BOOKS BY MY FRIENDS

State of the Union: A Fina Mendoza Mystery by KITTY FELDE

Welcome, Kitty, to Books By My Friends! Happy to have you as a guest today to tell us about your new middle grade book State of the Union: A Fina Mendoza Mystery.

JH: What’s the blurb for your book?

KF: It's "The West Wing" meets Nancy Drew - a sneaky way to introduce civics education to kids. A mysterious bird poops on the president's head during the State of the Union address. Can Fina Mendoza, the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman from California, outsmart the Capitol Police and the Secret Service to find that bird and uncover its secret message?

JH: What inspired you to write State of the Union?

KF: I covered Capitol Hill for nearly a decade for public radio. I was a California kid and found the culture and formality of Congress like a foreign country. At a time when cynicism and bitter partisanship are the theme of the day, I was afraid that the next generation will give up on democracy. I wanted them to be as excited about the democratic process as I was. I remembered the young woman I mentored for many years. Fina wanted to be the first in her family to attend college. And she did. I never knew her when she was 10-years-old, but I imagined what she was like. She became the main character in my series. And she graciously agreed to allow me to use her name.

JH: What one thing do you love most about writing?

KF: I love the magic - sitting down at my beat-up old laptop and picking up where I left off, not knowing what will happen next! You have to trust that your characters will know what they want to do next. I love going along for the ride.

JH: What’s next for you in the way of writing/publishing?

KF: The first book in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series will be re-released next year, and I still have three more books in the series to write. There's also a podcast series based on the books - THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES - that is playing all summer. (There's even a special episode to help parents talk to their kids about January 6th.) Meanwhile, I'm "cheating" on Fina with a new series set in Theodore Roosevelt's White House.

JH: How can readers contact you?

KF:

https://www.kittyfelde.com

BIO:

Award-winning public radio journalist and TEDx speaker Kitty Felde used to explain how government works to grownups. Now, she explains it to kids in a series of mystery books and podcasts called THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES. Her latest book State of the Union: A Fina Mendoza Mystery is published by Chesapeake Press. Felde also hosts and produces the Book Club for Kids podcast, named one of the top 10 kidcasts in the world by "The Times" of London.

JH: Thanks for dropping by BBMF, Kitty. State of the Union: A Fina Mendoza Mystery sounds great. Best wishes on all of your projects! Come back soon.

All good things,

Joy

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