“I was so fascinated when I first stepped into a public library because it was free and open to all. This made such an impression on me. Later when I needed a job, a friend who worked at a local public library asked me if I wanted to work there for the summer. I said, YES!, and I’ve been working in a public library ever since.” Much of Vanesa’s inspiration comes from the beautiful surroundings where she lives with her tight-knit family in the picturesque oceanside town of Oxnard, California. It was here on the beach she saw the piles of driftwood wash up on shore.

“I’ve never really considered myself a writer, even though I’ve been a librarian for years. It was God who opened the eyes of my heart to see there was a story inside of me, a story that could touch others.” Vanesa felt the descriptive scenes and passionate theme of the redemption of Driftwood Lanterns form in her imagination. “I had to write the thoughts as they flowed through my mind because it was heavy on me, speaking to me everywhere, even in the shower. I could relate to the driftwood-cast off, burned, broken, dead inside, and useless to all who passed by, but as God redeemed and resurrected me, and gave me a new life and purpose, He can do it for all who feel disenfranchised.” When she is not helping young people explore new worlds in books at the library, Vanesa is at the beach experiencing the vastness of the ocean and spray of the pounding waves, where she is reminded of the endless love and never-ending mercy of Jesus Christ.