LAS MUSAS BOOK BIRTHDAY - These Vengeful Wishes

The cover design by Jenna Stempel-Lobell; artist is Cesar St. Martin.

Today we celebrate the book birthday of These Vengeful Wishes by Musa Vanessa Montalban. We sat down with Vanessa to learn more about this book.

Tell us a bit aboutThese Vengeful Wishes:

In this  YA fantasy horror, a teen girl moves to a small Florida town plagued by a vengeful spirit of the woods. The girl uncovers a wishing well that grants her deepest desires but at a cost. As her wishes bring out the worst in her and she begins to unravel a deadly town secret, the girl wonders who’s the real villain in this story and can she truly trust the creature who destroys wicked men.

​Wow! Sounds so intriguing. Want to learn more?

What 3 words would you use to describe your book? 
Atmospheric Southern Gothic

Where did you get the idea to write this particular story? 
The spark of an idea came soon after reading W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw" when I was in college. Similar to "The Mida's Touch", I wanted to play with the theme of fate versus free will and the concept of your desires being what ends up being your demise. I started thinking of a character that would be desperate enough to attempt these wishes despite knowing the consequences could be dire. I also needed a way of explaining where this power or magic comes from, so I started researching Central American folkloric legends.

With my debut, I'd already paid homage to my Cuban culture, but I'm also half Nicaraguan and wanted this book to represent that. La Cegua's story was one I'd heard growing up but had never really looked into the folklore's origin. Despite the varying accounts, la Cegua's story narrows down to a vengeful spirit that lures cheating men into the woods and petrifies them with her skeletal horse face. The "why" behind her murderous actions is what intrigued me the most, and that's where the idea for my second book really took off. 

What message are you hoping readers will take away from this story? 
When I first started writing la Cegua's story, I was looking for a villain, but I often say that I ended up with my story's heart. La Cegua is a misunderstood creature relegated as a warning for cheating men and a cautionary tale for young girls. In These Vengeful Wishes, however, she is so much more than that. She is a reminder of the powerful women lost to history, buried under the imposing shadow of famous men. She holds a mirror to our own desires for vindication and significance. I hope the many messages that readers take away from this story are of empowerment and hope. 

What books are on your to-be-read list?
I have so many! But at the top of my list is Bochica by Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, When the Bones Sings by Ginny Myers Sain, and Beloved by Toni Morrison. 

What comes next for you as an author? 
I’m gearing up to do so many local events and some virtual ones! I’ll be updating my newsletter and my Instagram so readers can follow me there for more. I also have a few unannounced things in the works that I can’t wait to talk more about!

buy your copy of the vengeful wishes

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Miami-born Vanessa Montalban channels her wanderlust for far-off worlds into writing young adult fiction, including A Tall Dark Trouble, winner of the Florida Book Awards in the YA category. 

Connect with Vanessa:
Instagram: @ vvmontalban
Tiktok: @ vvmontalban
Bluesky: @vvmontalban

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