Debut You is an interview feature on Our Stories Matter blog. Debut authors, who have released or have upcoming releases in 2022, are given five questions to answer about themselves and their book. Currently, the questions are the same for all authors. We hope you enjoy getting to know Elizabeth Agyemang and can offer your support. Go here for past Debut You features.
Describe yourself in five words, then expound on one of them.
When thinking about the five words that would describe me best, I found myself drawn to the words multifaceted, funny, grounded, loyal, and driven.
The word multifaceted speaks to me because there’s a clarity to it in that it’s a pretty straightforward word, but there are also layers to what it means to be “multifaceted.” I’ve always been the kind of person who has many interests and passions. I’m a writer and an illustrator, an author and an editor. I’m as passionate about creating stories as I am about celebrating and championing the works of other creators. I’m multifaceted because, while I’m a pretty outgoing person, I find that I express myself best through connecting with and creating art.
Explain your book’s journey—how long did it take—from idea to publication?
It’s been a long road to the creation and soon-to-be publication of Fibbed. In 2019, I conceptualized the idea and pitched it during DVpit’s artist day, and now in 2022, it will soon be published. I literally just finished the final art in February, so when I say it’s been around four years, it truly has! During that process, I fully discovered my process as a graphic novel artist. I also was able to connect with my culture through a different lens than I had before. It’s one thing to be a part of a culture and know who you are in that sense, and it’s completely another thing to create a character and share that culture and the personal elements of your life that inspired it. I’m so grateful that I was able to spend that time with the story and characters, for my family, and to have had such a supportive editor in Ruta Rimas at Razorbill, a wonderful agent in Suzie Townsend at New Leaf, and just an incredible team in my publisher Razorbill to help bring this story to readers.
Belief in oneself is important; besides you, who has been your cheerleader(s) throughout this process?
Oh, I kind of answered that during the publication process. Truly my family, editor, agent, and publishing team have been so supportive during this process. But if I had to give a special shout out to cheerleaders throughout this process, I would also say my colleagues and friends at what is now Clarion Books (Emilia, Amy, Gabby, Erika, Nicole, Eleanor, Jenny, Alia, Celeste, Lili, Mary-Claire, Andy, Angela, Harriet, Lauren, Anna, Ciera, and the special guests of the Vortex—you know who you are 😉 ). If you think about it, most people spend most of their time at their workplace. So, being able to be in an environment where my managers, coworkers, and peers were so kind, warm, and supportive was so meaningful. Before the pandemic, I had a commute that was nearly four hours round trip. So many creators can’t make art because of how draining just that can be, but I was able to carve out time to create on my breaks, after work, and on the weekends because I didn’t have to fracture myself into pieces throughout the workday. And being able to be yourself, feeling that completeness by the time you come home and are supposed to create, makes it so much easier to find the voices of the characters that speak to you.
Understanding your audience is essential. What do you know for sure about the audience you are writing for?
I know my audience is looking for adventure, and joy, and mystery, and themselves. When I was in middle school, I was always first drawn to the books that promised a good time, only to walk away learning more of myself and history through them. I always appreciated that, and I hope I brought that experience to readers in Fibbed. I want them to pick up the story, laugh with the silly bits, and go on an adventure with the main character Nana that leads them to understand who they are. Another part of the story is about telling the truth and not being believed and feeling like your voice is too small to make a difference. I want them to walk away knowing that their story matters. And most of all, I want them to be inspired to create in the same way I was so inspired by the manga, comics, and books I grew up reading inspired me to create too.
Tell us about your book.
Fibbed is about 12-year-old Nana, who always tells the truth, yet her truths end up sounding unbelievable to those around her. When she’s sent to stay with her grandparents in Ghana over the summer, she discovers magic in the village forest and must team up with the mythical Ananse to stop an evil corporation from stealing the village magic for profit. It’s a story about finding your voice. But it’s also about reconnecting with one’s culture and what it means to be a part of a community and culture whose stories, land, resources, and peoples have been pillaged throughout history—from colonization and slavery to the quietly insidious cultural appropriation and the dehumanization of your community. Through all this, though, most of all Fibbed, is about the importance of being able to tell your story and how the stories of our ancestors help guide us to turn the page anew.
YOU did it, congratulations! Your story is going to be read by children or teens, educators, parents, librarians, book bloggers, etc. How do you feel, and are there any other projects in the works—that you can discuss?
I’m so excited! But I’m also feeling very proud. Proud knowing I illustrated every panel and wrote, researched, and created something that can now be in readers’ hands. I do have other projects in the works. Another graphic novel and a YA thriller called Heart-Shaped Lies will be published in Spring 2023 from Delacorte. It’s funny because Heart-Shaped Lies is also about truth and finding your voice, but for the young adult audience. I guess it’s because I’ve always been fascinated (and directly impacted) by how when the truth is buried, so many generations and communities are impacted. I hope to keep telling stories from perspectives that feel personal. I hope to keep writing books and making art that bring speaks to me and others like and different from me.
Fibbed
Elizabeth Agyemang | Razorbill | June 7, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Elizabeth Agyemang is an illustrator, printmaker, and storyteller. She writes about magic, history, folklore, love, and fairy tales and draws from elements of her Ghanaian heritage and faith. Elizabeth graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied Fine Arts and Professional Writing, and she now works in publishing. When she isn’t gushing over books or comics, she spends her time dissecting classic movies and playing video games.
Connect with Elizabeth Agyemang
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