Gina Soldano is a professional ghostwriter, author, and grant writer. She’s active in the kidlit world as a Connect Co-leader for Rocky Mountain SCBWI. Her picture book, Nia’s Rescue Box (illustrated by Abi Eaton), is a story about a child’s first experience with a food rescue. You can listen to recent interviews with authors and illustrators on her podcast “Getting to the Heart of Why We Write” on your favorite podcast platform. You can learn more about at her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
1. Do you ever struggle to come up with your next project? Or do you have lots of ideas and find it a challenge to narrow down your ideas?
Narrowing down ideas is the challenge of my life! I always have a lot of ideas, part of my superpowers as a neurspicy person. But, it also means sometimes my mind thinks of ideas faster than I can get them down, or too many and I don't know where to start. Right now, I have over half a dozen picture books, one middle grade, two memoirs, and other small projects in various stages of revision. That's not to mention the polished ones I'm in the process of subbing to agents and publishers and the absurd amount of words in my "Ideas" document. It's very official--a Google doc filled with various lines of prose, title/character ideas, and random phrases that I thought of which may one day be important.
Deciding which one to go with next and seeing it to completion is the hardest part. One of my favorite authors is also a podcaster/coach, Rachael Herron, she always emphasizes there is no "right" project to do next. Just the one that you pick. So pick one.
2. What do you feel you’ve gained from being a part of the children’s writing community?
Friendship, a sense of self, and curiosity. One of my favorite things about kidlit people is that anytime I go to an event and walk in the room, I can enter into a conversation unplanned and four hours pass before I even realize it. They are so welcoming and curious--some of the only people down to talk about squids, dragons, etymology, and other random subjects for absurd amounts of time.
Kidlit gave me permission to follow my curiosity, because how can we write without anything to draw from? Fueling our curiosity and finding out what lights us up to learn about--that's the joy I try to follow in my writing.
3. To what extent is your writing inspired by your own experience?
A. LOT. While many of my stories are in fantasy worlds, there's always an element drawn from my own experience. I'm sure you're familiar with the famous words, "write what you know." It appears those are words from Mark Twain. I think sometimes they get skewed, though.
While I don't always experience everything that happens in my stories--unless you're a memoir writer--there's always an element from my experience. It might be a sense of place, a feeling, or sometimes it is a bit more specific like the food rescue in Nia's Rescue Box which is based on the one where I was a service participant for a year and a half.
For me, writing what I know has worked, but I don't let it stop me from writing about unicorns, goblins, magical words, robots, and all manner of fantastical elements in my manuscripts.
4. Where did you get the idea for this book? What was your inspiration?
Vindeket Foods in Fort Collins, CO. I cannot plug this nonprofit enough. I was a lot like Nia the first time I went to the rescue, in fact my box was practically completely empty by the end. And I was shocked when I realized I didn't have to pay for any of it. That I was part of a solution. That I was worthy of a meal even if I couldn't afford one.
When I first got involved with Vindeket as a service participant, I was in a much different financial situation than at the end. I loved learning about food storage, the food system, the rockstar corporations, stores, and restaurants that donated their excess to Vindeket keeping the shelves stocked and the fridges full. Every Tuesday night I was ready to get elbow deep in produce fresh, borderline, and past its prime. The things I learned about sweet potatoes and bananas at that place...mind blowing!
Then my financial situation changed and I came to rely on them for a large portion of my groceries. I experienced that rescue as a way to minimize waste, a fun community to be a part of, and a real solution to my empty cupboard. I thought about the book for around a year before I wrote anything down. Once I did, within a year I'd written, gotten illustrated, and published Nia's Rescue Box. If you or anyone you know is hungry, food insecure, or looking to minimize food waste, check out Vindeket or foodrescue.us for a rescue near you.
5. If you could tell readers one secret about this book, what would it be?
While hibiscus yogurt never actually appeared at the food rescue while I was there, we did once have an entire fridge filled with hibiscus milk. I never tried it but I always wondered...
6. If you read this book to a room filled with kids, what message would you want them to leave with?
Everyone experiences hunger. It comes to many of us in different ways and a lot of us are privileged to be able to alleviate it immediately. However, if we're fortunate enough to live a long life, odds are there will be times that we can't always afford to sate our hunger right away.
My hope for this book is that children and all readers take away some of the stigma hunger carries. According to Feeding America, 47.4 million Americans were food insecure in 2023. That means they don't have access to enough food for their hunger or healthy food. Meanwhile the U.S. recent estimates by the USDA have the amount of food wasted between 30-40%. That means 30-40% of all food in the United States goes into a landfill while millions of people go hungry each day.
Food rescues are one of the answers to this problem. They're a two-pronged approach to a big problem. Empowering those who shop there to have a dignified shopping experience without financial barriers, they keep food out of landfills. My big dreamy dream is to inspire the next generation of food rescuers.