Back to Featured Interviews >>

MEET HUGO MARTIN
by Bonnie O'Brian

When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career?

Hugo Martin

I began writing for the school newspaper in college, with the dream of becoming a journalist. A month after graduating from Pomona College in 1987, I was writing for the Los Angeles Times. I’ve been a working journalist ever since. When my daughter was about five years old, I decided to write a children’s book that would teach her about her Latino heritage.

If you didn’t write as a child, then when did you start writing and what inspired you to start?

When I was in college, I joined the school paper to alert fellow students about an assailant who was attacking students on campus. My first article, a description of my encounter with the assailant, forced campus administrators to increase security. The attacks ended.

When was your first book published?

My book, PABLO’S CHRISTMAS, was published in 2006. It is my first book. I am working on several other books for children.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

PABLO’S CHRISTMAS was rejected at least three times. It took three years from the time I wrote the story until it was published.

What are the topics are some of your books?

I like to write about my Latino heritage because many Latino children don’t have children’s books that speak to their background.

Where do you get your ideas?

I get my ideas from friends and family whose daily challenges show the courage and faith exhibited by otherwise ordinary people.

Have any of your books earned special recognition?

PABLO’S CHRISTMAS received several positive reviews by Kirkus Reviews and Parent’s Choice Foundation. See my website www.pabloschristmas.com for details.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

Children should feel they can write great stories from any background. My book, PABLO’S CHRISTMAS, was inspired by my father’s journey to the US back in the 1960s. When he came to this country, he left my mother and my older brothers and sisters behind in Mexico, promising them he would return in time for Christmas.

What other jobs you had before you became a writer/illustrator?

I am currently a feature writer with the Los Angeles Times. I write primarily for the Travel section, focusing on outdoor recreation stories.