Introducing: The House, The Ghost, and Me
A conversation with bilingual children's Author Tessa Ruiz
I met Tessa like I have met a few people in my life- online first. I do not recall how exactly but once we connected we realized we had a handful of IRL friends between us which made our friendship feel immediately more real. When Tessa moved to Portland during covid I invited her over to our garden one evening to finally meet face to face. I admire her great eye and mothering spirit. She is also raising bilingual children and does a beautiful job creating really warm and soulful spaces for her family, so we have a bit in common.
Earlier this year she shared the news of the upcoming publishing of her first children’s book The House, The Ghost, and Me. I am so honored that she agreed to share some behind the scenes info about the publishing process, her inspiration and personal anecdotes too. Please enjoy this conversation with Tessa.
When did this idea first come to you?
When I was eight months pregnant I moved from New Orleans to Sacramento, and later on to Chico. It was hard to leave New Orleans, but at the same time, I was confident and content, moving in with my recently widowed 85 year old grandmother.
The idea for the book came to me when my daughter was a couple of weeks old and asleep on my chest. As I’m lying there, not wanting to disturb her, I start typing the beginnings of The House, the Ghost, and Me on my phone.
Back then it was, Claudie’s New Orleans. It was a cathartic experience, writing about a young girl who loved historic architecture and whose mother worked at a flower shop in the French Quarter. It very quickly became a kind of revelation.
I’m the type of person who brought my mother’s 1955 edition of Eloise with her to college. When my daughter was born and I began writing, I wondered why I hadn’t found a book series for children set in New Orleans, why I couldn’t find a Creole cottage dollhouse or a playset with wrought iron balconies. I simply believed I couldn’t be the only one who dreamed of these things, and so I set off on what has turned out to be a ten year journey. I hope this is just the beginning.
Can you tell us why it was important for this book to be bilingual?
My daughters are growing up in a bilingual household. We speak both English and Spanish at home, and I work as an Educational Assistant in the Spanish Immersion program at their school. I love learning alongside them. From day one, I was reading both Goodnight Moon and Buenas Noches Luna. I always knew The House, the Ghost, and Me would use both languages in some way, but I didn’t know it would be a fully bilingual book until Lil’ Libros took it on. It was meant to be and I’m so grateful for it. We all worked very hard on its translation, a real collaboration which included the help of family in Tijuana and Guadalajara. It came out beautifully.
How have you found the process of developing, pitching, selling and ultimately publishing the book? (correct my order there if I have it wrong)
I began this project in 2015. The first seven years were spent failing to land a publisher or literary agent. There were moments where I stopped, took a break, had another baby. But I never could give it up. It was in 2022 when I decided to submit to Lil’ Libros. We had just purchased Marcela Valladolid’s Cocinando on Cook Street and I thought it was a lovely book, illustrated by Eliza Moreno, and that it really stood out in Lil’ Libros’ collection. Seeing that book inspired me to send mine. From there, it really took on a whole new life. The original manuscript went through many changes, and there were a lot of big moments for me when I had to learn to let go and trust the process of working together as a team to make the best version of the book possible. I think we did a great job, and the end result is something I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish on my own.
What do you see next for your characters and your journey as a published author (Claudie paper dolls, doll houses, more books)?
I’m so glad your mind went there! That’s exactly what I hope for. Growing up, I gravitated towards books like Lotta’s Bike, Need a House Call Miss Mouse, Linnea in Monet’s Garden, and of course classics, like Eloise and Madeleine. I wanted to see interesting houses, buildings, and towns from as early as I can remember, whether it was through books, movies or toys. For me, it all had to do with the set. I created a pop-up model of Claudie’s house, which was illustrated in the book. Her style of home is so interesting and would make a great dollhouse.
I do think Claudie could have a wonderful life beyond The House, the Ghost, and Me, either in a series or as a character or doll that many children can identify with – and play with! But as for my journey as a published author, despite other ideas I may have, I want to enjoy this moment as much as possible.
What is your dream for this book and how can we support you?
My dream for this book is to become one of those stories you go back to. A friend recently sent me a piece written by author Katherine Rundell for the London Review of Books. It deeply resonated with me, to the point of tearing up multiple times. She reminds us:
“Those who write for children have the chance to point them towards beauty that they do not yet know exists,” and “need, therefore, to write fiction that will speak to them both now as children and in their future.”
It’s just so true. The books that made an impression on me as a child still hold a strong place in my imagination today. They continue to nurture who I am as an adult. That is the power and beauty of children’s books.
Thank you so much Tessa for the time and participation in this small interview. Please find and support Tessa on instagram here and thru Lil Libros here.
xx Ly