Book Blurb:
It only takes one moment to change your life forever...
After her mother’s deportation last year, all Soledad “Sol” Gutierrez wants is for her life to go back to normal. Everything’s changed―new apartment, new school, new family dynamic―and Sol desperately wants to fit in. When she joins her community college’s history club, it comes with an odd initiation process: break into Westray’s oldest house and steal . . . a fork?
There’s just one problem: while the owners of the house aren’t home, their grandson Ethan is, and when he catches Sol with her hand in the kitchen drawer, she barely escapes with the fork intact. This one chance encounter irrevocably alters her life, and Sol soon learns that sometimes fitting in isn’t as important as being yourself―even if that’s the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.
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1. Where did your inspiration for Historically Inaccurate come from?
SB. Distance and the current events. Immigration issues have always followed me since I’ve been in the US. I think it’s something that follows all immigrants, whether they are from Latin America or anywhere else, it’s something that we can’t escape. I also wanted a story that had a bit of comic relief, and romance. When it comes to the topics of immigration and family separation it is something that must be handled respectfully, but it is also something that happens a lot these days, and there are young people these days whose lives have been forever altered. I wanted to be able to laugh like I’m watching a comedy movie, smile at the crazy things that happen, and still feel connected to the main character.
2. What was the hardest part of writing this book?
SB. To be honest, writing. I think every writer battles the blank white page. This book allowed me to draw from many experiences that I could use to make very relatable and overall I think I am happy with the result. I also had to consult with my friends a little bit about the legal problems of this book.
3. Did you always want to be an author? If you didn't write, what would you do?
SB. I did always want to be an author! I also enjoy design and illustration, a part of me still wants to do freelance illustration on the side. I think if I didn’t write I might also have gone the IT route and done some website design, and I might still pursue this. I think the wonderful thing about life is that you can always learn new things and explore new paths, even if you don’t want to base a career on it. It’s never too late to learn new things.
4. What other genres would you like to write?
SB. I’m interested in a lot of genres! I’d love to write some horror stories, as well as high fantasy and sci-fi. Urban fantasy and paranormal were also genres I enjoyed reading as a teenager, so it would be interesting to dabble on those as well.
5. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
SB. Way too many. I think it’s easier for me to talk about my published and finished works on Wattpad rather than my unfinished ones haha. One of my main struggles as a writer is my own inner critic and it has sadly caused many a story to meet its demise in my document pile. In Wattpad alone, I have thirteen unpublished/unfinished stories. I think with the ones off Wattpad that number probably goes over twenty.
6. Who are some of your favorite insta-buy authors?
SB. I don’t think I have particularly insta-buy authors, actually! I do enjoy many books form different authors but I have moved a lot and try to keep my bookshelf light these days. I love to search e-books from my local libraries and try to keep them diverse.
7. What is your favorite under-appreciated book?
SB. I think there are many authors in Wattpad who like me dream of getting published. I consider myself lucky to have gotten an opportunity. There is a lot of talent in the community and I discover new authors and incredible books all the time there. I am happy the Wattpad Books branch I helping some of these authors finally get the representation they deserve.
8. What is your go-to writing snacks or music?
SB. I love writing to Lo-fi music, I think because it helped me concentrate a lot in college. Sometimes I also like making playlists for specific books to get me into the mood for writing. As for snacks, it really depends (though I do have a sweet tooth), but nothing can beat a large iced latte to help me write.
9. Any writing advice for aspiring writers out there?
SB. Don’t be scared to write. Write because it’s fun. Write when you’re angry, happy, or sad. I once heard advice from a writer, somewhere online, that writing is just putting a word after the other until you’re done, and I think only now have I begun to understand this. You can write about things you know and morph them into the unknown, make the ordinary wondrous. Writing is magic and you have it in you to change someone’s world. So, don’t be scared of writing and messing up, because you’ll be able to fix that in the future, getting started is always hard but once you’re on the other side you’ll be happy that you did it.
10. Can you talk about what you are working on next?
SB. I have been working on another romance book. The book centers on a road trip and how the two characters grow along the way. I’ve always wanted to do a trip book and I finally got an idea that could work that out. I am also working (admittedly less so) on a high fantasy novel I’ve been plotting since college, which is consisted of a heist set up but morphed into a rescue mission. It contains medieval and industrial set ups, as well as floating islands and abandoned countries. I’m so excited to work on both of these.
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Shay Bravo is a Mexican born author who has now lived half of her life in the USA. She began sharing her work online through Wattpad when she was fifteen years old and has connected with over 114,000 followers. Historically Inaccurate won the 2019 Watty Awards and is her first novel. Shay currently resides in Houston, Texas.
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