Juan Manuel Vela Vacas

I am a self-published author and personally carry out the entire process behind each book, from beginning to end: the idea, the text, the visual direction, the editing and the layout. Because I do not have an illustrator, I create the images with artificial-intelligence tools from scenes that I describe and direct through successive prompts until they approach the result I have in mind. I then review and retouch every illustration in Photoshop, correct any errors I find and place it in the final layout. Each book is therefore a personal project conceived and completed by me.

Through my books, I want to bring back surprising stories that are sometimes overlooked: Pérez’s connection with Jerez, or the Dutch tradition in which Saint Nicholas—an inspiration for the modern figure of Santa Claus—lives in Spain and sets sail from its shores each year. My aim is to tell these stories in a light, informal and entertaining way for curious readers and, above all, to fill young children with new wonder.