We chat with author Tracy Badua about her latest middle grade release, The Takeout, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Tracy! Welcome back! How has the past 12 months been since we last spoke?
Busy! Between the release of my young adult book This is Not a Personal Statement, a new baby, and gearing up for this latest middle grade book, I have been running around caffeinating whenever possible.
Your latest middle grade novel The Takeout is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magic, friends, celebrities, and food trucks!
What can readers expect?
The readers can expect a fun tale filled with food and folk magic that, at its heart, explores what it means to belong.
And a rat. The readers can expect a rat. Sorry.
Where did the inspiration for The Takeout come from?
My tv is almost always set on Food Network and HGTV, so when it came to brainstorming story ideas, I gravitated toward writing a foodie story, with a possibly-villainous-celebrity twist. I love to work with magical elements as well, so I was excited to try weaving in some Filipino folk healing aspects.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I will tell you one character I did not enjoy writing: the rat.
Rodents are my least favorite animals, and if you think that writing about a friendly, heroic one would make me like them, you are wrong. I still do no like rodents.
Let’s talk about the food! Was extensive research and taste testing required? 😉
Of course! The best part of writing a foodie book is doing the research. Alas, my culinary skills definitely weren’t up to the level needed to make some of the fusion food mentioned in the book, but The Takeout was a great excuse to order in delivery and convince friends and family to whip up some of their favorites. I drew the Filipino flavors from my parents’ cooking, the Indian flavors from my mother-in-law’s, and the restaurant operations and terminology (and even a few recipe ideas!) from a friend whose family owns Mogul, a fabulous Indian restaurant in Houston, Texas.
If The Takeout were to be adapted into a movie, what three songs would have to be on the soundtrack?
“Bubble Tea” by Ella Jay Basco, “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars, and perennial karaoke favorite “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor!
This is your second published middle grade novel and this also marks your second release this year with This Is Not A Personal Statement, a YA novel, having released in January, plus you’re an attorney. What do you do to help have balance in your life?
I don’t sleep. That’s a joke…sort of.
The real answer is that I have a wonderful, tight-knit support network that makes sure I’ve got big writing deadlines on my radar, that I’m fed (and actually eating fruits and vegetables), that is happy to spoil my kids while I work or write, and otherwise pitch in or cheer me on as needed. There’s no humanly way any of us can do all this, which is why it’s so important—and why I consider myself so lucky—to have supportive friends and family.
What’s next for you?
Hopefully some sleep! But also telling readers far and wide about my books at events like the Festival of AAPI Books in Long Beach and the WriteHive Annual Conference.
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
My next young adult novel, We’re Never Getting Home, is set for Winter 2024. It follows two ex-best friends who begrudgingly end up sharing a ride to an outdoor music festival, only to have their driver lose his keys while crowd surfing. Then in Summer 2024 comes The Cookie Crumbles, which I co-authored with Alechia Dow. The Cookie Crumbles has foodie elements like The Takeout but is a mystery involving two best friends who must uncover the culprit in a baking competition gone awry. We pitched it as Knives Out meets The Great British Baking Show!
