Interview with Debut Young Adult Author Monica Sanz

KidLit Lollipop
Sep 4, 2018 · 5 min read

Happy Book Birthday to Monica Sanz! Today, September 4th, 2018, Monica’s young adult novel, Seventh Born, was released from Entangled Books. In addition to being a talented author, Monica is quite the social media maven. On Wattpad, she has accumulated over six million reads, eighty thousand votes, and fifteen thousand comments since posting her books on the website. We asked Monica to share her story of how Seventh Born came to be, what advice she has for writers, and what we can expect from this social media maven/author in the future.

Question: What are you most excited about Seventh Born being published right now?

Monica: One of my author dreams has been to walk into a book store and find my book on the shelf. This is finally happening! I foresee a lot of tears because it feels like I’ve been wanting and working for this for an eternity.

Question: What’s been most challenging to you with publishing Seventh Born?

Monica: The hardest thing by far is balance and finding time in the day to fit everything in. This summer has been a bit of a perfect storm; I’ve been prepping for the release of SEVENTH BORN and working on wrapping up book 2 all the while having all three kids home for summer break. I did my best to try and pay attention to everything and everyone, but it’s hard because at the end of the day it feels like I’ve accomplished nothing — which isn’t true, but it does feel like that.

Question: How did you come to write this story?

Monica: I don’t remember what I was doing exactly or how I stumbled upon this portrait of a girl whose eyes were downcast, but it was as if she was being forced to lower her gaze. I was drawn to her because she radiated tremendous pride and a rebellious air, and the first thing I wondered was why are you looking down when you clearly don’t want to? From there, Seraphina was born and her entire story bloomed in my mind. I learned she was a seventh born daughter, and in her world, seventh born girls are bad omens and considered less than human. But despite this oppression, Sera has grit and is so strong willed and determined. I had to write about her!

Question: After reading Seventh Born, what do you hope a reader would take away from the story?

Monica: This wasn’t planned — I don’t write to themes, they manifest as I write — but when I finished the book and saw what Sera endured all because of something she has no control over, I was happy to touch on something like prejudice and portray how terrible and cruel and ridiculous it is.

Question: What have been some of your most unexpected sources of inspiration for writing?

Monica: I post a lot of my first drafts on Wattpad, and what’s great is readers are able to comment on your chapters as they read. Some of the comments have been so insightful and open up my eyes to other possibilities in my stories. And the comments themselves are inspiring. Just knowing there are people out there who are reading my work and taking the time to comment is amazing. I love the Wattpad community.

Question: For kidlit writers just getting started, what is the single best piece of advice you could offer them?

Monica: Write what you want! Writing a book is hard and life is too short to spend time writing something you don’t feel passionate about. When you write a book that you love, it will show through your words and readers will feel that. Also KEEP GOING. The whole publishing industry is such a test of character and perseverance. It requires thick skin and a strong work ethic. There are exceptions, but most of us writers have to work and get rejected and continue on until we hear that one YES. That yes, however, might come in ten years. You just have to be willing to work hard and not give up if you want to see your dream come true.

Question: What’s one thing you wish you knew earlier in your writing career that you know now?

Monica: I wish I’d been a bit more confident to know I don’t have to accept and follow every small piece of advice. Yes, a lot of it is valid, but I wish I’d known it’s up to me to choose what works for me and my career. I would tell myself not to accept everything that comes your way and what everyone preaches as law. Filter the advice and test it to see if it’ll work for you.

Question: Do you have any favorite rejection stories you’d like to share?

Monica: Not one specific rejection, but all of my rejections as a whole have led me to understand that there is more than one path to publishing and more than one way for your dreams to come true. I never imagined sharing my work on the internet would help me grow a fanbase and eventually get published. Be open to changes in your journey and don’t compare it to anyone else’s. They’re on their own ride and it will most likely look different from yours, but that doesn’t mean it’s better, just different.

Question: What’s up next in your writing career?

Monica: I’m currently working on Book 2 in the Witchling Academy series! I’m also working on another YA paranormal romance that I’m super excited about.


Monica Sanz has been writing from the moment she could string together a sentence. Her stories have come a long way from mysterious portals opening in the school cafeteria, transporting classmates to distant worlds. A classic by the name Wuthering Heights is responsible for that. She’s been lost to dark romances and brooding fictional men ever since. Now she writes about grumpy professors, cursed ringmaster, tortured soul collectors, and the girls they fall in love with.

Monica’s books have received many accolades on the social writing website Wattpad. She is also a member of the Wattpad4, a group of writers who host weekly Twitter chats on the subjects of writing and publishing.

When not lost in one of her made-up worlds, she can be found on the sunny beaches of South Florida where she resides with her husband and their three children or scouring YouTube for new bands to feed her music addiction.

KidLit Lollipop

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