Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Riley.
Hi Vanessa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am the daughter of a Trinidadian immigrant and a Southern preacher’s daughter. I was born with a love of storytelling from my father and a love of literature from my mother. And when you’re throwing numbers in science, I think you have my origin story. I am a nerd’s nerd. I have always had a curiosity about how things work and why systems exist. As a child, if you didn’t find me reading a book, you’d see notebooks in my hands where I was attempting poetry or journaling my thoughts. At other times, you’d see me at science competitions trying to win gold medals in nomenclature.
If I’m shaped or formed by any experiences, it can be whittled down to a mother who believed in my capabilities but also instilled a sense of pragmatism. As a child, gifted in mathematics and writing, and having won those gold medals and governors’ essays awards, I remember my mother sitting me down and saying, “I know you’re trying to figure out what your career should be. I know you’re number smart, but baby, you always need to pay your bills. When I questioned why I had to choose, she said, “Your gift will always make room for you, but you have to eat now.”
It sounds very simple, but it’s also profound. Math pays. Success in writing can require lightning to strike. Sometimes, some gifts have to come first. Sometimes you have to be in a safe or secure position before you can indulge in the things of your dreams. Today, I’ve been a successful engineer. I’ve worked on amazing projects in telecommunications, rocketry, and in car manufacturing. Now is the time to write, to let my words speak for themselves.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not always been easy, and there were times when I had to tell myself I’ve come too far to turn back. There’s an Andrae Crouch song that often plays in my head: He (God) Brought Me Too Far to Leave Me. I‘ve been published since 2013. I’ve seen the industry change a great deal. I remember vividly when publishers felt stories centering Black women in history were for a niche audience. That is one of the kinder responses to my work. I’ve been in rooms where I was confronted with stereotypical attitudes about storytelling. At other tables, I was challenged upon whether I should tell stories about multi-cultural Regency romance because the editors didn’t know the true history or couldn’t conceive of love in Brown skin.
And I’ve had to cry sometimes when the criticism of what I’ve written went beyond my words. They were attacks directed against my soul.
But He’s brought me this far not to leave me.
I’ve never been one to quit, but I do know when it‘s time to leave. Sometimes it’s a safety issue. Sometimes it’s a survival mechanism. After my first traditionally published book, my first agent got some of the best rejections we’ve ever seen from publishers on my next book: We love her voice, but does she have any other story? We love this story, but we don’t know how to market it. We love this idea but don’t think it’s time for these stories to appear on the shelf. Try back in twenty years…
I could go on, but I refuse to dwell on the negatives. I like to focus on the fact that I’ve overcome. I’m here. I’m writing. I get to write a history of a romance set in London and the Caribbean. I pin historical mysteries centering Lady Worthing, a Black aristocrat in Regency England, trying to restart the abolition movement and solve murders. And I get to reclaim the lives of powerful women whose stories have been hidden or erased in my historical fiction novels. My books are now on store shelves everywhere, finding their way to book clubs and readers around the world.
But He’s brought me this far, not to leave me.
If I’d let naysayers stand in the way, or if I had kept my talents buried, then the world wouldn’t know about Dorothy Kirwin Thomas (Island Queen), the formerly enslaved woman who rose from shackles to become one of the richest women in the Caribbean. When I found Gran Toya (Sister Mother Warrior), the revolutionary fighter and strategist and hero of the Haitian revolution, she was in a comic book. Now readers can learn how this woman raised Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the man who liberated Haiti, to be one of the world’s best military tacticians. Readers, particularly Black women and women of color, have been searching for a true queen, someone of royal background who embodies beauty and boldness.
Queen Marie-Louise Christophe, Queen Louise in Queen of Exiles is that woman. Readers will see her grow to be a leader and fashionista within the majesty and intrigue of the Haitian court. Stubborn Queen Louise overcomes tragedy, navigates politics, and even the difficulties of motherhood and marriage. Her journey will astound and encourage us all.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The quality that I believe is essential in putting me on this path and keeping me moving forward is stubbornness. I stubbornly believe I have a story to tell. My story may be different from yours. My viewpoint doesn’t devalue anyone’s contribution to language or literature. It adds to the world’s narrative. I’ve chosen to claim a seat at the table. I will not give it back.
I stubbornly invest in growing my talents, whether taking classes, reading multiple genres, etc., or working with strong editors. I stubbornly accept that my path will look different than others, so I will not compare. Sometimes when you write about things that others don’t or when you choose to boldly center a narrative from a marginalized perspective, the journey can feel lonely. It becomes second nature to explain or to justify your credentials. Sometimes the world or the voices in your head are asking, “Why you?” I boldly say I am enough. My talents are making room for me. They’ve given me a place and a platform to allow my words to shine. I stubbornly refuse to dim my light for others.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart is my belief in the story and the lengths that I will go to deliver the best version of a body of work. I have no qualms in translating documents written in French or Spanish or German or ye old English to obtain the most authentic narrative possible, for I believe in the power of great stories to change lives to change perspectives.
Stories can entertain or inform. I wish to do both. In my novels, I’m taking the reader to places they’ve never been or dreamed about and in a time and space that’s very different from our own. I want you to feel like you’re there, seeing the sights, smelling the scents, walking down winding streets. I want you to have a transportive experience when you’re reading any of my novels. Whether it be one of my historical fiction, historical romances, or historical mysteries, be prepared to have all your senses enriched and to see a side of history that you may not have known to be possible, let alone exist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vanessariley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarileyauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRileyAuthor/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/VanessaRiley/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzLaKUdLG9rQc3aJxH2Yq1A
