We chat with author Daniel Miyares about How to Say Goodbye in Cuban, which is a dramatic coming-of-age graphic novel memoir of 12-year-old Carlos (who would grow up to become the author’s father), following his life during the Cuban Revolution, and his family’s harrowing escape to America.
Hi, Daniel! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! Sure, thank you so much for the chance to share! My name is Daniel Miyares. I’m an author and illustrator of numerous books for children. My first graphic novel and first book for middle grade readers is about to be released on September 30th. It’s called How to Say Goodbye in Cuban.
When did you first discover your love for writing and illustrating?
I knew from the moment I could first hold a pencil that I loved making pictures. It just felt right. Drawing was so many things to me as a child. It was a way for a shy little kid to speak loudly. It was a shelter from whatever else was going on. It was a way to go any place I wanted, but once I realized that it could also be a kind of currency everything changed. All of a sudden storytelling had a power beyond my own purposes. It could help others in the same way it helped me.
When I was in high school I started to fall in love with all kinds of literature. I didn’t fancy myself a writer then, but I was enamored with poetry of any kind, short stories, and Shakespeare. Later on after I began my professional illustration career I started to see how I could use words and pictures in concert to tell stories.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree
- The one that made you want to become an author: A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Silver Pony by Lynd Ward
Your latest graphic novel, How to Say Goodbye in Cuban, is out September 30th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Revolution completely upends boy’s life.
What can readers expect?
A graphic novel based on real events. Young Carlos loves his life in the Cuban countryside near his abuelo’s farm until he and his family move to the city of Matanzas so his father can start his furniture making business. As he and his siblings are adjusting to their new home, Fidel Castro and his revolution are spreading across Cuba. Before long catching tarantulas and making new friends is the least of his worries.
Where did the inspiration for How to Say Goodbye in Cuban come from?
The inspiration for the book came from my dad. It’s my retelling of the stories he told me about how he and his family escaped Cuba just after the revolution. About twenty years ago after I had graduated college and moved to Kansas City for my first big job, my phone rang in the middle of the night. In a dazed state, I stumbled across my apartment and picked up the phone. It was my dad. He was calling to check up on me. Being alone in a new city was hard and he knew that. We talked about how he was stationed in Kansas for a while when he was in the army many years ago. After we caught up for a bit he asked if he had ever told me about how he came to this country as a boy. I said no. Our relationship hadn’t been the best since he and my mom got divorced when I was in the second grade. My dad proceeded to recount the story of growing up in Matanzas, Cuba during the revolution and ultimately making a narrow escape with the rest of his family to the U.S. As he spoke, I feverishly filled up notebooks with all the details I could capture. I didn’t realize it at the time, but those notes and subsequent interviews with my dad would go on to form the bases of the book.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or illustrating?
All the characters have their moments as far as I’m concerned, but of course attempting to see the world through Carlos’ (my dad’s) eyes was a special experience. Probably my favorite character to write though was Mamá. To explore how a parent would attempt to keep it all together for the sake of their children during such a tumultuous time was fascinating and gut wrenching.
What was your process when it came down to illustrating?
This was my first graphic novel so I had to discover what process worked for me through trial and error. I had a finished manuscript, but I needed to paginate it. I broke the text up by conversations that logically needed to be together as well as visually what seemed to fit on a page. Once I did that with the entire book and was satisfied with it, I went to a printshop and had the whole story spiral bound so I could reference it for my sketches.
I knew I wanted to make this book using traditional drawing and painting techniques. Because it was my first time using the form to tell a story I wanted to feel as connected to it as possible and I wanted the readers to feel that connection. I used a waterproof black India ink and watercolors on paper to make the illustrations. The sketches and finished artwork was a long methodical process of starting with the intent of the manuscript and carrying that intent through to the final pages without deviating too much. I realized in illustrating this book that in a graphic novel the illustrations serve so many different purposes. It’s more to juggle, but it gives you a much deeper tool box to pull from for storytelling.
What’s next for you?
Right now I’m working on illustrating a handful of new picture books written by other authors as well as pitching new projects of my own. I just finished up a picture book biography on Bob Ross written by the amazing writer Richard Ho with Roaring Brook Press. You can be on the lookout for it next year.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
This summer I’ve been slowly going through A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. It was a Maria Popova recommendation. Each chapter is a brilliant exercise on the writing process. There’s also a long list of picture books I’d like to get caught up on. Titles like – This is a Moment by Micah Player, I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive by Leslie Barnard Booth.
