fall in love, and save the lives of the people they care about most–all while listening to an awesome diverse playlist that we promise you all will love!

Jarrod: We really hope you like RETRO, a story with a ton of heart that aims to remind us all that behind every screen and profile is a person with feelings and a beating heart. And we promise there is much more to come from us in the future!

Sofía: Although my path continues as an immigrant, through Luna’s story I hope we could convey to all the young readers out there that yes you can be the tail of a lion, and maybe if you keep working hard you can become an even larger part of the lion than that. It’s what I still tell myself every single day.

Meet the authors

Sofía Lapuente is an author, screenwriter, and avid world traveler who immigrated from Spain to the United States to realize her dream of storytelling. Since then, she has received a master’s degree in fine arts at UCLA, worked as a producer and casting director on an Emmy nominated show, and received coauthor credits in the New York Times bestselling Gleanings, the fourth installment of the bestselling Arc of a Scythe series, with her partner, Jarrod. Together, the couple writes and produces film and television under their production company Dos Lobos Entertainment.

Jarrod Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of novel Dry, which he is adapting for a major Hollywood film studio with Neal Shusterman. He is also the coauthor of the accoladed novel Roxy. His books have all received critical acclaim and multiple starred reviews. Sofi Lapuente and Jarrod are partners in every sense of the word, with love and multiculturalism as an ethos—living between Madrid, Spain, and Los Angeles, California. If they are not working, it means they’re eating. For behind-the-scenes author content and stupidly funny videos, follow them on Instagram and TikTok @SofiandJarrod.

Purchase link:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Retro/Sofia-Lapuente/9781665902755

About Retro

What starts off as a light-hearted competition to live without modern technology for a year turns into a fight for survival in this unputdownable young adult thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman and debut author Sofía Lapuente.

It was never meant to happen this way.

Things were never supposed to get this out of hand.

After a cyberbullying incident at her school goes viral, Luna Iglesias finds herself at the heart of a brewing controversy. When the social media company Limbo—who are also implicated in the scandal—sweeps in with an offer that sounds like an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and receive a scholarship to the college of her dreams, she’s happy to jump on the new trend. It’s called the Retro Challenge, where contestants live without modern technology, wear vintage clothes, party as if the future weren’t already written, and fall in love as if they were living in a movie.

At first, the challenge is fun. But then things get dangerous. Kids start disappearing, including Luna’s friends. There are voices in the woods. Bloodred markings on the trees. And Luna increasingly begins to wonder if all these strange happenings are connected with the Retro Challenge.

Secrets. Lies. Betrayal. The weight of her family on her shoulders. There’s so much on the line for Luna, not to mention she’s falling in love with the last guy she expected. Unless she can figure out the truth behind who’s sabotaging the challenge, the next person to disappear may be Luna herself.

ISBN-13: 9781665902755
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date: 01/24/2023
Age Range: 14 – 18 Years

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