Meet Hiroshi Sosa-Nakata | Teen Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hiroshi Sosa-Nakata and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hiroshi, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
Happiness comes in many forms and is different for every individual. I find happiness in time spent with family. In fact, next month after school finishes, I hop on a plane to spend the entire summer in Japan with my grandparents. This isn’t the first time I’ve spent summer abroad as my parents have ensured my perspective is a global one, influenced by different cultures, values, and lived experiences. I think that’s what makes my writing so unique and my characters come to life. They each represent different cultural identities and they each find happiness in their own way as well.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Hi. I’m Hiroshi Sosa-Nakata, young author and owner of Sosa-Nakata Publishing. I started writing in elementary school and published my first book at age eleven. My series, I Saved the World and I’m Only in 4th Grade!, currently has four published books and I plan to write ten books in total. You can easily find my series on Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Rakuten Kobo. That’s not bad for a kid author.

The beauty of my story though, and literally my stories, is that anyone can follow their dreams, share their passion and creativity with the world, and build a global audience. I’m honored to share my journey and help inspire creativity in others through this process. For me, that means routinely speaking to young audiences at educational events, conferences, and local universities. My presentation, How to Save the World, a Kid’s Guide to Conquering the Galaxy, speaks to creativity, culture, and dreaming big. It makes a world of difference seeing and hearing from someone like them, another kid, who also had the courage to dream big. My mission is to spark creativity in young minds all across Texas!

Believe me, I didn’t always have the confidence I do today. If you were to tell me in second grade that my drawings and short stories would turn into an epic, out-of-this-world book series, I’m not sure I would have believed you. I remember when I first moved to Texas and felt incredibly isolated. I didn’t have any friends and I spent lunch breaks dreaming up stories in my head. These short stories, usually a page or two, would eventually turn into my first manuscript. That process, for the first book in my series, took me three years to formulate into a rich story with diverse characters, all working together to save the world.

My books all focus on themes of friendship and diversity, something incredibly important to me. Moving to Texas at a young age I quickly observed that everyone is proud to be Texan. That made me thoroughly consider what I was most proud of, which was my cultural background. I speak three languages and I’ve spent multiple summers abroad with my grandparents in Japan and Mexico. These experiences have helped shape the way I see the world and created an individual who celebrates culture every change I get. My stories include multicultural characters who work together to, well…save the world. I want kids who read my book series to be proud of everything that makes them unique and read about characters that empower each other.

I’m a huge fan of reading, but was not able to find many series actually written by kids, for kids. Most books I found were written by adults and I thought there was an opportunity to create stories I would love to read. As it turns out, kids easily relate to multicultural characters and I’m extremely proud to contribute to this field, ultimately inspiring others to embrace their creativity as well.

When I speak to others about entrepreneurship, storytelling, or publishing, they seem amazed that I’ve fully committed to this journey and that I don’t intend to stop until I reach my goal of ten books in the series. I just want other kids like me to dream big and embrace what they are most passionate about. I believe anything is possible with hard work, determination, and a support system to encourage you along the way. If I, a kid author, can start my own company and publish a global book series, then truly anyone can follow their dreams. Who knows where your dreams might take you!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s tons of places I would take my best friend to, if visiting from out of town. The first thing visitors usually ask about is Whataburger since they’ve heard about it on social media. I’d make sure they try both the regular and spicy ketchup, of course. Next, we’d visit one of the three Retro Madness stores around DFW. They’re awesome and filled with all types of collectibles a teenager would be interested in. I’ve probably added about fifty Transformers to my collection thanks to the awesome staff at Retro Madness. Third, we’d spend a few hours at Free Play, which has over 100 classic arcade hits. You pay one price for admission and then play all day long! Fourth, we’d definitely have to hit up Hawaiian Falls since I have a season pass that includes free guest tickets. Fifth, we’d definitely have to visit the stockyards in Fort Worth and take a photo with a longhorn. Every tourist loves that. Lastly, we’d top off the week by stopping at Zero Degree for a mangonada or Kung Fu Tea for an Oreo Slush! They’re the absolute best!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m lucky to have parents who celebrate the many ways that I’m unique. My mother is Japanese and my father is Mexican. Being immigrants to this country, they have struggled in their own ways and have worked hard to ensure I’m proud of all aspects of my culture. They continue to teach me to value and appreciate those around me, regardless of where people come from, what language they speak, or the color of their skin. The result is that they have created someone who is confident, proud, and capable of accomplishing anything I put my mind to. For example, wanting to write a book series about diverse characters confronting any obstacle by working together. This is the same lesson they have taught me in my own life and I am forever grateful to them both.

Website: https://sosanakatapublishing.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sosanakatafamily

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroshi-sosa-nakata

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sosanakatafam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SosaNakataPublishing

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sosanakatafamily