I recently had the absolute pleasure of reading Lobizona, the upcoming werewolf novel from Romina Garber, which is filled with Argentinian folklore, intricately crafted worlds, and the adventure of finding your true self. Romina Garber was kind enough to answer some question about her inspirations for the world of Lobizona, the publishing process for this novel, and what she is working on next!
First, I wanted to say thank you for this interview! I loved getting to read Lobizona and I’m still thinking about how much I enjoyed it.
Thank you! Yours is one of my favorite reviews of Lobizona!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your novel, Lobizona?
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I immigrated to the States with my family when I was five. Like my main character, Manu, I grew up in Miami, and also like her, I’ve often wondered what my life would be like if my parents had never left Argentina.
Lobizona is an exploration of the immigrant identity that braids together contemporary issues and Argentinian folklore. Sixteen-year-old Manu is living in hiding in Miami because of her undocumented status and her otherworldly eyes—but when her mom is arrested by ICE, Manu is left unprotected.
Alone, she follows a series of clues that lead her to the Everglades, where she discovers a world ripped from her childhood stories . . . A world where it’s not her residency that’s illegal, but her existence.
The magical side of the world in Lobizona is incredibly unique. Where did you get your inspiration for the magic system and world building?
Thank you! Like Manu, I was leafing through my parents’ newspaper when I discovered the Argentine law that spawned this story—ley de padrinazgo presidencial 20.843. It declares the President of Argentina godparent to the seventh consecutive son or daughter in a family.
When I researched the history of this law, fact and folklore seemed to blend together, and I stumbled across a curse on seventh children. It claims the last daughter in a row of seven is a bruja, and the seventh son is a lobizón. Werewolf.
I decided that rather than stick with the traditional transformation lore, I wanted to explore these creatures’ unique sense of identity, given their dual supernatural and human heritage. So I created Lunaris, a physical representation of their power source, where they return once a month to connect with their roots.
I really wanted to emphasize the characters’ connection to Nature. The werewolf myth already fit in so organically with the lunar cycle and the menstrual cycle, and I wanted the brujas’ magic to sprout from the soil and grow like the trees. I wanted to remind the reader that the lines we draw on this Earth are invisible to the universe.
We are all creatures of the entire planet.
The other, non-magical side of the world in Lobizona is deeply rooted in the current realities of our society. How did you pull from any personal experience or what is going on in the world to build such a powerful narrative?
My parents met at the end of the Guerra Sucia, a violent dictatorship during which dissidents disappeared overnight and children were ripped from their families—to this day, the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo continue to search for their lost grandchildren. So when the US started separating families at the border and caging children, the horrors felt frighteningly familiar.
I wove together Argentinian laws and folklore to warn how thin the line is between policy and public sentiment. How quickly even the most outrageous beliefs can take root and fuel movements. How easily the tables can turn from us defining words to words defining us.
What part of the publishing journey for Lobizona was your favorite and what was the hardest?
This is tough to answer because my favorite part of my publishing journeys has always been hearing from and meeting with readers. So the hardest part of this particular journey has been the delay of Lobizona’s publication and the impact this pandemic has had on our world.
Lobizona tackles a lot of heavy topics. How do you decompress from intense writing sessions?
One of my favorite parts of being an author is rocketing away from this world and exploring undiscovered territory. Yet writing this book was like a challenge not to look away. Lobizona dared me to look closer.
I had a hard time decompressing. Any time I wanted to give myself a break from heavy thoughts, a voice reminded me that children in detention centers and families who’ve been separated don’t have the privilege of taking a break or looking away. It’s only by opening up and sharing these feelings with those closest to me that I’m able to keep a healthy balance between life and art.
Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the hardest to write?
My favorite character to write was Manu because she’s grown up apart from others her age, so all her cues and reference points come from her favorite books, shows, and films. I was fortunate enough to have some amazing friends growing up, and yet like many of us, I still felt like a complete outsider. Concretizing this feeling through Manu’s character has been very liberating.
My hardest character to write would be too big a spoiler, so let’s leave it at that!
One of the things that first caught my intrigue for this novel was the cover. Did you get to see the cover come to life as the designers were working on it and how did you feel the first time you saw the finished product?
The first time I saw this cover, the word that came to mind was iconic. It’s stunning. I am so lucky I get to work with Kerri Resnick, who designed the cover and created the title font by hand. She was already familiar with Daria Hlazatova’s art, and when Kerri pitched the team an idea that included a drawing by Daria, I think we were all 1000% in.
Lobizona ends on quite the cliffhanger! Do you have any favorite cliffhangers from novels or TV series?
In general, I prefer endings that don’t wrap things up too neatly. Two of my favorite shows growing up were Buffy and its spin-off Angel, and I love the way they chose to end both series.
SPOILER ALERT: In Buffy, the show closes after she and her friends have saved the world, and their entire city was swallowed by the Hell Mouth. It’s this peak moment of triumph, yet as the credits roll, you can’t help wondering where the gang goes from here. Angel closes right as the door to Hell is flung open, and all these monsters and demons and even a dragon are headed for our four surviving heroes, one of whom is dying of a mortal wound. The show ends with Angel leading the charge forward, and we never see the actual battle.
To me it was such a strong message about why we fight. It’s not to win, because we never will—there will always be new injustices, since the potential for evil doesn’t exist outside of us, but within us. We fight because—to cite another favorite fantasy world—“there’s good in this world, Mr. Frodo . . .and it’s worth fighting for.”
Lastly, can you give us any info on Lobizona 2 or what you are working on next?
I am currently working on Lobizona 2, and all I can say is it’s both darker and more hopeful than the first instalment! Now that Manu is more familiar with the Septimus world and what’s at stake, it’s thrilling to watch her and her friends revolutionize it all!
