Nati Del Paso: A Guest Post

 Today’s guest post is from Nati Del Paso, an American writer whose first book, a collection of themed short stories, has recently been published, available at all the usual online sites. As  she is donating pre-order proceeds to charity, I thought it might be a good thing to invite her to write a guest post. Here is her blurb, first: 

Nati del Paso is a writer, counselor, and student of Indigenous Psychology and Shamanism. She was raised in Mexico by a Mexican mother and an American father and works as a lead counselor in the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity at the University of Washington. 

 

Del Paso weaves psychology, mysticism, and magic realism into suspenseful tales surrounding the immigrant experience, women, environmental and social justice issues. She recently finished her first novel People of the Jaguar. She lives in Snoqualmie, Washington.

And here is Nati telling us about her book and why she thought it important to write - take it away, Nati! 

 

As a newly published writer, I was honoured when Sue asked me for a guest post on my collection of short stories Women of Fire and Snow. Reading through her book titles, her children’s book, and guest posts, it is clear she is an advocate for women. 

While researching for my book, I became aware of the pervasiveness of gender violence. I learned that the most dangerous place for women is their home. When I first started writing my stories in 2017, the UN reported on an appalling statistic: on average nine women and girls were murdered a day in Mexico. Now, it is ten. 

But femicide is a worldwide problem. The UN estimates that almost one in three women will experience violence or sexual assault in their lifetime. Although boys and men also experience violence, there is a difference; the violence experienced by men, either as victims or perpetrators, is usually on the streets and during the commission of a crime. In contrast, most women experience violence in the home and at the hands of an intimate partner; 40% of women murdered know their killer.

Gender violence, although worse for lower-income women and in underdeveloped countries,  spans all socio-economic classes and is exceptionally brutal and intimate. It is more frequent among transgender women and women of color. 

In my stories, strong women of different ages confront evil and must rely on each other to overcome gender violence. Dark magic realism weaves through the tales tempering the brutal reality and offering a new vision, or raising questions in search of solutions. 

Every culture and society has the shadow of gender violence lurking within but when we bring it into the light through storytelling and other forms of art, we integrate it and heal. My writing is propelled by asking why are women’s lives not valued? How do women internalize and manifest their own devaluation?

Women of Fire and Snow is a collection of contemporary stories of women straddling the Mexican-American divide while finding their place and voice. Cultural identity, gender violence, forced migration, sacrifice, love, and resiliency frame suspenseful tales where realism is leavened by the supernatural and mystical.

In these stories

• an undocumented teenager must fight a monster in a haunted town. 

• When ICE detains her father, a college student submits to evil in a desperate attempt to help her family. 

• While rescuing her nephew at the border, a teen wrestles with her privilege and the devastating power of La Santa Muerte. 

• A demon follows a curandera(folk healer) to Snoqualmie, where her great-granddaughter is in danger.

• A young Chicana from Seattle travels to Mexico, plunging into a secret society to combat rampant femicide. 

From the deserts and volcanoes of Mexico to the forests, mountains, and haunted rivers of the Pacific Northwest, these fast-paced stories blend social commentary with classic and psychological horror.

Women of Fire and Snow is my first publication and is available in bookstores and Amazon, iBooks, B&N, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other online retailers. 

All the pre-sale proceeds of my book will be donated to the Center for Women’s Human Rights (CEDEHM) in Chihuahua, Mexico.  The CEDEHM is a non-profit feminist organization providing resources, support, legal aid, and advocacy to women and girls since 2005. 

To read full reviews and attend a virtual book launch/fundraiser sign up on my emailing list at https://natidelpaso.com.