María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
Author Interview - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
Author of The Waves Take You Home
In this heartfelt story about how the places we run from hold the answers to our deepest challenges, the death of her grandmother brings a young woman home, where she must face the past in order to become the heir of not just the family restaurant, but her own destiny.
Violeta Sanoguera had always done what she was told. She left the man she loved in Colombia in pursuit of a better life for herself and because her mother and grandmother didn’t approve of him. Chasing dreams of education and art in New York City, and with a new love, twenty-eight-year-old Violeta establishes a new life for herself, on her terms. But when her grandmother suddenly dies, everything changes.
After years of being on her own in NYC, Violeta finds herself on a plane back to Colombia, accompanied at all times by the ghost of her grandmother who is sending her messages and signs, to find she is the heir of the failing family restaurant, the very one Abuela told her to run from in the first place. The journey leads her to rediscover her home, her grandmother, and even the flame of an old love.
Author Interview - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez
Author I draw inspiration from:
So many!
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
...And so many others!
Author Interview - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I love reading books in bed! I know, I know, it's not ideal for focus, perhaps, but I love reading under the blankets while sipping a caffeine-free tea before bed. There's also nothing better than reading by the pool or looking at beach in warm weather. It's one my favorite pleasures in life!
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Maybe Tita from Like Water For Chocolate. She's such a good cook, and had such an interesting love life! I'd love to talk about her magical recipes and gossip about her unending love story with Pedro.
Author Interview - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
My path to writing wasn't linear. When I was little, I wanted to be a fashion designer and I spent my time drawing fashion designs. It wasn't until my teens that I discovered my love for reading with books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and Isabel Allende. Around that time, I discovered MySpace and my love for writing magical realism stories and posting them there. It was such a joy when the first comments from complete strangers started to appear, people loved the stories and the strange worlds I was creating. It was such a strange, exhilarating feeling to be read and perceived by others and mostly to connect with others in a way that felt more transcendental than speaking with someone. Ever since then, I have continued writing stories and in 2020 I wrote my first novel now titled The Waves take You Home.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
It's hard to decide and it all depends on my mood!
I love hardbacks because I associate them with new books, debut authors and just supporting a book right out the gate. I love how pretty hardcovers are! There is so much effort and care into hardbacks these days, for me, it's like owning a piece of art. Most recently, the hardcover of Trespasses by Louise Kennedy took my breath away.
Ebook: This is my favorite format to read before bed. I adore my kindle and don't go anywhere without it. Being a first time author, it has also been a way of reading my fellow debuts early and read arcs I'm excited about.
Audiobook: Surprise! I also love audiobooks. I love listening to audiobooks while walking, running, doing tasks around the house, etc.
The last book I read:
The last book I read was Erasure by Percival Everett. It was an incredible book. I was mesmerized by the way Everett incorporated a book within a book, the way it weaved commentary on our society, the way that we perceive POC writers and the way we engage with their work while also incorporating a complex family drama ridden with grief and guilt. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
Author Interview - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Both. Ideas, thoughts, notes I use paper for, and first drafts I do in my computer. I have a notebook for every project and I try to be very organized about categorizing my notes (character, plot questions, events, outlines, etc). For short stories, I pretty much sit down and write the whole thing in one go if I can do it. For books, I outline first and fill a notebook with notes about characters, plot questions and feeling of the book and then I sit down to write it. I try to stick to a word count every day when working a project. I love the possibility and the energy of the first draft, when you're on the groove there's nothing like it!
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I love her wit, her humor and her sense of self. I think we also would enjoy talking about books!
Author Interview - María Alejandra Barrios Vélez | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Perhaps a chef? Or a visual artist. I love drawing and coloring, so I'd like to think that perhaps I would do something with that. I know I would be an artist, though. I need to have that outlet in my life.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Probably now. I like how fashion has become more inclusive and open.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Japan! My husband and I have been talking about going there for years. I love Japanese literature (one of my favorite books is Strange Weather in Tokyo) and I've always wanted to go, and walk around and experience walking around Tokyo, going to cafés, and just experiencing what it is like just to be in the city.
My signature drink:
Coffee! I'm Colombian, I love coffee shops and I'm a bit of a snob about it. One of my favorite rituals is to go to my neighborhood coffee shop and get a coffee a few times a week.
Favorite artist:
This is hard! I'm not sure if he's my favorite, but I've admired Pedro Almodovar's work for a long time and it has hugely influenced mine. I love how he does family relationships between women and how well he portrays the complexities of family. My favorite movie by him is "Volver."
Number one on my bucket list:
Writing a horror novel! I've been writing one very slowly but since it's a little bit out of my element, it's taking me a while. I hope that I get to complete a draft in 2024! I'm such a fan of the genre, and the tradition of literary horror.
Anything else you'd like to add:
My debut The Waves Take You Home comes out March 19, 2024, this book is about
the unbreakable bonds of three generations of women, the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters and the circumstances that call us home.
Find more from the author:
Instagram: @mariaalebvelezwrites
Twitter: @MariaaleBave
Website: https://mariaalejandrabarriosvelez.com/
About María Alejandra Barrios Vélez:
María Alejandra Barrios Vélez is a writer born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of Manchester and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and scruffy dog, Gus.
She was the 2020 SmokeLong Flash Fiction Fellow, and her stories have been published in Shenandoah Literary, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, El Malpensante, Fractured Lit, SmokeLong Quarterly, The Offing, and more. Her work has been supported by organizations such as Vermont Studio Center, Caldera Arts, and the New Orleans Writers’ Residency.
The Waves Take You Home is María’s debut, inspired by the resilience and strength of the women in her family and the Caribbean city she spent most of her life in.
