Marco, Pablo, & Olivia Volume One follows the Costa sibling’s as they work together to help Marco complete tryouts and make it onto the team. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

When brainstorming the idea for Marco, Pablo, & Olivia, I took a lot of inspiration from my trips to Ecuador as a kid. Before we went into lockdown from COVID-19, I used to fly to Ecuador every other year to visit my grandparents and relatives from my dad’s side of the family. I once went to secondary school as a foreign exchange student for a month. Everything in Ecuador is different than what I grew up with in America, but I was fascinated by Ecuador’s beautiful culture. Being there made me realize, “how come no one has made a movie or written a book about Ecuador? There’s so much about Ecuador that’s worth sharing!” That’s when I knew I wanted to write a middle-grade graphic novel series set in Ecuador. Representation matters!

I enjoyed the vibrant art in this book. What was the art illustration process like in bringing this story to life?

After I finished writing the script in 2019, the first thing that came to mind was drawing the illustrations on my computer. I didn’t want to make the comic book using the traditional method of drawing and ink on physical paper. I wanted to make my comic pages on my Huion tablet because it would save me a lot of paper and art supplies, and I always loved digital art. I drew the rough sketches on the tablet, inked the pages, and hired a freelance artist to handle the coloring process. It was challenging to direct a person because I had never hired someone, and I was trying to figure out how I wanted the coloring to look. Plus, I was only 20 years old at that time. Despite the challenging process, I learned that making a comic book requires hard work, effort, and good teamwork. All the diligence was worth bringing my book to life!

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book series?

When writing the script for the first book, I didn’t think much about the story’s theme. I had so much fun writing it; I didn’t think about what was missing from my book. Once I learned about writing a theme from a creative writing course, I knew I had to think about the message for Futbol Tryouts, even if it’s only 41 pages long. I reread the script and couldn’t figure out the theme, so I gave the script to my dad and aunt for feedback. My aunt explained that the book already had a clear theme about perseverance and that I was overthinking it. Since Fútbol tryouts was the first book, I knew I had to write about universal themes in each book, but I also wanted the central theme for the entire series, which was the love and support between siblings.

What can readers expect in volume two of your children’s book series?

In Fútbol Tryouts, the readers learn that the Costa siblings moved to Guayaquil from Loja. The readers get to see the Costa’s new life on the coast, but they haven’t seen their previous life in the mountains of Ecuador. The next book for Marco, Pablo, & Olivia will feature the Costa siblings again, but the readers will look into their past life in Loja. It will also feature a new character, and I hope she will warm the reader’s hearts.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/22/the-love-and-support-between-siblings/