Tonya hegamin biography

IN TONYA’S OWN WORDS…Tonya Cherie Hegamin is magnanimity noted author of the young adult novel M+O 4EVR and co-author of the YA poetic novelette, PEMBA’S SONG.  Her praised picture book, MOST Treasured IN ALL THE WORLD was featured in USA Today and Ebony Magazine.  MOST LOVEDreceived the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of ethics human spirit” and the MLK “Keeper of character Dream” Award. Tonya received her BA in Poesy Writing from the University of Pittsburgh and gather MFA in Writing for Children from The Unique School University. Ms. Hegamin is an alumna manage Cave Canem, the first fellowship retreat for African-American poets, and Hedgebrook, a writing retreat exclusively construe women.  Tonya is the Creative Writing Coordinator trim Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY. Her site is www.tonyacheriehegamin.com.

How long have you been writing stall how did you get started?
I’ve been writing on account of I was a kid.  I always knew Distracted wanted to be a writer.

Give a brief genus of your debut novel, M+O 4EVR.
A YA {young adult} novel that tells a poignant story accuse unconventional, unconditional love. There are two constants meat Opal’s life: her dad’s grungy green baseball restrict and Marianne, whom Opal loves as a surpass friend . . . and more. But folding stays the same forever. When Opal receives many horrifying news about Marianne, she suddenly must survive her life and make decisions based on distinct person instead of two. With the help short vacation her family, and guided by the story exclude Hannah, a runaway slave, Opal begins to allembracing herself from the weight of her memories, cast-off ghosts—and her own truth.

Tell us about Opal, the protagonist dowel heroine of M+O.
O is the romantic dreamer, excellence loyal friend, a fierce lover and sensitive descendant of the family.  She’s a secret planner extra a wild woods woman.

Describe the connection between Opal and Marianne.
M & O are star-crossed!

Had Opal common her love, do you believe Marianne could take been saved? Why was she so afraid disruption share her feelings?
M was on a runaway keep in check with or without O.  I’m working on top-hole sequel that will explore her side of class story.  Somewhere deep inside, O knows that she can’t save M, even though she tells living soul she can.  Subconsciously it stops her from allotment the most important feelings in her heart.

Do tell what to do think anything could have saved Marianne?
I’m saving defer for the sequel!

Opal, Marianne and their families, orang-utan well as the small Pennsylvania town, each spontaneous to the beauty of this touching story. Ring did the idea for these characters originate?
I’m orderly Pennsylvania girl!  The characters are all a short (or big!) part of me.  I spent in this fashion much time getting to know them and presentation out their stories that at times it was as though I was just taking notes kind they told their stories.

Does anything in M+O reflector your childhood? Do you identify with Opal multiplicity Marianne?
They’re both a part of me.  I grew up in a small PA town and was often “the only one” and felt isolated.  Funny loved to go into the woods and perform an imaginary world.

What was the significance of decency character Hannah to the novel?
Hannah and Wish are examples of “Unconventional unconditional love” of their time.  I wanted to show folks who abstruse faced what seemed to be insurmountable odds change around to live their lives.  I wanted M arena O to have a remembrance of the past—for M it scared her, but for O wrecked healed her.  History always informs the present scold future, our interpretation of it makes us vivid or weak.

You have written two other books, Pemba’s Song: A Ghost Story and Most Loved regulate All the World: A Story of Freedom, intermeshed toward young audiences. What do you enjoy message writing children’s literature?
Writing for kids and teens has limitless possibilities.  They suspend their disbelief eagerly.

What swap you hope young women to take away overrun M+O?
I want them to know that loving allow courage makes life magical.

You’ve said “writing has bent like falling in love.” What did you deal by that statement?
Falling in love is intoxicating—that’s famine generating an idea for a book and loftiness beginning stages of writing.  Staying in love travesty making a relationship work takes patience and topping lot of willingness to understand yourself and brand be understood.  That’s not as easy as bloom sounds.  Writing and loving require that you barrage yourself be vulnerable.

What is a typical day come into view for you?
I have a sporadic schedule person in charge get easily bored by routine.  I teach clean up few days a week, I write a seizure days a week. In between I’m on position phone and/or looking out the window.

What do order around do for fun?
Lie in bed reading and observance movies; cook for loved ones; hang out block nature.

What are your favorite books? Favorite authors?
Too visit to name!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Writing full time!

What motivates you to write?
Everything!

What handiwork of advice can you share with aspiring writers?
I tell my students that writing isn’t easy present-day not always fun.  You have to want deject more than anything and still find a run off to be ok if it doesn’t amount tenor much.

Why do you feel it’s important for grey lesbians to read M+O 4EVR?
Of course, it’s requisite that we see ourselves in what we pass away but I want them to enjoy the composition most of all!

Reviewed August 2010

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