To celebrate the release of Perchance to Dream, I’m interviewing some of the authors featured in the anthology. Today’s interview is with Selenia Paz!

Tell us a little bit about your story, “Lisbeth.”

Lisbeth is the story of two friends, Lisbeth and Bianca, who have known each other all their lives. When the story begins, they are attending a Dia de los Muertos gathering at a local cemetery in Mexico with their grandparents, who are their caretakers. They visit the tents that have been set up around the cemetery and have an encounter with the Tres Hermanas, three sisters who tell fortunes. They predict that Lisbeth and Bianca will have a great future, and this prediction helps to shape their lives in amazing—and terrible—ways.

What drew you to the story of Macbeth? One of the things that fascinates me about Macbeth is—what if the witches had never appeared to Macbeth? Would he have gone down such a dark path? And what if Lady Macbeth had not been so insistent that Macbeth carry on with his plan? Would he have done it? I also find Macbeth’s character very interesting—how he goes from being unsure and having regret to, at the end, being so certain that what he did was correct.

Another of your short stories, “Broken English,” was an Honor winner in Lee and Low Books’ New Voices contest. Can you tell us anything about that story? Is it available to read anywhere, or are there any plans for publication?

“Broken English” is partially based on events from my childhood and on the difficulties encountered when beginning to learn English as a second language. It is my hope it will help children who feel unsure when learning English, especially because sometimes we might become nervous or afraid of attempting to speak for fear of embarrassment for mispronunciation. It is my hope it will be published in the future.

Do you have any other upcoming YA projects you’d like to tell us about?

Yes! I am currently working on two different YA stories: one focuses on Mexican folklore and a young man’s loss of his grandfather, and the other on a young girl who must face terrible truths after the loss of her uncle.

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Selenia Paz! You can read her story, “Lisbeth,” now in Perchance to Dream, which is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers. If you’d like to learn more about Selenia, you can visit her website, or find her on Twitter at @SeleniaPaws.
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