Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kitty Felde. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kitty, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I was a public radio journalist for decades, explaining government to grownups. Now I explain it to kids via The Fina Mendoza Mysteries – a series of books and podcasts about the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman from California who solves mysteries inside the US Capitol…and teaches civics to elementary age kids.
I covered Capitol Hill for Southern California Public Radio/KPCC (now LAist) and had the privilege of watching Congress, the Supreme Court, and the White House in action. I came away the opposite of a cynic. Here were women and men who came to Washington because they believed they could make a difference. I may disagree with their political beliefs, but I was inspired to see people actually try to solve problems and make decisions that benefit the greater good.
There were some who were mostly interested in themselves, but most worked long hours trying to make the world a better place.
I grew up in Southern California. Most SoCal kids never got that 8th grade trip to our nation’s capital. It was too far and too expensive. I wanted to create a virtual visit for kids who had no connection to Washington, no connection to their government. My Fina Mendoza mysteries are that 8th grade trip.
I started writing Fina after meeting the children – and the dogs – of members of Congress. Fina takes us backstage at Congress. She dresses up for Halloween as her idol: Sonia Sotomayor. She even gets a letter from the president.
I fear that the negativity and nastiness that surrounds politics these days is turning off an entire generation of kids. We need them to serve on juries, volunteer to staff polling stations, run for office. My hope is that Fina Mendoza will inspire this next generation to be active citizens.
Kitty, 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’m Kitty Felde. I grew up in Compton. I wanted to be Vin Scully, but realized my lack of depth perception made for a lousy play-by-play announcer, but ended up in radio anyway. I’ve been an actor, a playwright, a TEDx speaker, a podcaster, and now a writer.
The five-part Fina Mendoza Mysteries series of books are published by Chesapeake Press. Their motto is: Saving American Democracy…one Kid at a Time. In addition to the Fina Mendoza middle grade mysteries, they also offer:
– a highly produced, episodic audio drama podcast called THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES. It includes special episodes tackling topics like how to talk to kids about January 6th and whether the voting age be dropped to “double digits” as Fina says. Congressman Mark Takano from California stars on that episodes, answering questions from our fictional kids in his own words.)
– Free Teachers’ Guides with high interest resources that combine ELA, math, and social studies lessons
– a Facts Behind the Fiction blog and newsletter that explores some of the real-life topics addressed in the books
Chesapeake Press has other books in the works: a picture book called “A-B-C-Democracy” and a book designed to help kids coach their older relatives to pass the citizenship test.
My Fina Mendoza Mysteries books are a 5-part series.
Have you ever had to pivot?
My departure from journalism was involuntary. I got a message to meet with the radio station’s vice president who was making her annual trip to Washington from Pasadena. When I got to the meeting room, I discovered that the director of HR was also there from Minnesota. I was being let go.
After three decades in public radio – the last 18 at this station – I was out of a job. The Washington bureau was closing.
So who was I?
I tried a number of things.
I opened an Etsy shop and discovered that while I love to sew, I hate sewing for other people.
I went back to acting, playing the governor of Arizona in a “House of Cards” episode. But I found that the waiting around involved in acting was not to my liking. I was bored.
So I first put my radio skills to use, starting the Book Club for Kids podcast, interviewing kids about books.
But then I found myself spending more and more time at my laptop. And suddenly, Fina Mendoza appeared and demanded that her story be told.
I was a writer.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
My shelves are full of writing books – “Writing Down the Bones,” “The Artists Way,” “Refuse to be Done.” I attend webinars put on by the Author’s Guild and Sisters in Crime.
But I’ve found my greatest resource is other writers.
Currently, I’m a member of three writing groups.
-One is a group of women who meet monthly to share their writing and their insecurities about writing.
– Another grew out of a pre-covid writing retreat where we were thrown together as a small group and just kept meeting. We critique each other, one chapter a month.
– The third group meets on zoom twice a week for two hours. We keep cameras and microphones off until the end when we talk about our writing day.
These groups have helped me create both a habit of writing and a community of writers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kittyfelde.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kittyfelde/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finamysteries/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitty-felde
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kittyfelde
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvNxaqUyoV9GOXBYLH-48MQ
Image Credits
the headshot of me is by Emily Davis; no credit for the rest