Origin Story
The inspiration for Secrets of the Super Moon came during my period, of course. As a spasm of painful cramps erupted across my lower belly, I sarcastically muttered, “my own personal spidey sense.” I read a lot of comic books as a middle schooler, and Spider-Man was my favorite. The “spidey sense” is a power that warns him of danger, often depicted by zig-zagging lines around his head. I found myself coming back to this idea of a superpowered period over the next few weeks. The idea felt like something.
After David Lynch passed away last year, I came across a video of him talking about ideas. He said that ideas are not something you create, but something you catch. Like a fish. Once caught, you can prepare and cook the fish, translating that idea into a work of art.
So I went fishing. I started writing the first chapter and found a whole cast of characters living in that idea. It took me 5 years to write Secrets of the Super Moon, a slow but stubborn process powered by the help of my friends. I imagined it as a comic book, then a blog, and finally a book. After two “final edits,” I had my finished product.
Secrets of the Super Moon is a 50,000 word middle grade fiction book. It opens on the first day of 7th grade for Sofia Sanchez, a straight A student and perfect daughter, who is excited to start the school year. Her perfect plans for a perfect school year fall apart when she gets her first period. That was not part of the plan. But what’s worse, her mom didn’t warn her about the strange symptoms that come with her period. No one did. Needless to say, she is pretty shocked when her sonic scream blasts the school bully out of the bathroom.
Sofia must grapple with her new reality, the attention of the school bullies, and the monster that keeps showing up in her dreams. It’s a lot. Secrets of the Super Moon follows not only Sofia, but also her two best friends, and even the school bullies, as they try to make sense of their periods and the superpowered symptoms that everyone wants to keep a secret.
