An Introduction?
I never know how to start these things.
Hi, I'm Marisa, and I'm a huge fan of romance. The love affair most likely began with the soap operas I watched and the romance novels I snuck out of my mom's collection on the bookshelf that served as the head of my parents' bed, but eventually I began seeking out romances on my own terms, in between reading a lot of YA novels as well.
In college, I was so busy reading books about elementary education (my major) that reading outside of academics became something I didn't have as much time for. In the years after I graduated, I fell into reading YA again, swept up in the big surge of dystopian novels that were popular at the time as well as some books that resonated with me because the feeling of what it's like to be a young person never really leaves us, I think.
And then, in the summer of 2017, I picked up my first romance novel in ages from a Target shelf. That book was To Me I Wed by K.M. Jackson, and it refueled my love for romance in a way I couldn't have anticipated.
In the time I'd spent away from reading romance, things had changed some. There were more authors of color writing in romance than when I began reading as a young adult - or they were more visible, more accessible, than they had been in the past. Characters who were Black, Latinx, Asian, Indian...they were more present, and written by authors who were Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indian. In the time I'd spent away from reading published romance, I'd been reading and writing similar versions in the form of fanfiction, and during that time, writing about Black women like myself had become incredibly important to me, a desire that I knew resonated with other authors of color. To pick up a novel like K.M. Jackson's and realize that she was one of many authors of color that I could now discover...the joy was so visceral it nearly knocked me flat.
I shared my joy of devouring this book (and then rereading it a few times) with a good friend of mine, and discovered that she'd already immersed herself in the romance community on Twitter. We began discussing books and she would send me recommendations of authors to follow and their works to read, and very soon, it was like we had our own two-person book club. The more books I read, the more I understood how much I wanted to be a part of such an incredible writing community.
I love romance because there is a story for everyone. Are you into paranormal? There's a romance for that! Science-fiction? Mystery? There's a romance for that! Historical? PLENTY! Contemporary? TONS! Sports? INDEED! Stories with people of color at the center and alllll around? YOU BETCHA. Stories about people with disabilities? YEP! Stories that focus on LGBTQIA characters? YES YES YOU CAN FIND THOSE TOO! Romance is smart, and funny, and charming, and sexy, and honest, and inclusive, and heartbreaking, and all of the feelings. I have read so many incredible romance novels with intriguing plots and characters that stick with you long after you've read the last page. Every day, I find something new to add to my reading list. Choices are never-ending.
Romance is in my blood. Even as a fanfiction writer, I wrote romance. I am thankful for the decade I spent honing my skills in more than one fandom, because I was able to build important relationships with others who nurtured both my soul and my words. I became a better person because I knew (and still know!) these people, and I became a better writer because their encouragement pushed me forward, and their words inspired me every day to be as good as I thought they were. Fanfiction is an incredible world where the imagination stretches to seemingly impossible places. Plots and characters are larger than life and also as real as you and me. I had never felt more seen, and more found, than I did in the fandoms in which I wrote and was allowed to grow as both a person and a creative mind.
I feel that those ten years I spent as an author of fanfiction have prepared me for the next phase. I want to tell stories with casts made entirely of my own original characters. I want to be inspired by the many romance authors I've fallen in love with, so that I can begin creating more original works. And I want to share those here.
If you decide to join me on this journey, thanks a million.
Hi, I'm Marisa, and I'm a huge fan of romance. The love affair most likely began with the soap operas I watched and the romance novels I snuck out of my mom's collection on the bookshelf that served as the head of my parents' bed, but eventually I began seeking out romances on my own terms, in between reading a lot of YA novels as well.
In college, I was so busy reading books about elementary education (my major) that reading outside of academics became something I didn't have as much time for. In the years after I graduated, I fell into reading YA again, swept up in the big surge of dystopian novels that were popular at the time as well as some books that resonated with me because the feeling of what it's like to be a young person never really leaves us, I think.
And then, in the summer of 2017, I picked up my first romance novel in ages from a Target shelf. That book was To Me I Wed by K.M. Jackson, and it refueled my love for romance in a way I couldn't have anticipated.
In the time I'd spent away from reading romance, things had changed some. There were more authors of color writing in romance than when I began reading as a young adult - or they were more visible, more accessible, than they had been in the past. Characters who were Black, Latinx, Asian, Indian...they were more present, and written by authors who were Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indian. In the time I'd spent away from reading published romance, I'd been reading and writing similar versions in the form of fanfiction, and during that time, writing about Black women like myself had become incredibly important to me, a desire that I knew resonated with other authors of color. To pick up a novel like K.M. Jackson's and realize that she was one of many authors of color that I could now discover...the joy was so visceral it nearly knocked me flat.
I shared my joy of devouring this book (and then rereading it a few times) with a good friend of mine, and discovered that she'd already immersed herself in the romance community on Twitter. We began discussing books and she would send me recommendations of authors to follow and their works to read, and very soon, it was like we had our own two-person book club. The more books I read, the more I understood how much I wanted to be a part of such an incredible writing community.
I love romance because there is a story for everyone. Are you into paranormal? There's a romance for that! Science-fiction? Mystery? There's a romance for that! Historical? PLENTY! Contemporary? TONS! Sports? INDEED! Stories with people of color at the center and alllll around? YOU BETCHA. Stories about people with disabilities? YEP! Stories that focus on LGBTQIA characters? YES YES YOU CAN FIND THOSE TOO! Romance is smart, and funny, and charming, and sexy, and honest, and inclusive, and heartbreaking, and all of the feelings. I have read so many incredible romance novels with intriguing plots and characters that stick with you long after you've read the last page. Every day, I find something new to add to my reading list. Choices are never-ending.
Romance is in my blood. Even as a fanfiction writer, I wrote romance. I am thankful for the decade I spent honing my skills in more than one fandom, because I was able to build important relationships with others who nurtured both my soul and my words. I became a better person because I knew (and still know!) these people, and I became a better writer because their encouragement pushed me forward, and their words inspired me every day to be as good as I thought they were. Fanfiction is an incredible world where the imagination stretches to seemingly impossible places. Plots and characters are larger than life and also as real as you and me. I had never felt more seen, and more found, than I did in the fandoms in which I wrote and was allowed to grow as both a person and a creative mind.
I feel that those ten years I spent as an author of fanfiction have prepared me for the next phase. I want to tell stories with casts made entirely of my own original characters. I want to be inspired by the many romance authors I've fallen in love with, so that I can begin creating more original works. And I want to share those here.
If you decide to join me on this journey, thanks a million.
This is awesome!! I'm so happy you came back to the romance world--we're so happy to have you here! :) <3
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