Edna Cabcabin Moran
Artsy, 11 year-old military kid, Edna, wants life to be "normal" like the TV families on her favorite programs. But her BFF moves away, her mom's moodswings increase by the day, and she's out of sorts at her new jr. high school. Being the ignored middle kid is nothing new but Edna's never felt this lost before, especially when bad news hits home. She starts running with the kids on the fringe--the ones who don't seem to care. But when a prank goes ablaze, Edna realizes it's up to her to keep from burning up her own future.
INBETWEEN is a middle-grade, slice-of-life graphic novel about coping with a parent's mental illness and family chaos, getting lost in tweenhood struggles, and finding a way back to oneself through love of art and family.
BIPOC, Memoir, Own Voices, Realistic Fiction/Slice of Life
I initially wanted to tell this story in prose. At one point, it was about a "fictional" girl named Elsa. But having written memoir and personal essays for years (just for fun), the process of excavating my past and writing in 1st person felt natural. In 2020, my 11-year old self showed up. She nudged me to write this as a comic. I resisted. It's supposed to be prose, I argued. She persisted, suggesting I take a longform comic writing class. I grew curious and did it. The floodgates opened: I recalled my huge comic collection. I remembered how comics influenced my drawings. My love for comics was reignited. So, my Inner Kid and I are a team. Entrusting the stylus and keyboard to her is both rewarding and terrifying. Most of all, it's a joy.
Edna Cabcabin Moran, a daydreamer and forever artsy kid, is an author/illustrator, poet, STEAM/integrative arts educator and advocate for youth voices and diversity in publishing. She has served on We Need Diverse Books and the SF Bay Area's Project Youthview: The Power of Youth in Film. A storyteller at heart, Edna dances with acclaimed hālau hula and dance company, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu. Her latest picture book, HONU AND MOA, received a 2019 Aesop Accolade from the American Folklore Society.