Hey, readers! Today we have an author interview with Candice Pedraza Yamnitz! Candice is the first author of Christian Fantasy on my blog, and I’m excited for this opportunity to chat with her.
LB: Christian fantasy is a vast and popular genre. What do you think is the importance of these stories?
CPY: I think it’s important to daydream and to have a place different than our own to speak to us in a way we’re not used to absorbing information. For instance, in Lord of the Rings, we see a world with different type of people and with different rules. Tolkien is still telling us about our relationship to power, but since it uses a ring and an alternative history, we escape into the world and take in the message without the real-world biases getting in the way.
LB: Interesting explanation! Daydreaming and fiction are powerful, for sure. Speaking of which, I think every homeschooling mom values books. In our house, read-aloud time is the highlight of everybody’s day, even among the kids who are independent readers. What would you say is the role of fiction in childhood?
CPY: The role of fiction is to teach us, entertain us, and to process real life. As kids, we’re trying to understand the world and books give us a way to watch other people fail and succeed. It gives us an opportunity to make judgment calls without having to go through the situations on the pages.
LB: I agree. Do you have any suggestions for reluctant readers?
CPY: Find what your reluctant reader loves and read to him or her. I have no specific books in mind. My children are into comics and historical fiction right now. They’re learning about humor, sarcasm, social rules, the past, and the human condition. All of them love books even if their reading level isn’t up to the book level they are reading.
LB: Ahh, the beauty of making books a family activity 🙂 You mention that Pride and Prejudice and Lord of the Rings were some of your favorite books as a teen. How have these books shaped your writing?
CPY: These stories made me fall in love with novel reading. They set my imagination aflame and had me thinking long into the night about relationships, what they should be and what they shouldn’t be. Now, when I write, I go back to those stories for plot twists, character inspiration, and to remind myself why I love books.
LB: That’s a pretty cool lasting impact! I really enjoyed the Latin vibes in Ruthless. Can you tell us a little about why you include the Latin twist in your writing?
CPY: I included Latin vibes because I hadn’t seen it done. There were so many books on my shelves with European settings, characters, and cultures yet I did not grow up like that. My cousins and families come in every shade you can imagine. We eat different foods and have different rules for interacting. I wanted a little bit of my experience in my books. I spent my younger life traveling to visit family in Puerto Rico and Mexico from Chicago.
LB: Those trips must have been wonderful experiences, and what a gift to your readers, to share your culture through stories. You have an upcoming release soon! Tell us a little about One Must Die.
CPY: Yes, One Must Die releases October 31st, 2024. It’s a group project with five other authors about teens receiving invitations to a sky manor to find a key to open a vault. The first person to open the vault wins the fortune of a lifetime, but there is one catch. One contestant must die in order for someone to win.
LB: That sounds like a nailbiter! Do you have another writing project on deck?
CPY: I have the sequel to Unbetrothed with my editor. Right now, I am finishing the third book in the Ruthless series. All of those books are scheduled to release next year.
LB: Sounds like exciting times for you and for readers! Thank you for the interview, Candice 🙂 Readers, download your free copy of Ruthless here!
Candice Pedraza Yamnitz is a plugged-in homeschooling mom, blogger, bookstagrammer and teacher who is an active member of Christian Mommy Writers.
Candice has ghostwritten three novels and various articles. Before that, she was a dual-language classroom teacher for several years. All of that changed when she had her spirited daughter and then her even more energetic sons. Using her educational knowledge and writing skills, she writes novels and chapter books and teaches every so often at her homeschool co-op and local library.
She has lived in the Chicago area almost all her life. If you ask her why she writes, she’ll describe late nights rocking her babies while reading countless fantasy and dystopian books until a story idea of her own gave her a new dream.
Candice has placed in the ACFW First Impressions, Genesis, and Virginia Crown. Her debut YA fantasy novel, UNBETROTHED, released February 2022. Visit her at candiceyamnitz.com and find her on Instagram and TikTok at @candiceyamnitz.
M Liz Boyle 