Cynthia Leitich Smith’s latest novel, On a Wing and a Tear, goes on sale September 17. Here, Cynthia and her editor, Rosemary Brosnan, talk about the novel and the imprint they co-founded, Heartdrum.

RB: Cynthia, please tell our readers about your new middle grade novel, On a Wing and a Tear. Briefly, what is it about, and what inspired you to write it?

CLS: Two Native kids—Melanie and Ray—respond to a call for help from Great-Grandfather Bat, who’s been nursing a torn wing in their backyard. While Bat finishes healing, he needs a ride to the big ballgame between the Animals and Birds at the traditional playing field in Georgia.

Joined by their spunky neighbor Gray Squirrel, they enlist Grampa Halfmoon and his pickup for the long road trip. Along the way, our heroes encounter villainy, adventure, Indigenous land and relations, plus a mysterious creature that proves itself not only hair-raising but heroic.

More personally, I’m a Muscogee Nation citizen and Cherokee Nation descendant. Readers have often asked me if I’ll ever write a Trail of Tears novel. There’s a need for such important narratives, but I’m not a historical fiction author. Of late, it occurred to me that rather than writing a story about removal, I could tell a humorous, healing one about kids of today coming home to ancestral land.

RB: Where did you get the idea for the title? Was this always the title of the book?

CLS: It sprang from my subconscious, nudged by the story’s inciting incident, and was On a Wing and a Prayer for a while, but Tear worked better—as it could reference both the tear in Bat’s wing, the Trail of Tears. I’ve been asked about which is the correct pronunciation, and my answer is yes to both.

RB: Moving on to Heartdrum, I think we both feel so gratified by the imprint’s success and the way readers, booksellers, educators, and, most important, the Native community, have embraced it. I’m proud of our authors and illustrators and the books we have published. To what do you attribute the great success of Heartdrum?

CLS: I’m likewise honored and grateful for the support from readers and reading champions as well as by the trust and enthusiasm of Native writers, illustrators, and community members for our authentic, page-turning stories.

Whether they’re realistic or fantastical, I love how our books center relatable, young Native heroes who everybody wants to cheer. From the delightfully humorous Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series to the eerie YA thriller The Unfinished, these are titles with huge appeal.

CLS: What do you think is Heartdrum’s special sauce, so to speak?

RB: I think the special sauce is you! Seriously, I feel so blessed to work with you on the imprint. I have learned so much from you, and it’s been such fun to collaborate on honing our vision for Heartdrum.

The books are authentic and joyous, even if they sometimes deal with difficult topics. And they are contemporary, rather than focusing on the past, as so many books about Indigenous kids used to. And, of course, there is a huge wealth of talent out there, with authors and illustrators who are just getting started on their important, groundbreaking work!

RB: What has been your most significant or happiest moment with the imprint?

CLS: It’s so hard to pick just one! Honestly, I cried while watching a video of Byron Graves at a Rez Ball event in his tribal community. Remember how we first met him online through the annual We Need Diverse Books Native Writing Intensive that Harper sponsors? It was our first year of the intensive and during the pandemic. His successful literary journey feels symbolic of what we set out to do.

CLS: How about you? What’s been your most significant or happiest moment?

RB: There have been so many, but I would have to say the retreat this past June, where we had almost all the Heartdrum authors together in Texas, was one of the best and most rewarding moments of my career.

Heartdrum Author Retreat

RB: Have you had any surprises as the author-curator? Have any of your prior opinions or impressions of book publishing changed?

I try to be a sturdy bridge between the Native children’s-YA literary community and the industry, both as Heartdrum author-curator and as a writing teacher more broadly. I’ve always had faith that there were goodhearted people in the industry who were also striving for proactive, positive change—maybe because you were such a tremendous early example. For authors, publishers can seem like a monolith, but our imprint efforts are supported by devoted, enthusiastic professionals. The results have blown away my most optimistic expectations.

Brosnan: What are you looking forward to in the future with Heartdrum? And with your own career?

I’m enjoying watching Heartdrum authors like Christine Day and Brian Young, who’ve been with us since the beginning, building their audience while continuing to stretch themselves creatively. I’m thrilled by the excellence of Heartdrum authors and illustrators and their books. If anything, I look forward to a day when the books are in every classroom, school and public library, and bookstore. I look forward to a time when Native kids can take for granted that representative characters who reflect that aspect of their identities are both celebrated and more commonplace in the world of books.

As for me, I love writing across age markets, genres, and formats. Currently, I’m leaning into picture books and young adult fiction, both categories for readers who are navigating huge transformations. I’m thinking joyful, celebratory picture books and chunky, thoughtful, but escapist YA novels. I also love the intertribal creative community and our wider circle of young readers, advocates, and allies. We’ve already accomplished so much progress together. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.