A Conversation with Heather Murphy Capps and her latest, The Rule of Three
Smoke reveals painful family history.
The Rule of Three by Heather Murphy Capps
When the rules no longer apply, how do you keep your head in the game?
Wyatt has a three-part Plan for Life, and it starts now, at the beginning of seventh grade, with tryouts for his local travel baseball team. A biracial kid in a mostly white town, he’s always felt like a bit of an outsider. The baseball field is the only place where he feels like he truly belongs. If he can just make the team, everything else will fall into place: school, friends, even his relationship with his often-distant dad.
But after upsetting incidents at tryouts, something inexplicable happens: wisps of smoke form around Wyatt.
As Wyatt tries to figure out what’s causing this mysterious smoke and how to control it, he discovers it’s connected to a painful family history. The more he learns, the more Wyatt begins to question the rules he’s always followed to fit in. With tensions rising at school and on the field, can he face the injustices of the past while keeping his cool in the present?
Published: August 6, 2024
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Contemporary, Historical fiction, Mental health rep, Magical realism
Themes: Social justice, family, mental health (generational trauma)
Take away:
I hope readers see that in spite of the difficulties my main character, Wyatt, faces, he heals and builds resilience. Wyatt’s story is hard to read -as is his fathers- but there is hope at the end. I also hope the way Wyatt and his father heal together shows positive attitudes about mental health. Finally, I hope readers will enjoy the fun parts—the baseball and the humor between best friends Wyatt and Dallas.
Publication journey:
This is my sophomore novel, and I was lucky enough to get to work on it with the same team at Carolrhoda Books that did my first book, Indigo and Ida. (Amy Fitzgerald edited) i actually wrote a different version of this book years ago— so I was eager to work on it again once it was clear how to improve the earlier version. It was always the story of the MOVE bombing, tied in with epigenetics. It was also always a story of friendship and baseball. But it needed to sit awhile before I could turn the earlier versions into what ultimately became The Rule of Three.
Just for Fun
Random fact:
My first career was in television news: I was a journalist for 15 years before I wrote my first book.
Book recommendation:
It Happened on Saturday by Sydney Dunlap. It’s an important book about friendship and coming of age with an important message about human trafficking.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee
Travel to the future or the past?
Future
Superpower:
Teleportation
Book that made you cry:
Turtles of the Midnight Moon by Maria Jose Fitzgerald
Book that made you happy:
Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans by Isi Hendrix
Childhood favorite:
Anne of Green Gables
Plotter or pantser:
Plotter
Time of day to write:
any
Writing view:
and of course…pets!
The Rule of Three is about baseball, family, friendship, and coming to terms with the past. Our history isn’t always comfortable, but the more we know, the better able we are to move forward and make healthier, more inclusive and socially responsible choices in the future. I hope readers will love Wyatt, Dallas, Dominic, and Yanna as much as I do.
Visit Heather’s website
http://heathermurphycapps.com/
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