H.D Hunter talks young adult fiction and a writer’s impact

How does one judge the impact of their work?

It’s a topic that I talk about with author, activist, and teacher H.D. Hunter in the latest episode. He has a new book out on Aug. 20, “Something Like Right,” and it’s his first foray into the world of young adult fiction. We talk about what new lessons this offered after working primarily in elementary/middle school fiction and how he enjoyed the experience.

H.D. shares the origin of Zay, the main character of the book, and his role in the story, which touches on themes of love, broken families and healing from generational trauma. H.D. shares how Zay came to be, and their evolution during the writing process, as well as the possibilities of more books in this genre.

We also speak on the “Futureland” series, a trilogy which recently came to its conclusion. Set in a theme park where literally anything can happen, it’s focused on Cam Walker and his family, the park’s creators, and their many adventures over the three books. We dive deep into this, as well as what may be next for the series.

H.D. has had the chance to reach many young readers through this work, and we talk about what he hopes they have taken away from the experience.

Authors share tales of their world

In this episode, we’re pairing authors Kris Spisak and Daniel Kim to talk about their books. Thanks to Books Forward PR for arranging these interviews!

Kris Spisak takes on a tour of her family’s history with her debut fiction novel, “The Baba Yaga Mask.” When their Ukrainian grandmother is lost on a trans-Atlantic flight, sisters Larissa and Ira are swept into a quest across eastern Europe to find the woman who had always told more tales than truths. Kris talks about the real-life events that factor into the book, which has two intertwined stories—one in the past and the other in the here and now. We talk about the extensive research and the unexpected error that was caught. This novel also has an audiobook version and Kris shares how this changed the story in a great way.

Daniel Kim, at only 14, has published six books with his brother Benjamin on the environment, the animals who call it home and our role to make things better. They’ve made waves in Korea and on June 8, the books make their U.S. debut with “The Whale Who Refused to Poo.” In this interview, we talk about how the brothers discovered their love for the environment and what inspired them to become activists. We look at the book series and how they work together on the writing and illustrations. Dan also shares his hopes for the series.