We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Murphy Capps a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My debut novel, Indigo and Ida, began as a connection to a favorite song by the Indigo Girls–“Galileo.” I knew I wanted to write a song that included a reference to the first stanza, which refers to Galileo being persecuted for telling the truth. I also knew I wanted to write a story about the death of meaningful friendships–about betrayal and loss. For tweens, these moments are exceptionally painful because they’re happening at an age when friendships begin to take precedence over family. Moreover, I, like most people, have grappled painfully with a lost friendship in the past and thus am often inspired to write about those universal themes and emotions. Those underlying themes ultimately shaped Indigo’s story, which is about a tween journalist trying to win back lost friends and is beginning to work through the age-old question of how far do you go to recover a lost friendship and is it better sometimes to just let those people go? She’s also struggling to find her voice to report tough stories about her school even when she receives fierce criticism for doing so.
Throughout all of this, she is empowered by reading a sheaf of letters she has discovered – letters written by 19th century investigative journalist Ida B. Wells. The letters tell the story of Wells’s life and the struggles she had with telling tough stories and making and keeping friends. I researched Wells deeply in order to weave her story throughout the book and felt profoundly connected to pivotal moments in Wells’s life.
The similarities between Indigo’s modern and Wells’s historic experiences touched me deeply and continue to influence my outlook today.

Heather, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began my professional life as a television news journalist. I loved the fast-paced, urgent nature of the business, and I thrived on the long days and huge moments and conversations that shape our times. I waited until late in life to build a family, and when I finally did start that new chapter, I wanted the luxury of time to spend with my children. I was privileged in that my husband’s income was enough to support us, so I decided to step away from my career as a journalist and focus on another dream I’d always had: writing children’s books. I was drawn to writing for a middle-grade audience because I wanted to write something my kids might read. Moreover, I was and still am fascinated by the depth and thoughtfulness I see in this age group. Middle-grade readers are at a time in their lives when they’re beginning to look outward at the world, they’re redefining themselves in relationship to their families and friends, and they’re beginning to think about big, often weighty subjects. I love being in this space with them, sharing this journey.
I think readers of any age might enjoy reading my stories about smart kids who are navigating friendship, change, and growing up within the context of often complex current events. I also often draw in historical parallels (because there’s always a historical connection!) and I often use a literary technique called magical realism, which incorporates a hint of magic in everyday life. My idea of a perfect book = a contemporary story with some history and magic!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Hands down, the most rewarding aspect of being a writer is getting a chance to connect with readers. While I love the craft and practice of writing and creating characters and stories, it’s even better to see whether these creations of mine are actually finding a place in readers’ hearts. Hearing from young people about what they liked and what moments in my book mattered to them is extraordinary and energizes me like nothing else.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Early in my writing journey, I won a slot in a highly selective author mentoring contest called PitchWars (this contest no longer exists.) It was a huge honor and carried wonderful potential for reaching my goal of being picked up by a literary agent. In today’s publishing world, you must have representation in order to submit your work to traditional publishers, so finding an agent was just the first step in my path to publication as I had determined that I did want to be traditionally published. I worked hard with my mentor and with her guidance, I turned the manuscript I was editing into a much better product than what I started out with.
However, even with my much-improved product, I still wasn’t able to land a literary agent. In fact, very few agents showed interest and those who did ask to see a larger sample of my book ultimately turned it down. It was a savage disappointment. But I never quit. I had a fire in the belly for writing, so I wrote another book. I received many more rejections before I was selected for PitchWars for a second time. Things went much better for me in this round: I connected with my agent, who landed my subsequent book deals. Even though it sounds trite, I really did use all those rejections as opportunities to keep learning and honing my craft. I am a much better writer today because of that difficult but important journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heathermurphycapps.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hmcwrites/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hmcwrites
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HMCWrites

Image Credits
Headshot Photo Cred: Jody McKitrick Book Cover: Cover Illustration: Leeya Rose Jackson