 Designers: Olga Grlic and Kerri Resnick; Illustrator: Mallory Heyer Today we celebrate the book birthday of The Quince Project. We sat down with Jessica Parra to learn all about the inspiration behind this book. Tell us a little bit about the book: The Wedding Planner gets a YA makeover in this delightful and heartfelt novel from the author of Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success. Castillo Torres, Student Body Association event chair and serial planner, could use a fairy godmother. After her mother’s passing and a disastrous mishap at her sister’s quinceañera, all of Cas’s plans are crumbling. So, when a local lifestyle-guru-slash-party-planner opens up applications for the internship of her dreams, Cas sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn every trick in the book to make sure that things never go wrong again. The only catch is that she needs more party planning experience before she can apply. When she books a quinceañera for a teen Disneyland vlogger, Cas thinks her plan is taking off…until she discovers that the party is just a publicity stunt, and she catches feelings for the chambelán. It’s clear that her agenda is about to go way off-script and that real life is more complicated than a fairy tale. But maybe Happily Ever Afters aren’t just for the movies. Can Cas go from planner to participant in her own life? Or will this would-be princess turn into a pumpkin at the end of the ball? Sounds great! Read more after the link... What 3 words would you use to describe your book? Humorous, Heartfelt, and Celebratory! Where did you get the idea to write this particular story? I’m a huge fan of J Lo movies, with The Wedding Planner being at the top of her filmography! The idea of doing a YA-remix on it, but with quinceañeras instead of weddings, was something I so badly wished for… and when I got tired of waiting for it to appear on shelves, I wrote it myself. As much as I still love the film, there were some elements that didn’t age well. Let’s face it, the love interest was not the best! Plus, there were some characters that I wanted to know more about (like frozen food heiress Fran Donolly) and I also wanted to explore why the titular character was such a control freak (like myself)! That’s where the chance to explore the unwieldy nature of grief came in, threading into the story so naturally. What message are you hoping readers will take away from this story? Although the story does deal with the heavy subject of grief, the book is ultimately a celebration of life and resilience. It’s a joyful exploration of finding love—and oneself—after loss. And above all, it’s about going from planner to participant in one’s life. This is the heart of the heart of the story, and one I wish I could say to every young person (and those simply young at heart)—it’s okay to cast off fairy godmother robes and put on a new pair of glass slippers . . . walking forward in them doesn’t mean you’re moving on. I wanted this book to be a testament to that. To how, while the worst parts of life are often unplanned, sometimes the best parts of it are too. What comes next for you as an author? As much as I love writing comedy and romance in contemporary spaces, I think I’m ready to step into horror! Believe it or not, horror is my first (and greatest love), so I am gearing up to write a horror rom-com next! What books are on your to-be-read list?
 Photo credit: Nola Fontanez Photography As a lawyer and daughter of Guatemalan and Cuban bakers, Jessica Parra never objects to an extra slice of cake. She’s a Los Angeles native who loves to write about Latinas with big hair (and even bigger dreams), complicated families, and the healing magic of acceptance.
Jessica is the author of Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success, The Quince Project, and many unfinished first drafts about cats living their best lives—all nine of them. When she isn’t drafting books you can find her sipping kombucha, cuddling with her kitties, or co-piloting the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge. Website: www.jessicaparra.com Instagram: @jessicatparra
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