Skeletina and The In-Between World by Susie Jaramillo is a story about overcoming fears and finding comfort in moments of sadness. It takes place in the in-between world, where monsters, creatures and ghosts are friendly and the dead and living can come together.
Skeletina is a little girl who lives in the in-between world and loves to visit her friends, whom are filled with wise words and are lots of fun. Her favorite friends are the children who visit the in-between world; who she is able to help confront their fears and find the peace that they need, when they miss a loved one that has passed.
Throughout the pages of this book, both kids and adults will find powerful words surrounded by beautiful illustrations. The story is a reminder that anything is possible, when we believe in ourselves.
I had the opportunity to ask Susi Jaramillo a few questions about Skeletina and The In-Between World. She spoke about her childhood and the inspiration for the story, her creative influences and about future projects.
Tiffany Gonzalez (TG): What inspired you to write Skeletina and The In-Between World?
Susie Jaramillo (SJ): As a child, I suffered from intense nightmares until one night, I figured out that if you manage to let go as you dream and not fight the nightmares, they dissipate. Now, I’m a mom and my daughter also suffers from intense nightmares. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if there were a little girl, who lived in the in-between world, who could help kids like my daughter deal with their nightmares? And, I imagined this little girl to be like my alter-ego: Funny, friendly, irreverent, and knowledgeable about all things in the in-between world!
TG: I loved how each character in the story held a message to push through fears, uncertainty and worries. Señor Tic Toc and his message of possibility resonated with me the most, which is your favorite character or message from the story?
SJ: My favorite character would have to be Spider Grandma. Both of my grandmothers did so much with their hands. They were constantly making, crafting, cooking, and crocheting. It’s a big part of the culture. In general, Latin culture is very crafty, we love to make things - and we like our little espresso cups too!
TG: Could you talk a bit about culture and how it is represented in this story? I see a lot of elements of El Día De Los Muertos, which derives from Mexico and their homage to deceased loved ones.
SJ: I love to draw and I’ve had this world in my head for a long time. Skeletina has Calavera markings on her face because it’s a shorthand way to show that she’s from the in-between world. She’s not like the kids that visit her in their dreams. She’s from another time completely which makes it more magical. I’m a huge admirer of the work of Jose Posada and I wanted to marry his sensibility with that of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey - both artists I loved growing up. There’s also quite a bit of MC Escher to Skeletina’s world as space and time function in a completely different way. It’s a vibrant place with lots of nostalgic details and hopefully the humor and the energy of the place comes through.
TG: The lessons in the story very much apply to adults as well, was that something you intended to do?
SJ: Yes! Most of us don’t realize that we are having the same nightmares, and these all come from similar experiences. With the Skeletina books, I’ve distilled a given nightmare into the work of a particular monster who can be easily diffused, once you get the hang of what it responds to. The trick is to remember that NOTHING can hurt you in the in-between world. You are truly in control of everything, and once you crack that - amazing things can happen. This definitely applies to both kids and adults alike.
TG: Do you have advice for parents with children who have nightmares frequently?
SJ: My best advice is to talk to your children about their dreams and see if you can get at what’s bothering them. If they can identify this and talk about it, chances are the bad dreams will go away. Empathize with them, and make sure they know you believe them. See if you can come up together with the way the dream should end. That will help children go back to sleep with confidence.
TG: Can we expect to see more of Skeletina and The In-Between World? Any other projects on the horizon that we can expect?
SJ: Skeletina will continue to help kids, one nightmare at a time! With our next book, we will take a deep dive into a dream that is super common, find out who’s behind it, and how we diffuse it. It’s one of the most common and strange dreams that we all have… and it’s all because of a greedy tooth fairy!
Susie Jaramillo is an artist, a storyteller, an entrepreneur and a mom. An eternal student of cultures from around the world, she was born in Venezuela and raised between Caracas and Florida. At the age of 17, she moved to New York to study art at Pratt Institute where she honed her crafts in painting and printmaking, and she now resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. As a kid, she had nightmares frequently until she discovered that she was in control of her dreams. She created Skeletina to empower children like her to take control of their fears and be brave.
Tiffany Gonzalez is the Marketing Manager at Astra House and the Communications Co-Director for Latinx In Publishing. She previously worked in Production at HarperCollins Publishers. She has worked on the Publicity and Marketing campaign for Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva and on the Marketing campaigns for Becoming Abolitionists by Derecka Purnell, The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekiyamah and The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela. She has earned her Bachelors and Master's degrees from Rutgers University - NB. She is Dominican-American and fluid in Spanish. She is a Publisher’s Weekly 2022 Star Watch Honoree. You can follow her on Instagram @wandering_tiff_ or visit her website at wanderingtiff.com
