Ashley Granillo
David Suh
Ashley Jean Granillo is a Mexican American writer and educator hailing from the San Fernando Valley. She has her BA and MA in Creative Writing from California State University Northridge and holds her MFA in fiction from the University of California Riverside, Palm Desert. She is also a member of Las Musas, a collective of Latinx authors whose gender identity aligns with femininity. Her short story “Besitos” was featured in Where Monsters Lurk & Magic Hides, a Latine/x short story genre anthology. Cruzita and the Mariacheros (Lerner Publishing) is her debut middle grade contemporary novel.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Ray Bradbury’s, The Halloween Tree
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”― Liesel Meminger, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Jeff Zentner, Jennifer Torres, and Natalia Sylvester ––but honestly, there are way too many to name.
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
My entire life, main characters never looked, acted, or grew up like me. I would always make an “Ashley Version” of these characters, with brown skin, eyes and hair, not quite understanding why I did it in the first place. It wasn’t until I got a little older that I realized, I need to write stories for that little person, who like me, searched for themselves in TV, books, and music.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Authenticity goes a long way. Even if someone says the majority of the population will never get “it,” write your truth, anyway!
