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On Collaboration and Storytelling: A Guest Post by Oz Rodriguez and Claribel A. Ortega

By Claribel A. Ortega, Oz Rodrigiez / March 28, 2025 at 1:41 am

A tech-savvy young girl, a robot from space and a robotics competition that could change everything — this book has it all. Read on for an exclusive essay from authors Oz Rodriguez and Claribel A. Ortega on writing The Girl and the Robot.

Hardcover $17.99

The Girl and the Robot

By Oz Rodriguez , Claribel A. Ortega

In Stock Online

Hardcover $17.99

E.T. meets cult classic The Iron Giant in this middle grade light sci-fi from Emmy Award-winner Oz Rodriguez and New York Times best-selling author Claribel A. Ortega, perfect for fans of Witchlings.

Oz: Working with Claribel felt natural from the start. We both come from Dominican backgrounds, and there’s something really special about creating a story together that reflects pieces of our culture, our humor, and our way of seeing the world. Claribel has such a strong voice and instinct for storytelling, and bouncing ideas back and forth was very fun. We could pull from our experiences and shape something that felt authentic while also being an exciting, action-packed adventure.

I’ve always been drawn to stories about identity, especially ones where characters are figuring out who they are in the face of big challenges. As Dominicans, we grow up with so many rich stories, and larger-than-life personalities, but we don’t always get to see that reflected in sci-fi and adventure narratives. It felt like the kind of story I would’ve loved to read growing up, and that’s what made it so exciting to write.

Claribel: Despite only meeting in person for the first time this year, collaborating felt completely natural and seamless. Our writing styles and creative visions blended effortlessly, which was a lucky break! I am a big fan of Oz’s work, and I think we have a similar approach to storytelling, especially when it comes to writing for kids, so I was beyond excited to work with him.

Logistically, we did most of our writing in Google Docs, leaving comments and making additions to each other’s drafts. Every few weeks, we would check in on a call to go over everything. Since we are on opposite coasts and Oz was often busy on set directing, we had plenty of FaceTime calls where we brainstormed scenes and chapters together. It was a highly collaborative process, with both of us bringing different strengths to the table. We spent a lot of time refining the emotional core of the story, ensuring that both the adventure and heart of The Girl and the Robot came through in every scene. The entire process was fun, invigorating, and deeply rewarding. It was incredible to see this story come to life.