Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon

Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon

Victoria Bond

1.  How did you come to the story, Zora and Me?
First, simply because Tanya shared her idea with me.  Then, I came to the story through the voice and intellect of Hurston herself; it also helped that I grew up spending my summers in Florida with people who had been born in the early 20th century.  In that way, my own experience of Florida and what I love about Zora fused into my take on the narrative.

2.  What makes Zora strong girl?
Zora is a strong girl because she trusts her instincts; she follows their lead relentlessly and she has pluck and moxie enough to infect others with her enthusiasm for truth and answers that might not be easily received, but will certainly be transformative for Zora as well as her friends.

3.  Finish this sentence, strong girls___
trust themselves.

4.  What are you working on next?
The second volume of Zora and Me.

T.R. Simon

1. How did you come to the story, Zora and Me?
I was pregnant with my daughter, and thinking about all the great books I would share with her, when I realized that there simply weren’t enough books about intellectually exciting black girl heroines. That lead me to think of Zora Neale Hurston and what she might have been like as a girl.

2. What makes your main character a strong girl?
Her relentless intellectual curiosity. Her ability to make true friends. Her drive to uncover the hard truths undergirding her lived experience. Her emotional fearlessness, even in the face of willful ignorance. And, most importantly, her belief in the power of her stories, of the written word, to transform her and her environment.

3. Finish this sentence, strong girls_____
like themselves.

4. What are you working on next?
Zora book 2!