Interview with ... Darlene P. Campos
- robynnmariehyde
- Sep 25
- 7 min read
I had the pleasure of interviewing Darlene P. Campos and hearing her story about her new MG book The Center of the Earth (published Sept 9, 2025 by Blue Handle Publishing) and also the many ups and downs she experienced getting this book out in the world. And boy, were there many ups and downs including some of writers' worst nightmares. Her perseverance is such an inspiration!
Darlene has generously offered a free, signed copy of her book as a give-away!
This is a fantastic opportunity to get your hands on this amazing novel! To enter, either comment on this blog post or like/follow/share on social media - make sure to tag myself and Darlene! This giveaway is only open to US addresses and the drawing will occur at 1:00pm BST on Thursday, October 2nd.
Q: When did you realise you wanted to be a writer?
A: I’ve been fascinated by books ever since I was a kid. I remember being amazed
by the authors who visited my elementary and middle schools and once I figured
out writing could be a career, my heart was set on it. I wrote a poem and a short
story for the first time when I was ten and then I wrote a novel when I was
fourteen. By the time I was seventeen, I had written four novels. My poem was
published in the 2002 edition of A Celebration of Young Poets, but the novels I
wrote as a teen were never published because I never sent them out for
consideration. Nevertheless, these novels served as practice for my current
works. Even though I do have a day job, I have been writing regularly for over 20 years, and I cannot imagine myself doing anything else.
Q: What is your latest book about?
A: My new book, a historical MG titled The Center of the Earth, is based on the
true accounts of Jewish refugees who found safety in Ecuador during the
Holocaust. I interviewed eight of these refugees and merged their accounts into a book. The story is a dual point-of-view told from the perspectives of Dahlia
Avilés, the daughter of an Ecuadorian diplomat, and Werner Rubenstein, a
German-Jewish boy. Dahlia’s father is stationed in Berlin, and she meets Werner
soon after moving. They quickly become best friends and, eventually, Dahlia
convinces her father to get Werner out of Germany before it’s too late.
Q: The Center of the Earth is such a powerful story - how did it come to you
and how long did it take to write?
A: I always wanted to write a book about Ecuador but for years, I just couldn't pinpoint a topic. Then one day in 2018, my uncle Alejandro sent me a link to a documentary called An Unknown Country, produced by Eva Zelig, who kindly assisted me with resources for my research. The documentary covered the history of Jewish refugees escaping to Ecuador during the Holocaust and featured interviews, photos, and footage. I was absolutely amazed by this little-known history that I knew this was going to be my next book. I wrote the first draft of The Center of the Earth in 28 days. I usually don't write that quickly, but in this case, I was so inspired, I couldn't stop writing. I even wrote parts of the first draft on my phone!
Darlene with three of the Jewish Refugees she interviewed: Eva Rosenthal Balcazar (left), Eva Fisch Desrosiers (middle), Peter Philipps (right)
Q: Tell me about how you first got published.
A: As I mentioned earlier, my very first publication was a poem, which I wrote
about my pet bunny. I was 10 or 11 when the poem was published and I was
super proud of myself! My first book, a YA titled Behind Mount Rushmore, came
out in 2017, when I was 25. The road to getting that book published was
challenging. What I did was I wrote each chapter as a standalone story and then
one by one, had the stories published in various journals/magazines. One of the
chapters won an award for Best Short Story at the University of Houston and then the final chapter won the Sylvan N. Karchmer Fiction Prize, also given by
the University of Houston.
Despite these accolades, I received over 100 rejections for Behind Mount
Rushmore. I finally signed with an indie house called Vital Narrative Press (VN) in late
2016 and they published my other two novels, Summer Camp is Cancelled and
Heaven Isn’t Me. Then COVID happened and VN shut down, so my books were
unpublished, and I had to find a new publishing house. Thankfully, after over
150 rejections for The Center of the Earth, I signed with Blue Handle Publishing,
and they also re-published my previous books. So, in total, it took over 250
rejections to get to this point!
Q: What is the biggest bump or hurdle you’ve encountered so far in your writing career?
