Meet Rebekah Santoro | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rebekah Santoro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rebekah, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve loved the arts for as long as I can remember. Whether it be music, dance, visual arts, etc., I’ve always gravitated toward arts & culture. For so long though, my true love has been reading. Books captured my heart at an early age because reading is where I find an escape, where I find peace. I joked for a long time about maybe one day writing a book but didn’t truly believe it could actually happen until I moved to Colorado and was truly inspired to finish my first novel. I decided that books and writing were my biggest passion and although I knew writing would be one of the hardest things I’ll ever do, it’s beyond worth it to pursue something that means so much to me and makes me so happy. Life is so short, and I knew I’d regret it if I never gave something I love so much a shot so that’s why I decided to pursue writing a book.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been writing different versions of my first novel, ‘Dear Ella,’ since 2014 when I was a freshman in college. It has gone through so many changes over the years because as I’ve grown, so too has my novel. It started off being about a high school student in the Midwest and became about a young 20-something woman who moves to Colorado to heal and find inspiration and purpose, much like me and my journey in life. It has definitely not been easy taking almost 8 years to write a book. There were so many moments where I was convinced I’d never finish it or that it would never be good enough. Being in Colorado gave me the inspiration I needed to see what my book had to become. What I learned is that, when it comes to creating, it takes time to shape and form your art, but when it’s ready, it transforms into exactly what it was always meant to be. My journey to creating this book is what makes ‘Dear Ella’ so special. It’s part of my soul and my love for Colorado, especially Colorado Springs. I’m most excited about getting my book published and sharing that with the world. I want the world to know that there are so many amazing writers just getting started out there, waiting to be given a chance. Read as much as you can, as often as you can, because stories are the most beautiful and transformative thing in the world and there are books out there perfect for every single person.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My number one spot to take people visiting Denver is the original Tattered Cover Bookstore on Colfax. I could spend all day exploring the shelves and want to share that with everyone. From there, I’d spend the rest of the day going to cool spots like Union Station and shopping on 16th street mall. There has to be a whole day dedicated to art. The Denver Art Museum is amazing and then I’d take them to the Museum of Contemporary Art and the new Meow Wolf – Convergence Station before ending the evening walking around and dining in the RiNo Arts District. Another place I could spend all day at is the Denver Botanical Gardens. The whole place is beautiful with so many different things to see and experience, and it’s event got places to eat and relax. I don’t have a specific place in mind, but I’d find a few breweries to take them to for lunch and dinner and then end another day with a Rockies Game at Coors Field. You can’t come to Colorado without doing some hiking in the mountains, so finally I’d make a day trip to Boulder and hike in the morning and then spend the rest of the day walking around, shopping, and eating downtown and at Pearl Street Mall. Those are definitely my top things to see.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and Pikes Peak Writers. The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (a.k.a. COPPeR) is the nonprofit local arts agency that serves the City of Colorado Springs and the greater Pikes Peak region (El Paso and Teller Counties). The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region champions our diverse creative community as a vital part of the region’s identity and economy through service, connection, and advocacy. While I am a writer, I’ve also worked at the Cultural Office since 2018 and have been monumentally inspired by the work we do and by our local arts community. The Pikes Peak Writers has also been so helpful and is an amazing resource for the Pikes Peak Region’s writers with their workshops, meet ups, and their amazing annual writing conference.

Website: https://www.rebekahsantoro.com/

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