Back in the day when I started blogging, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, I had a long lists of blogs I followed about parenting multiracial children. One of those blogs was called Honeysmoke. The woman behind the blog, Monique Fields, was a Black mom raising two biracial daughters, and she was a journalist like me. We had a lot in common. And although we never met IRL, I considered her one of my favorite blog friends.
So, you can only imagine how thrilled I was to find out that Monique recently wrote a children’s book – also called Honeysmoke – about a little biracial girl who is struggling with her identity. It’s a delightful picture book with a sweet message and colorful images that parents with multiracial children will particularly appreciate. Also, I love that Afro-Latina artist, Yesenia Moises illustrated the book.
I asked Monique some questions about the book and her background, so you all can get to know her better and find out about her journey going from blog to book.
Lori: Welcome to the Meltingpot, Monique! Can you tell us a little bit about your professional background? Like what do you do when you’re not writing awesome children’s books?
Monique Fields: Sure. I was a newspaper journalist for nearly 20 years. I covered education and higher education throughout my career. It’s funny because I visited more schools as a reporter than I can possibly count. Now I will be visiting untold numbers of them as an author.
I have a day job, so my evenings and weekends are reserved for family and whatever needs to be done. I like to call my daughters “The Executive Assistants.” When it’s all said and done, I work for them. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. There is no pay, but the benefits are priceless.
In my free time, I collect African-American folk art, scour the interwebs for mid-century modern furniture deals, and read tons of books.
L: I know you’ve been blogging about raising biracial children for years on your blog, Honeysmoke. What made you decide to write the book, Honeysmoke?
M: I started writing the blog because I was trying to make sense of how my world had been turned upside down after I had my girls. I was not at all prepared for all of the questions I received about them. Writing about those questions, my interracial marriage, and raising our girls provided an outlet for me. It was a way for me to process all that was happening to us.
Honeysmoke is inspired by a question my then three-year-old daughter posed as I looked at a Black women’s magazine one Sunday afternoon. She pointed to my face and said I was a Black girl. I was so proud. “Yes,” I confirmed, “I am a Black girl.” Then she pointed to her face and said: “Simone is a white girl.” I was floored, and I quickly said, “You’re a Black girl.” Then I started quizzing her about who had been asking her such a question. Then I stopped myself. I didn’t want her to think she had done anything wrong. I knew then what I had said was wrong. I had long abandoned the one-drop rule, but it was the only answer I could come up with on such short notice. My husband, Ken, said she had the best of both worlds or something like that. That was a far better answer than I provided, but it still wasn’t a complete answer.
I can’t pinpoint exactly when I decided to address the matter in a children’s book. I do know that when I decided to write a children’s book that I knew I had a story that no one else could tell. So, Honeysmoke is an answer to the questions that mixed race, and really all, children face at some point.
L: How old are your daughters now and what do they think about the book, especially since they are the ones who inspired the story?
M: My daughters are 13 and 11. Both have read the book and the blog. They love the cover and the story in the book. From time to time, they pepper me with questions about it, wanting to know which parts they inspired and which parts are true.
The story is inspired by Simone, but the book is a work of fiction. Honeysmoke was actually my childhood nickname. At some point, I thought my cousin named me Honeysmoke because my mom was a light-skinned black woman and my father was a dark-skinned black man. Years ago, I asked him if that was the case and he laughed at me. He couldn’t remember why he had given me the name, but my explanation definitely wasn’t the reason.
My girls have been on this journey to publication with me. When I signed the contract, they were by my side. When my editor had questions, I secretly asked them for their opinion. When I received the artwork, I shared it with them. As they look back on their childhood, they probably aren’t going to remember a time when there wasn’t a Honeysmoke.
As for the blog, I stopped updating it a few years ago. My girls were getting older, and I had said a lot of what I wanted and needed to say. My girls love the “Quote, Unquote” feature. I started blogging for me, but the blog has become a love letter of sorts for my girls. I hope it shows them and other children that it’s okay to discuss race.
L: When you started blogging about interracial family life, there weren’t very many options for children’s literature that reflected families like ours. Do you think that has changed much? Do you have any favorite picture books that feature interracial families?
M: There are more books for mixed-race children on the shelves today, but I don’t think there will ever be enough. There are so many mixed experiences to cover, and people of color need to get in the rooms where the acquisition decisions are made. Both will surely take a lot of time to accomplish. As you know, some children’s books now feature mixed-race children and children of color on the covers and as characters on the page. In my humble option, both changes are largely the result of two literary campaigns: #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #OwnVoices. I am grateful for both because I don’t know if I would be a children’s book author without both campaigns bringing attention to the need for diversity in children’s literature.
L: What kind of reception has Honeysmoke gotten so far and what’s been the best thing about having the book published?
It’s early, but I think the book has been well-received. So many people have come up to me at book signings to tell me how much the book is needed. Before the book was released, I told everyone I encountered about it. I was almost always met with a list of friends and family members they thought would enjoy the book. Teachers and counselors have told me they will use the book in their schools to help all children discover their color.
L: Finally, what’s next for you? Do you have any other books in the works? Also, where can people follow your work?
M: Well, I’ve written a few fiction children’s picture book manuscripts that I hope will be published someday, including one that features the name of my older daughter, Nadia, as the main character. If that book doesn’t find its way to shelves, I am going to be in big trouble. So, a publisher needs to buy that book.
For my second children’s picture book, I am going back to my journalism roots. I’ve researched and written a nonfiction children’s book about friendship that I hope to see on shelves soon. Eventually, I want to write middle grade and maybe even YA. In a few years, I hope I can say it all started with Honeysmoke.
I’m having a lot of fun on Twitter. Follow me @honeysmokeblog.
Thank you, Monique and I wish you the best of luck with Honeysmoke and all of your future books!
Bonus: Monique has provided a free copy of Honeysmoke for a lucky Meltingpot community member. Please head over to the My American Meltingpot Instagram page to find out how to win.
