Natalia Sylvester

Natalia Sylvester's young adult novel BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN will have everyone reimagining a life where all we did was swim our hearts away in the cool spring Florida waters. This beautiful story opens us to the world of Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen who loves the water so much that she longs to become a mermaid at an aquatic theme park. She has two things standing in her way, her overprotective father and her diagnosis of hip dysplasia.

Natalia reveals her journey as a writer who wanted to see characters reflected between pages that mirrored her life as a person with a disability and desires to live beyond the expectations of others. She also talks with us about young people finding power in speaking up and advocating for themselves in a world that feels they would never know what would be best for them.