 Today we celebrate the book birthday of Leslie Adame's Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic. We sat down with Musa Leslie to learn more about this book. Twelve-year-old Chloe Vega’s biggest fear is that her undocumented parents will be detained by immigration. That is, until she learns that her parents are actually part of a secret magical society…and that the suspicious looking police officers who have been hanging around their block are henchmen for an evil sorcerer determined to settle a decades-old score. Just when Chloe discovers that she has powers, too, her parents are kidnapped! In order to rescue them, she’ll need to harness her abilities at an elite academy, run by the very agency who exiled her parents from the magical world. Finding herself in the center of a magical war that might destroy everything she has ever known, Chloe can’t shake the feeling that the Agents of Magic are hiding secrets. With her parents’ lives hanging in the balance, she must uncover who is truly on her side and fast to save her family—and the world itself. Read more about this exciting new book after the link... Where did you get the idea to write this particular story? I was a huge daydreamer when I was a kid, mostly because there was a lot going on in my community (loved ones struggling to make ends meet, friends whose family members were being deported, etc.). It’s tough to deal with that kind of stuff as a kid, so I turned to books and shows to escape it all. I became drawn to magical books about wand-wielding, sword-fighting, and misunderstood kids taking down huge foes. During really tough times, I imagined myself as part of the stories I loved, drawn to the courage and resilience of the characters. I realized I wanted to create stories where characters inspired by my community faced magical challenges of their own. That’s when the idea for Chloe Vega began to take shape. At first, Chloe Vega was just that—an idea. I had no intention of turning it into a book. But in 2018, as I witnessed news coverage of kids in tears as they were separated from their parents at the border, it lit a fire under me. I wanted to write something those kids could read; not to make them forget about their reality, but to show them that the situation they’re in doesn’t define them. They, too, could be the heroes of their own story. How would you describe your main character? Why did you create your character that way? Chloe is how I would describe most children of immigrants: hardworking, anxious to please, and desperately trying to find her place in the world. I thought it would be interesting to explore these themes in a magic school setting, especially a magic school attended by students from all across the American continents and the Caribbean. Chloe grew up with this “keep your head down and everything will be okay” mentality, but in the book, you’ll see how this gets challenged when Chloe has no choice but to break some rules to get answers to questions she has. What message are you hoping readers will take away from this story? My hope is that, through this story, readers can get a glimpse of what it’s like to live a day as a member of a family where at least one person is undocumented. To understand that getting to wake up every day knowing that your family won’t be forced to separate is a privilege that many take for granted. But also, I want readers to get fully sucked into the magical world! Chloe Vega being the daughter of undocumented immigrants is only part of the story. There are friendships, rivals, found family, and betrayals at every corner, and Chloe is going to embark on a journey that is as much about finding herself and learning to trust her instincts as it is about saving her parents. Chloe’s journey is a reminder that even in the darkest moments, the bonds we forge can light the way as we learn to step into our power. What comes next for you as an author? I’m currently deep in the revision trenches for CHLOE VEGA Book 2, but once this is finished, I plan to draft a new YA story that takes place in Mexico’s Land of the Dead, which I would comp as COCO meets SIX OF CROWS. If you’d like to hear writing updates about that, follow me on Instagram @leslieadame. That’s where I’m most active! I also plan to start a newsletter at some point, so there’s also that option if you’re not active on social media (leslieadame.com). What 3 recommendations would you give writers who are starting out? I can give you five, especially if you’re looking to be traditionally published as well! I recommend referencing these amazing podcasts and articles to get a better understanding of the industry: ● How to Find Agents to Query ● How to Find a Literary Agent ● Writing a Query Letter to Literary Agents ● Write or Die Podcast (to hear anecdotes from published authors regarding their road to publication) ● Paper Trail Podcast (lots of good perspective on the BIPOC experience in publishing)  Leslie Adame is a first-generation Mexican American and graduate of UCLA with a degree in political science and a minor in film, television, and digital media. She’s always enjoyed giving back and telling stories about characters not often found in books or films.
Leslie grew up in the Inland Empire, specifically Ontario, California. When she’s not writing, you can find Leslie scanning the aisles of your local bookstore, lovingly pestering her family, and catching a flight to explore a new place. She loves watching rom-coms, Disney movies, and trashy reality TV in her spare time, especially while cuddling with her cat. Find her at: Website: leslieadame.com Instagram/Threads/Substack/Bluesky: @leslieadame Comments are closed.
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