Anamely Salgado Reyes: On Writing Out of Love for the Craft

Anamely Salgado Reyes grew up on both sides of the Mexico and Texas border. Currently based in the Rio Grande Valley, she writes about what she cherishes most: family, friendship and finding magic in everyday life. Follow her on Instagram.

Anamely Salgado Reyes

In this interview, Anamely discusses reflecting on the impact of nature versus nurture with her debut novel, My Mother Cursed My Name, her hope for readers, and more!

Name: Anamely Salgado Reyes
Literary agent: Cecilia “CeCe” Lyra
Book title: My Mother Cursed My Name
Publisher: Atria Books
Release date: July 30, 2024
Genre/category: Women’s Fiction
Elevator pitch: In her journey to help her grandmother’s sprit cross over, a Mexican-American girl is forced to face the truth about her mother and grandmother’s fall out, the cracks in her own relationship with her mother, and her ability to overcome generations’ worth of well-intentioned mistakes.

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What prompted you to write this book?

I wrote this story during the first pandemic lockdown of 2020. I had moved back home and was spending a lot of time with my mom, who has always been the type of person who will tell a story a million and one times. On and on, we talked about her childhood, young adulthood, and relationships with her parents and siblings, and I began to reflect on my own family relationships and the traits I’ve inherited through nature and nurture. Eventually, those reflections turned into this story. Though it is a work of fiction and not specifically my mother’s, my grandmother’s, nor my own story, it is a blend of our experiences, memories, and emotions.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

The idea to publication process took four years, during which the general idea (plot, characterization, and message) did not change. However, the novel I have now is quite different from the one I sent to my agent, and I am so grateful that it is.

During the first two rounds of edits, my agent gave me feedback on everything from emotionality, tension, alternating points of view, pace, and plot points. One of the major changes that came about thanks to her editorial eye was elevating the magical realism. Before, the most prominent magical aspect was a character’s ability to see the dead, and now … there are other elements I won’t specify to avoid spoilers.

After receiving feedback from my editor, I continued to work on character development and pacing, but these rounds of edits led to changes in structure. My editor highlighted moments I could expand on, condense, delete, or move around, and even provided a roadmap for how she saw the story unfolding. These changes gave me room to include more interiority, which allowed me to more effectively convey the message of the story.

I wish my agent and editor’s names were on the front cover next to mine because this truly felt like a collaborative project.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

This is my debut novel, so every part of the publishing process was surprising for me. The most pleasant surprise was the number of people involved in the creation of a book. At the time I began to consider publishing this story, I was so unaware of the behind-the-scenes work of the literary world—I didn’t even know I needed a literary agent. Now, I know about the huge amount of effort that goes into publishing, and I’m incredibly grateful for my publishing team. I am, unfortunately, a frequent overthinker and self-doubter, so every step of this process (from editing decisions to cover choices) worried me to some extent. Thankfully, all doubts eventually passed when I remembered that there was a group of people who were striving to make this novel a success. I’m glad publishing is not a lonely journey because I don’t think I would have survived it otherwise.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I was surprised at how much I loved writing. I’ve always been an avid reader, but I’d never considered writing my own stories because I held an illusory sense of inevitable failure. It wasn’t until I realized I didn’t have to write to find “success” that I put pen to paper, and it bought me so much joy. I began to write as a need for a creative outlet, and I continued as a need for excitement. I was simply motivated by wanting to know how the story ended. Now that I’m working on other stories that will hopefully be published one day, I try to remember that even if they are never seen by anyone besides myself, they served their purpose. Writing them made me happy.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope that readers, like the characters in my novel, are inspired to examine their own relationships with their loved ones, reflect on the way those relationships have shaped their identity, and develop a more accepting relationship with themselves. I also hope they find joy and comfort in this story. Breaking harmful generational patterns isn’t usually the lightest of topics, but this is a positive story with humor and heart, so it will hopefully provide readers an enjoyable break from their daily routine.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Write the stories you want to read and not what you think will sell. Trends come and go, and market saturation is bound to occur. Writing what you find compelling and moving can at least ensure you will get through the initial drafts of your manuscript without so much burnout. Once you start querying agents, your publishing journey begins to depend on the decisions of others. Before that, focus on what you can control: writing out of love for the craft.

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