LUCY BURDETTE: Today it's my pleasure to welcome Raquel Reyes, who's getting a ton of buzz on her first novel. She even made it into the New York Times! Congrats and welcome Raquel!
RAQUEL REYES: As a debut author, this last month has been something of a promotional tour with guest blog posts, articles, and podcasts. There are two questions that are almost always asked. What are you reading? What are you working on? My answer to both is short stories. Yes, I am, of course, working on book two in my Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. But when I hit an impasse, I take a breather from the big 80K mountain and write a short story. Short stories are the perfect morsel. They are so satisfying to read and to write. Reading a short story in one sitting is unlike reading a chapter in a novel. The latter leaves you hanging until your next sitting, but the former ties everything up. My leisure reading is usually before bed. I can read for only about an hour before my eyes start to cross. I love that I can have a beginning, middle, and end in that short span of time. And if I don’t fall in love with the characters or setting, no problem. Tomorrow, there will be a new story to try.
I’ve loved short stories since high school. I remember the weight and punch of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman staying with me for a long time. But I suspect my love of the short form might have come from an even earlier time. As a child, I had a subscription to Cricket magazine. The illustration-rich monthly had multiple stories in it along with poetry and games.
Recently for a library panel, I was asked to recommend a few titles by Latinx writers. I replied with Miami Noir, San Juan Noir, Noiryorican, ¡Pa’Que Tu Lo Sepas!, and Midnight Hour.
Not all the authors in Midnight Hour are Latinx, but several are, including yours truly.
My bookshelf doesn’t have enough space for all the anthologies and collections I want. So, I’ve imposed a few thematic requirements (like Florida) for physical book purchases.
And if I’m attending a conference that has an anthology, I’ll always get it. I like meeting the authors and getting their signatures. Writers are fans, too. I was lucky enough to have a short story selected for the Malice Domestic Mystery Most Theatrical anthology. None of us got to go to the conference, thanks to the pandemic. You better believe I’m packing my copy in my suitcase to get it signed at Malice 2022.
There is another theme that will always tempt me, and that’s a music-themed collection. Murder-A-Go-Go’s edited by Holly West has some treasurers. And then there is The Great Filling Station Holdup which fits both my Florida and music requirement as each story is titled and inspired by a Jimmy Buffet song. Down and Out Books has an incredible catalog of music-themed anthologies, including Trouble No More, a collection inspired by Allman Brothers songs.
What is your favorite short story or collection of stories?
Comment below for a chance to win a copy of Trouble No More, which has my story Multicolored Lady in it. (USA/PR shipping only) A winner will be drawn at random at the end of the month.
Raquel V. Reyes is a 2021 debut novelist. The New York Times said her culinary mystery, Mango, Mambo, and Murder, “executes its mission—with panache.” Raquel writes stories with Latina characters. Her Cuban-American heritage, Miami, and the Caribbean feature prominently in her work. Her short stories appear in various anthologies, including Mystery Most Theatrical, Midnight Hour, and Trouble No More.
ABOUT MANGO, MAMBO, AND MURDER: Food anthropologist Miriam Quiñones puts her academic career on hold to move back to Miami. Mix in a new house, an opinionated mother-in-law, and a husband rekindling a friendship with his ex, and Miriam is at her wit's end. Gracias to her BFF, Alma, she gets a job as a Caribbean cooking expert on a Spanish-language morning TV show. But when a socialite dies, and the finger is pointed at Alma, Miriam must use her culinary knowledge to solve the murder.
