Do you give yourself permission to be a writer?
Claudia Recinos has been filling up notebooks with her writing since she was a kid, but it wasn’t until she was an adult pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry that she finally gave herself permission to choose writing as her career.
Claudia Recinos is the author of three novels for young adults; her most recent book Catch Me If I Fall came out in April of this year. She mostly writes “hi-lo” stories (high interest subject, low reading difficulty) for young readers who want shorter chapters and straightforward language. Claudia is a first generation Guatemalan American and grew up in Miami. It’s important to her to have Latinx characters because, as she said in her Voyage KC interview, “making young adults feel seen and validated is one of the things I’m most proud of.” She now calls Kansas City home and when she’s not writing she loves to explore the city with her husband and two sons.
You won’t want to miss out on her lecture “Plotting Stories in Verse” at this year’s conference where she gives an overview of the differences between a verse novel and a conventional novel, and how these differences affect plot structure and storytelling. And if you get a chance, ask Claudia about her love of trapeze. No, seriously! When she’s not writing, Claudia enjoys flying through the air on a trapeze, as well as spending time with her family.
You can find Claudia and her books on her website.
You can register for the 2023 Writers Conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.
Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Claudia a few questions to get to know her better:
1. What's in your TBR pile?
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
2. What are you reading right now?
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen owns my heart
4. Do you have a favorite bookstore?
I just moved to KC last year, so I'm still getting my bearings. When in doubt, I go to Bookshop.org.
5. Answer the question you wish we had asked.
Q: What do you love most about being a writer A: Getting to write my daydreams down on paper and share them with the world.