INTERVIEW WITH VASTHI REYES ACOSTA

New author, Vasthi Reyes Acosta, is with us today. Vasthi, thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to be here. Vasthi is the author of Gifts of the Magi, a novella included in the Barbour anthology, A Big Apple Christmas.

Vasthi, when did you first realize you wanted to write?

I’ve always loved writing. I’ve kept a journal since high school. But when I first realized that my writing might be for others, not just for my pleasure was in 2003 when I attended the Sandy Cove Writer’s Conference. Originally, I attended the conference to meet and hear one of my favorite authors, Francine Rivers. When I read the conference brochure, I thought in order to attend, you had to submit two writing samples for critique. I didn’t get that it was optional. So I wrote an article and a short story. By the end of the conference I had sold the magazine article and been encouraged to make the short story into a novel. It was at the conference that I realized God’s calling to be an author.

 Some writers aren’t taken seriously by family and friends when first starting out. How did your loved ones take it?

I’m one of the blessed ones. My family is very indulgent of my writing. My husband compares it to his love of golf. My daughter is a writer herself and she loves the stories. My son rejoices with me for every article sold and the publication of this my first novella.

 Do you have a specific routine for your writing?

I try to write every night and weekends. What I definitely do every day is something writing related, even if I don’t actually write a chapter or scene.

 Your novella, Gifts of the Magi, is included in a Christmas anthology with several other authors. How did it happen that you were all brought together for this particular book?

I met another of the authors, Carrie Turansky, at The Greater Philadelphia Writers Conference. She emailed me later and asked me to join her in submitting a proposal to Barbour. I was thrilled to be asked and we got the contract. Carrie is my guardian angel.

I noticed that one component of the book is Christmas family tradition. Can you share with us one of your favorites?

Well, my whole novella is about on of my favorite family traditions, celebrating Three King’s day. In most Latino homes the 6th of January is a day to celebrate. That is when the Christmas holiday officially ends. In New York City there is a parade down Third Avenue with school children marching wearing gold paper crowns. And as a child I laid out water and grass the night before for the camels and wise men and the next morning I found a gift waiting for me. It is a wonderful tradition.

Lots of notable places and events of New York City are woven into the story. Are the ones you’ve chosen special to you in some way?

Yes, many are special to me because I chose to highlight a neighborhood that isn’t normally written about which is Washington Heights/Inwood. The Cloisters is a place I visited often as a child and Riverside Church is a favorite stop during the holiday season. Their hand bell concerts are inspiring.

I loved Elias and thought he was as close to a model of Christ as one could get. Besides Our Lord, was his character inspired by someone you know?

Okay- don’t laugh. I found a picture in a magazine of what I thought Elias looked like. I cut it out and taped to the wall by my computer and it is as if the picture told me who Elias was. It sounds crazy but we authors are a crazy lot.

What did you enjoy most about writing this novella?

I loved writing about this crazy, loud, rambunctious, loving family. Every scene with the family was so much fun to write.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about The Gift of the Magi?

This novella is the first novella published by Barbour that centers on a Latino family. I think this is significant because within the body of Christ we come from all cultures, traditions, and race. So I am pleased that there is a novella that reflects the richness of diversity within the body of Christ.

Do you have any other projects in the works you’d like to tell us about?

I’m completing a trilogy titled, Mangos and Apple Pie, which is a contemporary retelling of the story of Ruth with Latino characters.

One more question, Vasthi, which really has nothing to do with your book. Will you share with us one of your pet peeves?

Disrespect. As the principal of a charter school in Harlem I am constantly trying to teach my students to not only respect each other but themselves.

If you’d like to find out more about Vasthi and her novella, Gifts of the Magi, which is part of the anthology, A Big Apple Christmas, go to www.abigapplechristmas.com .

To be entered into a drawing for an autographed copy of A Big Apple Christmas, please use the Contact form with the word “drawing” in the Comments box.

Thank you, again, Vasthi, for visiting and sharing with us about you and your book. Many blessings on this and all of your future writing endeavors.

 

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