Where can I buy your book?
DETOUR AHEAD can be purchased on Amazon (right here!)
Is your book available through any indie booksellers?
Unfortunately, DETOUR AHEAD can only be purchased via Amazon at this time. Distribution is not usually in the hands of authors, but I will share updates on availability as soon as anything changes.
What inspired the book? How was it working with your co-author Pamela Ehrenberg? How did you meet?
All that and more was answered in an interview with Sarabeth on the PJ Our Way blog. You can check it out here.
What do you remember about being Gilah and Guillermo’s age? Between you and your co-author, who is the better breakdancer?
These questions and more were answered in this interview with Jonathan Rosen on The Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors. Check it out here!
We also have interviews that answer how we came up with the book’s title, interviews where we share our thoughts on friendship, and this interview where I explain why representation matters.
What is PJ Our Way?
PJ Our Way is a non-profit literacy and book distribution program for families raising Jewish children. Pamela and I are very happy that DETOUR AHEAD was offered in March 2022 to PJ Our Way subscribers to be selected as their free April 2022 book.
Is PJ Publishing, PJ Library, and PJ Our Way the same thing?
PJ Library is a book-based program run by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation which is available to families in the United States and Canada raising Jewish children from birth through 8 years old. PJ Our Way is the next chapter of PJ Library, for kids ages 9-12. PJ Publishing is PJ Library’s in-house imprint.
Where can I find you on social media?
On Twitter and Instagram I’m @tracydelopez
What project are you working on next?
I’m finishing up a contemporary MG novel which I’ve been writing and rewriting since 2015. After that I’m excited to finally be ready to choose a new project to start for the first time in a long time.
How can I become a published writer?
My first recommendation is to read a lot, then you need to write a lot.
Most of the time the first thing you write is not the thing you publish. (I wrote four novel-length stories that weren’t published before I started working on DETOUR AHEAD. And that doesn’t count all the shorter fiction and hundreds of poems, plus blogging and freelance articles I wrote over the years!)
My second recommendation is to join writing groups, either a local one or online. Make writer friends so that you can find a trusted critique partner or two. Having someone give you feedback, (and reading their writing to give them feedback) is important to your growth as a writer.
There are many different paths to publication so it can be kind of confusing, but thankfully there are also many amazing resources for figuring out which path might be right for you. There are books for in-depth knowledge of the industry and the publishing process, and plenty of free online resources as well. Here are a few online resources I recommend to get you started:
Reedsy blog: How to Outline a Novel
Reedsy blog: 50 Places to Find a Critique Circle
Lastly, if you call yourself an “aspiring writer”, cut that out. If you write, you’re a writer. I wish I could remember who gave me that advice, but it was life-changing for me. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t finished your first manuscript, if no one has ever read it, if you aren’t published, if you’ve never earned a cent with your writing, or if you have a day job to pay the bills. You’re a writer. Keep writing and keep believing in yourself.
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Feel free to contact me!
Tracy López 