Happy Wednesday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for THE MANY FORTUNES OF MAYA! I’m so excited because today I have an interview with Nicole D. Collier to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so excited to for you to find out more about it!
The Many Fortunes of Maya by Nicole D. Collier Published on January 24, 2023 by Versify
Genres: Contemporary, Middle Grade
Pages: 240
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In this lyrical novel that will appeal to fans of Meg Medina, Maya turns to her trusty "wheel of fortunes" for guidance on the toughest questions--like why her best friend suddenly feels far away, or when her Daddy will move back home. But can Maya find the courage to write her own fortune?
Maya J. Jenkins is bursting with questions:
Will she get the MVP award at this year's soccer banquet?Who will win the big grill off between Daddy and Uncle J?When will she pass the swim test and get a green bracelet?For answers and a dose of good luck, 12-year-old Maya turns to her Wheel of Fortunes, a cardboard circle covered with the small slips of wisdom she's collected from fortune cookies.
But can the fortunes answer her deep-down questions? The ones she's too scared to ask out loud? Like, where did Mama's smile go, the real one that lit up everything around her? When will Daddy move back home? And most of all, does she have enough courage to truly listen to the voice in her heart?
What would you do if you spent the day with Maya? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?
Maya is an outdoorsy girl and she loves ice cream – two things I would never turn down. Maya and I would probably hang out at the park, chit chatting under a shady oak, while sharing secrets and slurping double scoops of ice cream. Later in the day we’d make playlists and dance around, and end the day with board games and maybe a fun movie at home.
If Maya were to hang out with other fictional characters, who would they be and why?
Maya would love Jo – of Shakirah Bourne’s Josephine Against the Sea. They’re both Daddy’s girls and love a good time. Jo is much more of a practical joker, but she and Maya would share some good laughs. Another person she might hang out with is Apple of Erin Entrada Kelly’s Blackbird Fly. They both love music and they both harbor hurt and angry feelings against their mom. They would have a good time trying to piece together their mom’s secrets and plot how to live the lives they’d rather be living.
If there was one fictional place you could travel to for a day, where would it be and why?
Start-Up in Sylvia Liu’s Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation. In it she imagines a near future where kids and corporations battle for control – of minds, bodies and even the fate of the planet. It’s exciting and wholly possible. I’d love to go if I knew I could come back in one day and be myself.
If you buried a time capsule with three items inside, what three items would you choose and why?
A copy of today’s paper, my old iPod, and a pair of running shoes. Today’s paper would show what’s going on in current events and give a great snapshot of the world. My old iPod already represents a great shift in music from non-portable, to portable/analog, to portable/digital music. It would be interesting to see the shift to the future ways we carry and experience music. The same is true of running shoes. I’m a runner and running technology and design has changed a lot in the past decade or two. I wonder how things will continue to evolve?
What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?
Great question! I tend to use everything I find. Likely because I write contemporary realistic fiction, and much of what goes in comes from observation and lived experience. I research specific things for the purpose of telling or understanding the story, so if I’m looking it up, I need it!
What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from The Many Fortunes of Maya?
The original title for the book was The World According to Maya. This quote, which is stated by Mama in a pivotal scene, is my favorite callback to it:
“There’s a whole world out there, Maya. I want you to live it. The world according to Maya! Not according to your daddy. Not me. You. What do you want?”
About Nicole D. Collier
Nicole D. Collier, Ph.D., was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She has spent the past two decades in education. First as a fourth grade teacher, then teacher coach, and now as a partner at Personality Matters, Inc., an executive training, coaching and consulting firm.
Nicole writes for all ages, but her first love is middle grade contemporary fiction. Young people are trying to discern who they are vs. who they want to be, and how to bridge the gap between the two. Nicole’s stories are in that gap. In particular, she writes about the interior lives of Black girls as they seek their authentic selves.
A self-proclaimed ever-victorious woman, Nicole has been known to run, dance, and turn cartwheels on sunny days. The Georgia peach has recently relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida.
Her forthcoming novel, The Many Fortunes of Maya (HarperCollins/Versify, Jan ’23) has earned two starred reviews (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly) and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
What do you think about The Many Fortunes of Maya? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!
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