A: Back in the spring, I was suddenly dropped by my literary agent. It wasn’t
something I saw coming and it was extremely difficult to get through the shock
and the pain. Additionally, with The Center of the Earth’s release being only six
months away when this happened, I was very lost on how to move forward. I
didn’t understand how I was dropped with a new book only months away from
coming out. As a result, I spent the first month barely functioning and
considered retiring from writing completely. Being a writer means walking
around with a cloud of imposter syndrome over your head and I thought, this is
it, I was never actually good at writing.
Then a friend of mine, who is also a writer, suggested I put all my energy into my
upcoming release. She told me to start telling everyone I meet that I’m a writer,
which I never did before because I didn’t want to seem arrogant or too proud of
my accomplishments. She also told me to spread the word about the research I
did for the book and to talk about the people I interviewed. I’m an introvert and
it is very hard for me to chit-chat with people I don’t know, but I did it anyway.
Soon, I was on podcasts, completed author interviews (like this one!), and got
booked for various author events. My website’s visitor count increased by 700
percent. So, even though I felt totally broken earlier this year, I am also grateful
because the situation shoved me out of my comfort zone and provided me with
new opportunities I likely would not have encountered. The situation taught me
that I am capable of being my own advocate. I’d like to sign with another agent
eventually, but for now, I’m so proud of everything I accomplished on my own.
Q: You have navigated so many "worst-case scenarios" for many authors - having a publisher shut with their books unpublished AND losing your agent - and yet you have come through it all with an amazing launch for your book! Congratulations! Do you have any advice you can offer to anyone who has to navigate these situations (did you use a legal/contract service, writing community, etc.)?
A: To be honest, I'm still shocked I managed to push through those situations! I think anyone else would have given up and I wouldn't blame them. In my case, I am so fortunate to have a circle of close writer friends who are very supportive. Writing itself can be a lonely career. It's usually done in a quiet room, away from the world. However, outside support is crucial to keep the writer going. As I mentioned earlier, a writer friend (Romy Natalia Goldberg, please buy her books!), encouraged to put all my energy into my new release. Though it was tough to push forward at first, I'm glad I listened to her and in the end, everything got much better. Check on your writer friends and make sure they know you support them!
Q: What surprised you most about your latest launch?
A: I was amazed that I made it! After years of trying to find a new publishing house
and piles of rejections, plus the agent situation, I am truly astounded by how
much I endured. This launch is the most successful one I’ve ever had in my
writing career. I can’t believe The Center of the Earth is finally a real book.
Q: What is your advice for new/aspiring writers?
A: Three words! Never give up. Rejections will break, crush, and smash your soul to
bits and it’s perfectly fine to sit with your pain for a while. However, it is so
important to get back up and keep moving forward. It’s like the quote from the
Rocky Balboa movie: “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you
can get hit and keep moving forward.”
Q: What are you up to next?
A: I’m split on what to work on next. I have a draft of another historical fiction
based on the life of a cousin of one of the refugees I interviewed for The Center of
the Earth. Unfortunately, this cousin did not survive the Holocaust, but in my
story, he does. I haven’t touched the manuscript in months due to personal
reasons. I also have a more modern historical fiction idea in my head that takes place in a small town in Texas. Maybe I should work on both!
Favourite craft/writing book?
Ron Carlson Writes a Story!
Favourite resource for writers?
Favourite part of the writing process?
Publication Day!
Least favourite part of the writing process?
The rejections, but they’re a stepping stone to success.
Last book you read?
Convict Cowboys by Mitchel Roth
Darlene P. Campos earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of
Texas at El Paso. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, exercising, and going
to museums. She is Ecuadorian-American and lives in Houston, TX with her husband and their eight rescue cats.
Great interview!!
Great interview! Lots of personal insights and found courage to keep writing! Very inspirational for young ( and old!) writers.
Also an amazing story...when told in both voices, it really makes for a real connection for the 2 main characters. Historically accurate, the plot line presents a terrible period of history at a very human level.
Fabulous interview, Robynn! Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Darlene!
What a fascinating story, Darlene! Thank you for sharing your journey to publication and tips for persevering along the way. I look forward to reading The Center of the Earth. Thanks, Robynn, for helping us meet another wonderful author!