AUTHOR INTERVIEW (+GIVEAWAY!) with GAIL D. VILLANUEVA

Hello, reading buddies! First of all, I would like to greet Gail D. Villanueva with a HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY for Sugar & Spite! Now, I know everyone's excited about Gail's sophomore novel and so let's get to know more about Sugar & Spite through this interview I conducted with Gail. If you want to know more about Gail and Sugar & Spite, then just keep on reading --

🦋Hi Miss Gail! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us get to know you and your upcoming book more through this interview! To get things started, what inspired you to write Sugar and Spite?

My dog, Kubrick, who went to Heaven five years ago. He was my best boy. Like Jolina and Kidlat, Kubrick and I understood each other without needing to speak the same language. Then he got sick and passed away. 

I took his death really hard. I normally draw portraits of my departed pets to commemorate them, but I couldn’t do it for Kubrick. Because doing so would mean he was truly gone. 

Then my agent asked me what I wanted to write next after My Fate According to the Butterfly, and that’s when I got the idea. I would write a story about a young arbularyo-in-training, who has the most loyal and bravest dog ever… Just like my Kubrick!

🦋In Sugar and Spite, one of the main characters Jolina used a gayuma or love potion. When you were in your middle-grade age, have you thought about using the said potion to get your crush’s attention?

Of course! Who hasn’t? Haha. I remember writing my name and his on my journal over and over again, hoping that it would “gayuma” him into liking me. It kind of worked, I guess? Because we dated for a bit while in high school.

🦋How would you describe your experience in writing your sophomore middle-grade novel? Are there any similarities or differences from when you were writing your debut, My Fate According to the Butterfly?

Revising my debut novel with both my agent and editor helped me realize what my writing strengths and weaknesses are, which allowed me to fine-tune my process. Because of this, I finish writing books much faster now. 

Though it took me around three months to finish Sugar And Spite just like My Fate According to the Butterfly, I wrote Sugar And Spite during my busiest year ever (I was doing events and school visits for Butterfly while designing and coding websites for my day job). I feel like it’s also partly because I’m able to manage my writing time more due to the experience of working on my first book.

🦋Now, let’s try to get to know the two main characters a little bit more. What are your favorite things about Jolina and Claudine?

I love that Jolina is fiercely protective of her family, and that Claudine is a softie underneath her tough exterior. Even though they have very different backgrounds, they complement each other.

🦋Last but not the least, what are you hoping for the readers to realize and/or learn when they read Sugar and Spite?

I hope that Sugar And Spite will help kids realize that we can’t right wrongs with another wrong because our actions have consequences. Jolina found that out the hard way. 

For Filipino kids in diaspora and the Philippines, I hope that my book will remind them that they too can be heroes in a story. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gail D. Villanueva is the author of Sugar And Spite (Scholastic, 2021). Her debut novel, My Fate According to the Butterfly (Scholastic, 2019), was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, an Amazon Best Book of the Month Editor’s Pick, and a NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Born and based in the Philippines, Gail’s daily routine includes running a web design company with her husband while trying to keep up with the shenanigans of their many pets—dogs, ducks, turtles, cats, and random birds they befriend in the backyard. Learn more at www.gaildvillanueva.com.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Title: Sugar and Spite

Author: Gail D. Villanueva

Publication Date: April 20, 2021

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

Page Count: 208 pages

Synopsis:

Can a bully be defeated by a magical love potion?

Jolina can't take Claudine's bullying any longer! The taunts and teasing are too much. Though Jolina knows she's still in-training to use her grandfather's arbularyo magic, she sneaks into his potions lab to get her revenge. Jolina brews a batch of gayuma, a powerful love potion.

And it works. The love potion conquers Claudine's hateful nature. In fact, Claudine doesn't just stop bullying Jolina -- now she wants to be Jolina's BFF, and does everything and anything Jolina asks.

But magic comes with a cost, and bad intentions beget bad returns. Controlling another person's ability to love -- or hate -- will certainly have consequences. The magic demands payment, and it is about to come for Jolina in the form of a powerful storm...

Magic and reality mingle in this brilliant new middle-grade novel by Gail D. Villanueva that asks whether it's ever okay to take away someone's free will.

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