Hi everyone! Today on the blog, we're participating in the tour for Laura Taylor Namey's latest release, A CUBAN GIRL'S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW. This was such a sweet book that we adored, and we're so excited to have Laura here today answering some of our questions! So without further ado, let's get into it:
About the Author
Laura is a Cuban-American Californian who can be found haunting her favorite coffee shops, drooling over leather jackets, and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two superstar children.
How did writing your sophomore novel feel different than writing your debut?
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is deeply personal, and contains so much of my family history, it was always going to feel different even early on in my process. Writing with all of this legacy behind me made the writing more emotional. Technically and craft-wise, I had to adjust the way I told this story. More than once. The Library of Lost Things came out more linearly the first time, but Cuban Girl needed to be chopped up and rearranged and rethought with much help from my critique partners and my agent. All in all, I enjoyed this process so much and often miss being myself as the drafter of this book.
Baking and cooking are a huge part of this novel. Have you made a lot of these yourself, or have you learned about them through family/research?
(Hides. Runs for cover.) I am not a huge baker, but I am an avid consumer of all the foods in my novel. Now, cooking is my thing, so I have fixed a few of the savory Cuban dishes Lila makes in my novel. And, I have spent countless hours with my Cuban mother and my beloved tÃas watching them cook, bake, and decorate cakes. This is what we did, and still do when we are together. I must admit, I have not yet made a Cubano sandwich myself, but we have a wonderful bakery near my house that makes them. My husband had to make frequent trips there while I was writing Cuban Girl.
What's your favorite family recipe?
This is so common in Cuban households, but there is something about my mother’s arroz con pollo that IS my childhood. She swears her sister made it better, but I must say that all of my tÃas made this perfectly and each put her own spin on the dish. You will find out more about this recipe and how it’s made in my book.
Have you ever actually been to London? Or have you ever traveled specifically for novel research?
I have been to London and it’s one of my favorite cities in the world. I would live there in a heartbeat. I have not set out purposely to travel abroad for book research, but I have been inspired while on vacation with my family to set a story or create a character in tribute to what I’ve experienced. My 2021 novel features a side character who is half Japanese and I was so fortunate to be able to do some research pertaining to him and his family during a dream trip to Kyoto, Japan last year. I can’t wait until we can travel freely once again.
If you could start any family business, much like La Paloma, what would it be and why?
This is so easy - I would love to have a beautifully curated shop full of local treasures that’s just like Rose Apothecary from “Schitt’s Creek”! Can this please happen?
What do you think Lila and Orion would be doing right now, if you had to guess?
Hmm, I will try not to spoil. But I picture these two sharing a Cuban meal Lila made (with Orion’s help) followed by tea Orion picked out especially for her and brewed with British tea biscuits on the side. Then they’d head out for a night jaunt on Orion’s vintage motorbike, Millie.
Do you have any plans for future projects in the works? Can you tell us anything about them, or not yet?
I have another project releasing from Atheneum Simon and Schuster in fall 2021. This book is launching soon, and all I can say is it’s a friendship centered young adult book. I’m also drafting a new novel with the biggest Latinx cast I’ve done yet, set right next door to me in Los Angeles.
About the Book
Title: A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow
Author: Laura Taylor Namey
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 320 Pages
Publication Date: November 10th, 2020
Summary: For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panaderÃa, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart. Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: Spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell. A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.
We'd like to thank Laura for stopping by to answer our questions today, and the incredible team over at Simon Teen for inviting us to be on this blog tour! If you want to check out Jessica's review of A CUBAN GIRL'S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW, you can click here. And we definitely recommend adding it to your TBR if you haven't already! It's out November 10th, so there's still some time left to preorder your copy!
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