Episode 007: Vanessa Blakeslee

Hi friends! Welcome to your weekly Coffee Break.

Today I'm talking to Vanessa Blakeslee, the acclaimed short-story writer (and, I can add, distinguished and delightful personage) who has published her first novel, Juventud.

Juventud (or "Youth") is a beautifully and vividly written coming-of-age novel set in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, and follows the story of Mercedes Martinez, a young woman who is in love and determined to make her own choices in life -- until tragedy strikes.

Vanessa was a pure delight to talk to and I think you'll enjoy our conversation, which delves into the agency that we give our characters when we write about them, the differences between crafting a novel and a short story, giving your subconscious the time to "stew" over your story, and more!

Curious to learn more about Vanessa Blakeslee? Check out her official website, snag your own copy of Juventud, or enjoy her award-winning volume of short stories, Train Shots. Want to be on Coffee Break? I'm always looking for exciting people to showcase with casual conversations about creativity, writing, and work/life balance. Send me an email at hello [at] sarahwerner [dot] com or contact me if you're interested in a guest appearance. I will send you emails. You won't regret it if you sign up for my email newsletter! Probably! Subscribe to Coffee Break (& Write Now). You can listen to the full Coffee Break episode using the controls at the beginning of this post.

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