We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Minda Gomez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Minda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

When I was a young girl, it was my dream to be an author/illustrator of children’s books. I actually entered in a contest as a 10-year-old, hopeful that I would be able to have my book published. When I didn’t win, I was disappointed, as I didn’t see another path to becoming an author in the near future.

I ended up becoming an English teacher, and have dedicated nearly two decades to teaching multilingual learners. My travels in my 20s took me to a number of different countries in Latin America and worldwide. I had the opportunity to teach 2nd grade in Mexico for a year. My husband has taught me so much about Mexican culture we have formed our own bilingual family. I have grown in confidence and maturity.

Truthfully, I feel like all of these life experiences brought me to the place where I was ready to start writing the Martinez Kids Adventures. The depth of understanding of child development, bilingualism, culture, language, and storytelling have come with time. I know I would not have written these books if I had begun right out of college. It would have been interesting to see what I might have done if I had begun earlier, but I can’t look back, only forward. I am finding so much joy in this new adventure!

Minda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Minda Gomez. I live in Minnesota with my husband and three spunky bilingual children. My husband is from Mexico, and we have made a point to speak Spanish as a family since they were born. I am a teacher of multilingual learners at an elementary school.
I recently became an author and illustrator of children’s books, fulfilling a lifelong dream. The Martinez Kids Adventures series is based on my own bicultural Mexican-American family. The children in the books are actually based directly on my own three kids, and while the names and situations have been changed, the essence of each character is a reflection on the real person.

It was so important to me that my children could see themselves in books that they read. Like my own kids, the Martinez kids speak a mix of English and Spanish, straddling the cultures of Minnesota and Mexico in such a beautiful way. Spanish words are woven into the story in context, and a glossary is available if needed, but is not necessary to understand the story.

In The Secret Door, the Martinez kids discover that their neighbor, Don Toño, is actually a brilliant inventor who has created a virtual reality machine that will transport them to exotic places in the form of animals. They travel to the forest as squirrels and learn a lesson about contentment through interactions with a friendly albino squirrel. They swim through the coral reef as marine animals and learn a lesson in honesty from a devious octopus who wants to steal a valuable pearl. They explore a jungle castle in the Mexican rainforest and learn lessons about standing up to peer pressure. Each story’s lessons is woven into the story, with virtual reality mirroring the situations the children are facing in real life.

In The Arctic Quest, the family is on a road trip to Mexico to visit family for Christmas. Don Toño has sent along some special glasses that transport them to the Arctic while they are on the road. As a polar bear, snowy owl, and harp seal, the kids make friends and learn lessons about teamwork, responsibility, perseverance, and encouragement. Another important theme of this book is the value of embracing our family’s culture. It is a love letter to Mexican foods and traditions, transporting the reader to celebrate Navidad alongside the family.

These are exciting, high-interest stories that have captured the interest of children from the ages of 4-12 and beyond. I would have loved to read these books as a kid, and it is my hope that many children will be able to lose themselves in the world of the Martinez kids.

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

When I first sat down to write my book, I knew nothing about the world of self-publishing. The learning curve has been steep as I have navigated writing, editing, illustrating, formatting, publishing, translating and marketing. I have enjoyed the process greatly as it has been an exciting challenge. However, there have been times that it has definitely been difficult.

I made the decision to illustrate my books, with no idea how much I didn’t know. It started out pretty basic, but through trial and error and some tutorials, I have been teaching myself to do digital illustrations. I feel like I am making progress, but know I still have a long ways to go to arrive at the level I would like to be at.

Marketing has been the other area that has been very challenging for me. I never imagined that writing a book from the comfort of my own home would mean I would end up moving into the world of social media, presentations and news interviews. However, as I have grown more comfortable, I have realized that it is all about relationships, and I need to do things in a way that feels authentic to myself as a person.

I currently have two books available in the series, The Secret Door and The Arctic Quest. The first book is available in Spanish as La puerta secreta, and we are working on the translation of the second. My husband and I have worked long hours on each project. Translating a book is a lot more challenging than I ever imagined, but it has been so worth it being able to share the books with Spanish-speaking kids in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and the US.

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

Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of my author journey has been learning people have read and enjoyed my books. I have heard stories of children who ask to listen to the stories over and over. Kids at school visits ask incredible questions, and later write to tell me how they were inspired by my author journey and would like to become authors themselves. Adults tell me how excited they are to gift my books to friends or family members.

Children hug the book to their chests upon receiving it. A teenage boy comes up to tell me that he read my books and they were “actually really good.” My students at school beg to read the next chapter and check the books out from the library. All of these moments bring purpose to the work that I do.

However, my first inspiration has always been my own family. I felt so touched watching my younger son snuggled on the couch, determined to work his way through my first book, one of the first chapter books he had ever read. My older son felt like a celebrity when his teacher read the book aloud in class, then invited me for a virtual author visit. My daughter thinks she actually “is” the character Araceli who was turned into a dolphin and a harp seal. I love seeing the pride my family has in their Mami, the author. Even if nobody else ever read my books, it would be worth it if my family enjoyed them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mindagomez.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/martinezkidsadventures
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/martinezkidsadventures

Image Credits
©Minda Gomez (Illustrations) ©Moisés Gómez (Photos)