Why Is this Story so Haunting?
The Adventures of Miss Vulpe, the first book in the Miss Vulpe series, was first published in 2017. That is now almost ten years ago. And yet, readers keep coming back to this story and its indomitable main character, a teenage girl who steals sugar bowls for the fun of it, loves pretending she is older than her sixteen years, and ends up getting in way over her head in a desperate attempt to learn the truth about her mother’s past. If readers are somewhat obsessed with this story, the author, Maria Elena Sandovici, is even more so. Years after the publication of the first book, Sandovici ended up still thinking about the same set of characters, still imagining what they might be up to. Would wayward Ana heal her broken heart? How would she process all the dark family secrets she’d uncovered? Would she pursue a relationship with her formerly estranged sister? Was the sister traumatized by the past too, and how was she dealing with it? Would Ana walk the straight and narrow or revert to her naughty rebellious ways? These were just a few of the questions that came up.
Sandovici ended up writing a second book, a follow up to The Adventures of Miss Vulpe. This book shows some of the fallout from the initial story, but also delves a little deeper into the past, giving readers a more in-depth look at some of the characters and their back stories. For some readers, the second book, Magic Lessons for Margo, is their favorite one in the series. It’s nostalgic and tender and ultimately positive. Two estranged sisters bond on an epic road trip through Louisiana and Southeast Texas and find ways to move past the trauma of their childhood. Some readers might say the series should have ended there. But the best stories tend to write themselves and it’s wise for authors to not pose too much resistance.
Was Book 3 Necessary?
Book 3 in the Miss Vulpe Series, Ana Martinez Has No Shame, is seen as controversial, even upsetting by some readers, yet others love it. The author simply found that she could not keep herself from writing this third novel. It was a story that she kept imagining, something that haunted her. What if years later… The scenario played out in her head, and at first she tried to dismiss it, but no, the idea would not let her be. On a hot Houston evening, three years ago, over drinks and small bites at a beautiful trendy restaurant, she told a friend that she was thinking about reuniting a very controversial couple from The Adventures of Miss Vulpe. “No!” the friend protested, “Absolutely not! That cannot happen, should not happen.” But the author drove home and imagined it happening over and over and over again. And then she sat down, or rather stood at her standing desk, and wrote it all. It felt cathartic. It was a strange time in her life and she found that she needed all manner of support and comfort. This story gave it to her. She poured unto her main character, her favorite character, in fact, all of the things she herself craved, including the luxury of artistic freedom not impeded by any tedious worldly concerns (paying rent is sooo uninspiring and stupid, after all), or by a misguided sense of duty. Some readers didn’t like that. They pointed out that the character in question is spoiled, ill behaved, undeserving. The author was disappointed but not shocked by these reactions. Even in our day and age, the general consensus in society is that women don’t deserve too much, that they are greedy and frivolous and selfish if they try to have it all, if they reach for their wildest dreams, if they allow themselves to put their own needs first. The author thinks we need more books about women society might deem selfish and spoiled. We need books about women who choose happiness over self-sacrifice.
The Author Herself Is a Spoiled Brat
Well, it depends entirely who you ask, but it is true that the author herself has made many choices that have displeased certain relatives and friends who hoped she would be more amenable to putting their needs first and overall being a good sport. The author is not a good sport. She is not a sacrificial lamb, nor is she a beast of burden. She is a show horse who flies first class and spends her time imagining interesting scenarios involving made up people. She is someone prioritizes her own artistic career and her own unrestricted enjoyment of life. Very frivolous indeed!
