Author Chat with Hailey Alcaraz (UP IN FLAMES), Plus Giveaway! ~ US ONLY

Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Hailey Alcaraz!

Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!

Meet the Author: Hailey Alcaraz

Hailey Alcaraz enjoys writing stories about multicultural Latinx characters, girls who choose the difficult path when it comes to love, and the clumsy journey of “finding yourself” as a young adult. As a second-generation Mexican American woman, a middle school English teacher for mostly Hispanic students in South Phoenix, and a lover of powerful female protagonists, Alcaraz is uniquely qualified to tell this story of a mixed race young woman blazing her own trail. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, daughter, and German shepherd, Lemon.

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About the Book: Up In Flames

Gorgeous, wealthy, and entitled, Ruby has just one single worry in her life—scheming to get the boy next door to finally realize they’re meant to be together. But when the California wildfires cause her privileged world to go up in flames, Ruby must struggle to find the grit and compassion to help her family and those less fortunate to rise from the ashes.

At eighteen, Ruby Ortega is an unapologetic flirt who balances her natural aptitude for economics with her skill in partying hard. But she couldn’t care less about those messy college boys—it’s her intense, brooding neighbor Ashton who she wants, and even followed to school. Even the fact that he has a girlfriend doesn’t deter her . . . whatever Ruby wants, she eventually gets.

Her ruthless determination is tested when wildfires devastate her California hometown, destroying her parents’ business and causing an unspeakable tragedy that shatters her to her core. Suddenly, Ruby is the head of the family and responsible for its survival, with no income or experience to rely on. Rebuilding seems hopeless, but with the help of unexpected allies—including a beguiling, dark-eyed boy who seems to understand her better than anyone—Ruby has to try. When she discovers that the fires also displaced many undocumented people in her town, it becomes even more imperative to help. And if she has to make hard choices along the way, can anyone blame her?

In her powerful debut novel, Mexican American author Hailey Alcaraz chronicles a riveting portrait of transformation, resilience, and love with an unlikely heroine who, when faced with unforeseen disaster, surprises everyone, especially herself.

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~Author Chat~

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

I am a huge fan of retellings; it’s hands-down my favorite genre, so any time I come across a story I love, I find myself thinking about what it would look like retold in a different setting, from a different perspective, so on. When I was about 21, my grandma gave me a copy of Gone with the Wind, and I spent the next ten years thinking about what a retelling of this epic could look like. I thought about how to tell a story that could challenge the many problematic elements, about how to push Scarlett from an anti-hero to someone with more comprehensive character growth, and how to modernize the themes of resilience and change. And ultimately, that led me to what is now Up in Flames.

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

I identify so deeply with Ruby. Her voice came really naturally to me, right from the beginning. We share similar identities, but I also think many of her personality traits came from myself—some intentionally, some not. However, her love interest Remy was totally the most fun to write. He’s flirty and snarky and I loved getting to write ways for them to push each other’s buttons.

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

This book was originally titled Gone with the Flames while I was drafting it, but I got some valuable feedback early on that that title might’ve been a tad too “on the nose,” so I changed it to Up in Flames shortly before I started querying literary agents. And it stuck!

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

The ending. I can’t get into too many details here, for obvious reasons, but it’s something I envisioned from the very beginning.

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

Oof, where do I even start? She’s GORGEOUS. Jeff Ostberg did such a beautiful job. I love the sunsetty color scheme, and the image of Ruby – dramatic and windswept. I think it really does a great job of being both powerful and romantic, bold and feminine – which is really Ruby in a nutshell.

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2023?

Oh, gosh. There are SO MANY! Some of the 2023 releases I’ve read this year and LOVED include: Zoraida Cordova’s KISS THE GIRL, Kara McDowell’s THE PRINCE AND THE APOCALYPSE, THE DAVEPORTS by Krystal Marquis, THE FRAUD SQUAD by Kyla Zhao, CLYTMNESTRA by Costanza Casati, and SEVEN PERCENT OF RO DEVEREUX by Ellen O’Clover. I’m really looking forward to SINNER’S ISLE by Angela Montoya, THIS CURSED LIGHT by Emily Thiede, and RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART by Jo Segura.

YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?

Another hard-hitter. I talk about Tiffany D. Jackson’s THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD a lot, because it was such a smart retelling – and it was a little out of my genre comfort zone being a horror novel, but I loved it, particularly the audio! GIRLS LIKE US by Randi Pink really stuck with me this year; I haven’t read many YA books like it. And VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE was thrilling and romantic in all the best ways!

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

I have another book under contract with Viking that I’m really excited to dive into once pub day mayhem is calming down, and I have two other projects in various stages of drafting and revising. So hopefully lots! 😊

YABC:   Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?

This gets into pretty spoilery territory, so excuse the vagueness. But there’s a scene where Ruby is first arriving back home after the wildfires. It’s particularly emotional, and I think I rewrote it 3 different times in completely different ways before I was happy with the feeling, pacing and suspense in it. I wanted readers to experience the heartbreak and confusion alongside her, and that’s a difficult feat sometimes!

YABC:    What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?

It’s never too late to become a better version of yourself, to learn from your mistakes and move forward with new understandings. Growth is difficult and painful and often not as straightforward as we’d like, but it’s worth. It’s okay to be a messy, complicated version of yourself; it doesn’t make you any less worthy of love and success.

YABC:      What would you say is your superpower?

A superhuman caffeine tolerance? LOL. My friends and family often comment on my memory. I have a pretty good one (which, for a mom of two small children, is impressive on its own, if I don’t say so myself!) but I tend to remember pretty specific tidbits very clearly. Random details or fun facts will stick with me forever. I think this is a writer thing; I’m always looking for the story or inspiration in every interaction I have, so anything that strikes me as unique or interesting—no matter how minor—gets filed away in my long-term memory.

YABC:     Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

I’m a former teacher of 9 years, so I care deeply about education. My heart really goes out to the struggles teachers face with low wages, under appreciation, and laws that restrict their abilities to do their jobs effectively, particularly recent ones related to critical race theory and book bans. I currently work for a nonprofit, Support My Club, that helps fund high school teams and sports so teachers don’t have to use their own personal finances (like they often do) to give kids these meaningful experiences. Our schools are under attack in this country, and both students and teachers deserve SO MUCH better.

YABC:   What advice do you have for new writers?

Read! Nothing is as inspiring and refreshing and rejuvenating as reading a good book. Read within your genre. Read across genres. But read!

YABC:   Is there anything that you would like to add?

Thank you so much for allowing me to participate in this interview and featuring Up in Flames! I’m active on Instagram (and learning TikTok slowly but surely!) at @alcarazbooks, and I share book recommendations and fun Up in Flames content! I love connecting with readers in those spaces.

Title: UP IN FLAMES

Author: Hailey Alcaraz

Release Date: 10/3/2023

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13: 9780593525548

Genre: YA Fiction

Age Range: 14+

*Giveaway Details*

Five (5) winners will receive a copy of Up In Flames (Hailey Alcaraz) ~ US Only

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