Lilliam Rivera is a MacDowell Fellow and an award-winning author of eight previous works of fiction: four young adult novels, three middle-grade books, and a graphic novel for DC Comics. Her books have been awarded a Pura Belpré honor and featured on NPR and in The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and multiple "best of" lists. Her novel Never Look Back is slated for a movie adaptation. A Bronx, New York native, Lilliam Rivera, currently lives in Los Angeles. Tiny Threads is her first book for adults and she recently talked with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for Tiny Threads?
I’ve always been fascinated with the industrial city of Vernon, California. When I first moved out to Los Angeles from New York over 24 years ago, I would travel to Vernon for sample sales, and then eventually, I did a short stint working there. There was something eerie and dangerous about the city that I knew I wanted to eventually write about it.
Are Samara, Dolores, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?
None of the characters are inspired by any one person in particular. They are composites of people I’ve met and of moments I’ve witnessed. But no one I can point to that exists.
Antonio seems like he MUST be based on someone (or several someones). Are you at liberty to name any names (or provide a few hints) as to his inspiration?
Antonio is not based on any specific fashion designers. I’ve met a lot of creative fashion designers and like most artists, they are consumed with perfectionism. I understand Antonio and his fears. He wants to be seen and understood, just like Samara. I also believe that most of the characters in my novels have traits of mine. So I might be a little like Samara and Antonio and Dolores. They are like me and not!
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters or scenes that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
I wish I had spent more time with Antonio and really explored his fears. There’s so much ageism in every industry, so holding on to what made him successful as a young, hungry designer and being surrounded by young people must feel very All About Eve for him. There is also something very touching about how loyal he is to Dolores, his lead seamstress. There are so many stories I would have liked to explore.
Have you ever worked in/around/for the fashion industry? Did you have to do a bit of research before writing Tiny Threads? If so, what was the most interesting thing you discovered?
As I previously mentioned, I did work in Vernon for a fashion brand, so I relied on my memories of that time, but it was great to travel back there. My research also took me to the Autry Museum of the West, where I researched the history of Vernon and early California. They hosted an amazing exhibit, "Dress Codes," about clothes and Western identities. Plus, I purchased a lot of books on the "birth" of California. It was fun to dig into the history.
Do you have any favorite fashion designers?
I have so many favorites, but right now, I’m obsessed with Freson-born designer Willy Chavarria. He has such a beautiful vision and collections that are masculine but still gender-fluid. Everything he designs is sexy and forward. I also love me some Prada and its restrained yet sensual vision of a woman. Then there is Alexander McQueen who cultivated violence in his designs. He was such a strong storyteller.
You also mention the MacDowell Colony in your Acknowledgements. Can you tell us a bit about them and your experiences as a fellow?
MacDowell Colony was a very special residency. I was there in the early winter, and the eerie quietness of the space was perfect to finish Tiny Threads. It was such an honor to be in a place where so many great writers and artists have spent time there. I hope to return one day.
You’ve written works of fiction for both adults and middle graders. You’ve also written a graphic novel. Is there a format that you prefer over the others?
The way I read is the way I write. I don’t have a set preference. I want to be surprised by what I read and so I want the same when I’m writing. I find each of my projects is a challenge I want to try to meet. Tiny Threads is my adult debut but I have written short stories that are adult fare so it wasn’t a big stretch. And I do feel all my books are in conversation with each other. I’m usually writing about strong, ambitious women or girls trying to navigate an unforgiving world.
Is there something you haven’t done yet but are hoping to have the opportunity to try?
I would love to write for television. Last year, I was in a writer’s room for a scripted podcast series Love in Gravity that was nominated for a GLAAD. It was a lot of fun, and I feel writing for television would be an exciting new medium for me to try.
Tiny Threads could make a marvelous film or television series. If it was going to be adapted, who would your dream cast be?
My dream cast! This is a little tough, but I can see Jenna Ortega playing a youngish Samara. I can also see Melissa Barrera playing Samara since she’s so good as a “Scream Queen.” I mention Ricky Martin in the novel so I can see him playing Brandon but I can also see the actor Ismael Cruz Cordova. Both of those actors are so beautiful.
What’s currently on your nightstand?
Currently on my nightstand is The Youngest Doll by Puerto Rican author Rosario Ferré, a collection of dark, short stories. Ferré was so ahead of her time when it came to capturing class and race in Puerto Rico within a speculative tone.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
These authors have all been so important in my life: Esmeralda Santiago, Angie Cruz, Julia de Burgos, Isabel Allende, and Sandra Cisneros.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
My favorite book as a child was the picture book Babar Visits Another Planet. It’s a very typical tourist book about a bunch of privileged elephants visiting another planet and causing chaos. But back then, I just loved how strange and wonderful the alien planet appeared on the pages.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
There was this one course I was taking in college about spirituality in Latino communities, and I had a book about Santeria. My mom, being a strict Catholic, was offended by the book, so I probably should have hidden it.
Is there a book you've faked reading?
I’ve pretended to read Little Women. It’s such a classic novel, and I know most of what happens, but maybe I’ve just seen movie versions of it.
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
I bought the book A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess because of the pop art cover of a faceless man wearing a boulder hat and one mascara eye. I love that cover.
Is there a book that changed your life?
A book that changed my life was the bible. My father would read to me from it when I was a young child, and it was the first stories I remembered. They were all so fantastical (a woman turning into a pillar of salt, a raging flood, a burning bush that talks…) that I’m sure the book has shaped my writing in some way.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
I am forever talking about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I feel everyone should read it since she wrote it at such a young age, it’s dark, and the monster is both beautiful and violent.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
I would have loved to have read again for the first time Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ novel Love in the Time of Cholera. I recommended it to my daughter, and she fell in love, which made me want to re-read it again.
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, TV, more traditional art forms) that you've experienced or that has impacted you?
The last piece of art that moved me was a piece by Puerto Rican artist Pepón Osario titled "100% Boricua." I visited the Walker Museum in Minneapolis and was so surprised to find his work there that I broke out into tears. His work speaks so much about my own upbringing.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
The perfect day would be for me to able to read my book uninterrupted in a beautiful space where there is a pool if it’s hot or an already drawn hot bath. And food served to me. I just want time and space to read, a true luxury!
What is the question that you’re always hoping you’ll be asked but never have been?
I wish people would ask me more craft questions, for example: How do you build tension and fear in the novel?
What is your answer?
My answer is to analyze the authors who do this so well. I slowly break down a chapter or scene, annotating line by line, from my favorite authors like Tananarive Due, Victor LaValle, and Fernanda Melchor. My job is to study the greats, and those are the authors I want to emulate.
What are you working on now?
I’m at the very beginning stages of a new novel, which means I’m reading a lot and doing research. I can’t really talk about the book, but I can say that it will be another dark thriller set in the Bronx, New York, with a middle-aged Latina as my protagonist.
