Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is a Mexican American poet, novelist and painter. She’s most inspired by fog and seeds and the lineages of all things. When not writing, Raquel tells stories to her plants and they tell her stories back. She lives in Tennessee with her beloved family and mountains. Her first poetry collection was Dirt and Honey and the second was Tales From the House of Vasquez. Her debut YA novel, Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything, was published in 2020; her second YA novel, How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe, was published in 2021. Her adult debut novel, Witch of Wild Things, was a USA Today Bestseller, one of Amazon’s Best Romances of September 2023 and a People Magazine Romantasy Pick. Her next adult novel, Lightning in Her Hands will be released in October of 2024.

Raquel was born in West Palm Beach Florida and grew up there with her parents, brother and sister. She studied fine art for many years, specializing in painting, both in high school and college. Raquel a B.A. in cultural anthropology from the University of West Florida and an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.