Family is not always blood
with Vanessa Montalban author of 'A Tall Dark Trouble'
#NuevasPáginas is a space that aims to amplify and spotlight Hispanic/Latine/x authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to their next favorite Hispanic/Latine/x authored book through a mini casual get-to-know-the-book-and-author interview. So please help me connect to more readers. So that together we can continue to build the love/support of Latine literature!
Hey Book Franz!
Can you believe summer is almost over? 😫 The good thing is we still have cozy fall reading to look forward to!
I know I missed coming into your inbox last week. The first week of August was packed with so many great things. In case you missed it - DCPL and I launched the brand new #LaComunidadReads initiative with Alejandra Oliva (author of Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration). We chatted about the importance of translation, storytelling and so much more.
It was such a great time and we get to do it all again on September 9th at 3 PM ET (SAVE THE DATE & register here to join us) with a debut author I have fallen in love with! You can attend the event in person or virtually!
More importantly, you can read with us by pre-ordering John Manuel Arias's upcoming debut novel Where There Was Fire (available in all bookstores NEXT TUESDAY -August 29th).
I hope you’ll consider joining us in reading this vibrant and captivating book that centers on a family torn apart by a massive fire and a cover-up. It’s got the vibes of classic Latine literature with breathtaking sentences and bits of magical realism that will keep you reading until the very last page.
In case it isn’t clear #LupitasBookClub aka the LBC has (for now) merged with #LaComunidadReads, so you can expect some bonus online discussion spaces via this newsletter!
I hope to see you at the Biblioteca soon <3
-Lupita
Without further ado, our special guest author for today’s Nuevas Pagina issue is……Vanessa Montalban author of ‘A Tall Dark Trouble’!
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
The photo is very special to the world of A Tall Dark Trouble. You’ll see me standing in front of the welcome sign to Cauley Square—a historic gem located in South Miami, Florida. It’s a little pocket village filled with eclectic shops in the shape of cottages. You’ll find everything from psychics and salt caves to art galleries, thrift stores, restaurants, and a charming bookstore. I’ve been visiting Cauley Square since I was a teen and it never fails to feel like a secret, magical place, separated from the hustle and bustle of Miami. I knew I wanted it to play a special role in my story, so the main characters, twins Delfi and Ofelia, live there with their mother. It’s the place they call home even when spirits and murderous brujos threaten their peace.
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book
I really wanted to write a diaspora story of growing up with multiple cultures but in a way that it wasn’t solely about that. I wanted a story with magic, adventure, mystery, while also having it feel relatable to me in the way I grew up. I wanted a story about Santeria where it wasn’t used as the villain’s marker. I guess that’s the gap I wanted to fill, because up until the point when I started writing A Tall Dark Trouble and became more entrenched into the writing community, I hadn’t found enough stories that reflected my culture in a way that felt comforting and fun. Since then, I’ve been introduced to so many more stories that would’ve satisfied that empty spot in my reading roster. Books from authors like Nina Moreno, Daniel José Older, and Racquel Marie. Stories about protagonists straddling cultures but also being teens dealing with real life or magic.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
The complicated family theme is one that always shows up in my writing, and A Tall Dark Trouble is no different. I connect with the idea that family is not always blood. That some family members don’t always have your best interest, and that being blood-related doesn’t always mean you have to live the way they do. Family can be such an important support system, but ultimately you have to forge your own path and determine who is worthy of being in your journey. Another theme I really enjoy exploring is good versus evil. The characters in my story are afflicted with a generational love curse and a magic that shows up in the form of inky shadows and murderous visions, so to my characters, magic is wrong, yet it’s an inherent part of who they are. I really enjoy moments in movies and books that have me questioning what constitutes as good or bad. Examining the duality in things and understanding that sometimes decisions don’t lend themselves to black and white thinking.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
In the beachside Victorian house in Practical Magic!! Love this question. The spooky and cozy residence of the Owens sisters and their aunts is my ideal home. I can practically smell the dried flowers, the hardwood floors, the salty breeze from the open windows.
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Celia Cruz! I was actually watching the Celia Cruz telenovela while I wrote some of the scenes that take place in Cuba. I took a lot of inspiration from this one scene where Celia first meets her husband, Pedro Knight, in a dance hall. It was incredibly romantic and atmospheric.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
Arroz con frijoles, Cuban espresso, or guava and cheese pastelitos. All of which are mentioned in great detail in A Tall Dark Trouble because food is such an important aspect of cultural writing, and I’m perpetually hungry!
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
The sad thing is I didn’t read my first Latine book until my twenties. For the longest time I couldn’t picture myself as an author because I didn’t see myself represented in literature, especially not in young adult. The only times I saw Latine characters, they were caricatures—the loud, sassy best friend or the criminal. I think if I would’ve seen a place for myself, or for characters like me or like my family, then I probably would’ve felt more confident trying to get into publishing sooner.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
These were some really fun questions! Thanks again for having me. Readers can check out my website www.vanessamontalban.com and follow me on Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter @vvmontalban. A Tall Dark Trouble is available on August 29th and is open for preorders.
Thank you to Vanessa Montalban for taking the time to chat with me about her book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) #SupportLatinxLit!
Fueled by the magic of espresso, Miami-born Vanessa Montalban channels her wanderlust for far-off worlds into writing young adult fiction. She’s a first-generation graduate from the University of Central Florida and is hard at work creating a collection of stories. She is represented by Danielle Burby of Mad Woman Literary and her work has appeared in Diabolical Plots and Entropy Magazine.
Synopsis for A Tall Dark Trouble:
Perfect for fans of Shea Ernshaw, Nina Moreno, and Elizabeth Acevedo, Vanessa Montalban's YA debut is a dazzling Latine twist on Practical Magic that follows a family of Cuban American brujas entangled in love, magic, and murder.
In contemporary Miami, twins Delfi and Lela are haunted by a family curse that poisons any chance at romantic love. It's no wonder their mother forbids them from getting involved with magic. When Lela and Delfi receive premonitions of a mysterious killer targeting brujas, however, the sisters must embrace their emerging powers to save innocent lives. Teaming up with their best friend Ethan and brooding detective-in-training Andres, Delfi and Lela set out to catch a murderer on a dangerous hunt that will force them to confront the dark secrets of their family's past.
Meanwhile, in 1980s Cuba, Anita de Armas whispers to the spirits for mercy--not for herself, but for the victims of her mother's cult. She's desperate to rid herself of her power, which manifests as inky shadows and an ability to speak to the dead. As political tensions rise and Anita's cult initiation draws near, she must make a decision that could change not only her fate, but the fate of the nation.
Lela, Delfi, and Anita's stories intertwine in a thrilling fantasy that spans oceans and generations as each woman steps into her power, refusing to be subdued by any person or curse.
Love the themes in this book. I agree, family is not always blood