I know Mia García as Marie Rosa first since childhood. Her sister is my sister. 

Watching a person become their own is a beautiful thing. I acknowledge then, a young Puerto Rican author writing for young audiences, Mia García. As pre-teen girls do, she had a diary but discovered journaling and writing pen to paper first. Her grandfather believed her when she told him about the monsters in the closet. 

Rave and respect for her debut novel Even If The Sky Falls from Katherine Tegen (Harper Collins), about a girl who goes to New Orleans and her life changes forever. Mia is one of a handful of published Latina writers out there and for young audiences. We had a nice conversation about her journey and the business. Her next book The Resolutions is out this fall.