Member Spotlight: Brunella Costagliola

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? Writing allows me to keep my heritage and cultural background alive and pass it on to my children. Championing diversity in my books affords me the unique opportunity to celebrate authenticity and preserve my own cultural truth in a world that often forces us to assimilate. As a children’s book author, I believe that writing about our own cultures will help young readers grow up to be more compassionate, understanding, and open-minded adults.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? I found that stepping away from my manuscript for a while has helped me gain focus and a renewed sense of anticipation to sit back down and begin writing again. To me, writing is an organic process that cannot be forced. As such, I allow myself the time I need to take a step back before resuming the journey.

What is your favorite time to write? Early morning, when the world is just about to wake up. There is something magical about that time of day, one that only birds and dolphins seem to be aware of.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Don’t write what you think the world wants to read. Write what matters to you, and do so in your own voice.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? How much more freedom we have to decide which publishing path best suites our needs and goals. Gone are the days when a rejection letter from a publisher meant that our stories would never see the light of day. We now have turned the tables and hold as much power in our publishing hands as we wish to.

Brunella Costagliola’s The Dinosaur Woman, illustrated by Valerio Mazzoli, is out now with W. Brand Publishing.