Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ’s

How do you say your last name? 

It’s pronounced ah-MES-qua. It’s an unusual name that comes from Basque, which is a region in southern France and northern Spain. I’m only 1% Basque, but the name was carried through generations.

Audio Name Pronunciation Link

How much of Song of the Flower-Song is real? 

All of it is since it is a biography, though I had to figure out a few minor things on what seemed logical based on what I had read.

What inspired you to write SONG OF THE FLOWER-SONG: LUZ JIMÉNEZ, DAUGHTER OF THE NAHUA? 

I found a pamphlet about Luz Jiménez at the University of Texas. I had never thought about the people in art who are the models for artists. I decided right then that I had to write about her incredible life. As I learned more about Luz, I understood and connected with the ways the government and society shamed her culture and language and how Luz was proud of her culture and shared it with others. I feel I lost my culture and worked to regain it.

What were you like as a kid?

I was a quiet, shy kid who was curious and constantly thinking about everything around me. I loved to read and often played with my younger brother on the swings, seesaws and stilts our father made for us. I loved going on picnics or swimming at a river with my family. Every so often I would climb into an oak tree in our yard to read and dream about faraway places. 

Do you speak Spanish? 

I do but not fluently. I grew up speaking English. My parents thought it best to have their kids speak English so we wouldn’t have problems in school. It was the thinking at the time. I did overhear my parents sometimes speaking Spanish to each other, so that helped some.

When did you decide to become a writer?

I don’t think I decided. It seems to always have been part of me. I loved books, and I was amazed at the way a few words could say so much, especially in poetry. Writing was a way to get my thoughts and feelings down.

How long did it take you to write and publish your first book?

It took so long you won’t believe it. Although it was a couple of years since I had found the pamphlet about Luz in 2012, I had only written poetry and essays, not picture books.  I took several picture book courses from Bethany Hegedus (The Writing Barn), where I first wrote a prose draft of about Luz in 2013 and a version in verse in 2016. It had sat in a file for three years!

I entered it into a contest. It won the Lee & Low 2016 New Voices Honor Award. It took until 2019 and many revisions later to find an agent and get an offer to publish it.  It usually takes about two years for a picture book to be published because there are more revisions and the illustrator has his/her important part to do. So it took 8 years for this book to be born. I’m so excited it’s happening!

Did you ever feel like giving up while writing your book?

I knew that I had to learn more about writing picture books. Even though I had written many other things including poetry, picture books are different. I loved the story and wanted it to be read, so I didn’t want to give up. Sometimes, I feel like giving up on other things I’m writing, but I take breaks from the research or story to be able to go back to it with a fresh look. It also helps to have other writers and friends give encouragement.

Where do you get your ideas? 

Ideas are everywhere. I get ideas from things I read or see, from things others tell me, from my granddaughters and from my own life. 

Do you have any advice for young aspiring writers?

Write down anything you think might make a good story, even it turns out it isn’t. You can jot these ideas down whenever you get them and make a list. The most important thing is to read, read, read. The next part is to write about things you feel in your heart, that are important to you, or that you think are funny.

How do you combat “writer’s block”?

That’s hard. I leave it, go for a walk or do other physical activities. Other times, I leave it for a while or longer, or I work on another story or poem. What helps is to have other writing friends read it and give me suggestions that I can try out. 

Where do you write?

I usually write at my desk but also if an idea strikes me, in bed. Sometimes I write outside in good weather.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love traveling, gardening, walking, dancing, playing with our pets, photography and seeing friends and family.

What is your favorite book?

This is almost impossible to answer. There are so many great books. My mom bought me Golden Books when I was young. We lived in the country but, I had the incredible luck of having a bookmobile stop right across the highway from me at our neighbor’s house. I checked out stacks of books. in the summer. Then from the school library, I found my favorite big books The Wizard of Oz and Little Women. 

Some classic picture books I love are The Velveteen Rabbit, and The Runaway Bunny. More beloved picture books are Pablo Neruda, Poet of the People by Monica Brown ; Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh; and This is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson; Dreamers by Yuyi Morales; The People’s Painter by Cynthia Levinson, RISE! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou by Bethany Hegedus. I’m leaving out so many!

Other books I love are Beloved by Toni Morrison; Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt; The Once And Future King by T. H. White; Roots by Alex Haley; To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Watership Down by Richard Adams; Sonnets to Human Beings by Carmen Tafolla; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat; Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; Solito by Javier Zamora; Fire keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley; The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea; The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo; Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez; A Seed in the Sun by Aida Salazar; Shine On, Luz Vela by Rebecca Balcárcel; Fat Angie by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo; The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickelson; The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera; Secret of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall.

Quick Facts

Hometown –Austin, Texas

Siblings – Two brothers, one older and one younger

Favorite foods – Mexican food, almost any type, and barbecue

Favorite colors – Turquoise and purple

Favorite season – Spring

Favorite movie – A few are It’s a Wonderful Life, Wizard of Oz, To Kill a Mockingbird, Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Slumdog Millionaire, Selena.

Fears – Heights and fast up and down movement like roller coasters. I literally get sick. I’m fine on a plane, though.

Favorite animal – I can’t choose between a cat and a dog. We have both. 

Pets: