Today I am excited to share my interview with Sylvia Liu who I met at a writing conference in 2018, back when in the good old days when in-person events were the norm and we never could have imagined anything else. Before that, I knew Sylvia as one of the co-founders of KidLit411 which helps promote authors, illustrators, and shares important information regarding publishing. I highly recommend as a writing resource if you aren’t already a subscriber to the weekly newsletter and a member of the Facebook group. Sylvia’s new MG book, MANATEE’S BEST FRIEND, with cover art by Scott Dorman and design by Stephanie Yang, swam into the word last week! I am a big fan of cows and as a child, I was informed that manatees are also called sea cows, so of course, I love them too and cannot wait to read Sylvia’s book!
Sylvia is offering one very lucky winner (US Only) a signed copy of MANATEE’S BEST FRIEND and a bookmark. Comment on the blogpost to enter the giveaway.
What were you like at the age of your target audience?
When I was 10 to 12 years old, I was a quintessential bookworm. I loved reading fantasies and mysteries. I don’t have a photo of myself as a child at that age, but here’s one of my teen reading my book!
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by nature, especially the ocean; my family; and by other authors. Whenever I read books that move or thrill me, I find myself trying to figure out how they did that. So many amazing middle grade debut books have come out the last year and a half: THE VERDIGRIS PAWN (Alysa Wishingrad), A PLACE TO HANG THE MOON (Kate Albus), JOSEPHINE AGAINST THE SEA (Shakirah Bourne), CECE RIOS AND THE DESERT OF SOULS (Kaela Rivera), LUPE WONG WON’T DANCE (Donna Barbra Higuera), ALONE (Megan Freeman), THE LAST SHADOW WARRIOR (Sam Subity), TAKE BACK THE BLOCK (Chrystal Giles), CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE (Christina Li), GLITTER GETS EVERYWHERE (Yvette Clark), EVA EVERGREEN, SEMI-MAGICAL WITCH (Julie Abe), STAND UP YUMI CHUNG (Jessica Kim), THE GILDED GIRL (Alyssa Colman), COO (Kaela Noel), PAWS (Kate Foster), THE CIRCUS OF STOLEN DREAMS (Lorelei Savaryn), and THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF NESTOR LOPEZ (Adrianna Cuevas). I could go on and on!
What’s something you hope readers take away from your book?
My middle grade book, MANATEE’S BEST FRIEND , just came out from Scholastic on August 3. It’s the story of a 12-year-old girl who overcomes shyness to find her voice to protect manatees in her Florida community. I would love readers to feel empowered to advocate for causes they believe in around their communities. If the book sparks an interest in manatees or dolphins, or ocean conservation, that would be wonderful.
What’s next for you?
I’m very excited about my middle grade science fiction novel, HANA HSU AND THE GHOST CRAB NATION, coming out in June 2022 from Razorbill, set in a high-tech near future. I’m also working on a new middle grade fantasy novel and continuing to help run the kid lit resource website, Kidlit411.
You can learn more about Sylvia and her books by visiting:
Twitter: @artsylliu. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SylviaLiuAuthor
Instagram: @sylliu. Website: http://www.enjoyingplanetearth.com
Laura Roettiger Books 
What a great interview! I am so excited to read MANATEE’S BEST FRIEND! Congratulations!
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Thanks, Lauren! I loved Sylvia’s list of inspiration! And I’ve added a bunch of new TBR books. Good luck in the giveaway.
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Manatee’s Best Friend sounds amazing, Sylvia! Congratulations! I’m sure my animal-loving students will be excited to get their hands on this story. And your upcoming SciFi and Fantasy novels are so exciting as well! Thank you for all you do for the KidLit community! Laura, thanks also to you for all of your contributions and for yet another wonderful blog interview!
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Thanks for reading and your kind words, Jolene! This book has so many layers to make it a fabulous read for any age. I can’t wait. Good luck in the giveaway.
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What a warm and lovely book! Congrats, Sylvia.
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Matthew, thanks so much for reading! Good luck in the giveaway and thanks for your support in the writing community.
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Great interview! Loving your awesome interviews, Laura! So fun to read more about Sylvia and her adorable new book.
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Lindsay, thanks so much for your kind words and support of the blog. It’s been really fun to see everyone’s inspiration and find out about so many wonderful books! Good luck in the giveaway.
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I was hooked by the title of this book for sure! This sounds like a great story with many important layers…it’s on my list!
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Laura, you were one of the people I thought of when I first heard about Sylvia’s book! It seems like a good companion to OUT OF THE BLUE!
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Great interview, and a huge congratulations on the book!
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Thanks, Michal! Good luck in the giveaway. I know everyone will want to have a manatee for a best friend after reading this book!
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Wow. Superb interview .
Also don’t forget to participate in the Poetry competition I’m organising
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Thanks! I’ll look for it. Good luck in the giveaway.
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I already identify with this POV character and can’t wait to read this book.
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Thanks for reading, Danielle. I think so many of us can relate to the different aspects of Sylvia’s main character. I mean, who wouldn’t want a manatee for a best friend? Good luck in the giveaway.
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Looking forward to reading this book! Fabu interview! And so many other book recs, too! I wish I was a professional reader, LOL….
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Jilanne, I loved the book recommendations too! I literally went from reading Sylvia’s answer to my library website to make some requests! Good luck in the giveaway!
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I love the cover, and who doesn’t want to save the manatee?! Thank you for all the great middle grade suggestions!
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Rinda, thanks for reading. I know! I loved the list Sylvia shared and 2 of the ones she mentioned have been on the blog earlier this year! Good luck in the giveaway.
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What an interesting story. It does sound inspiring. Thank you for posting the interview.
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Dina, thanks for stopping by my blog. This book really sounds great. It’s on my to-be-read shelf, too. Good luck in the giveaway.
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Sounds like a wonderful book! And thanks for the great reading list 😻
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Thanks for reading, Marla. I agree MANATEE’S BEST FRIEND sounds fabulous and the list of so many great books made my heart skip a beat! Good luck in the giveaway.
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Congrats to Sylvia on another winner! I can’t wait to read this. Thanks for sharing, Laura!
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Thanks for reading, Ellen and good luck in the giveaway. Doesn’t this book sound wonderful?
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