A Decade In And...

I still have no idea what I'm doing.

I kinda thought that once you spent a long time doing something, you’d feel like you have a grasp on it.

But that’s proven false in the indie book community—specifically within the romance genre. I remember when it was enough to post and chat with a few readers and you felt like that was enough to set you up.

When one person reviewing on a popular blog could make or break your release.

What happened?

The self-publishing landscape is always changing.

And if you don’t change with it, you may as well throw every penny you spent on your release in a fiery trash can. Gone are the days of simply hiring a PR company to handle your ARCs and that’s it. Nope. You have to be present, stand out, be accessible, and damn near bare yourself for consumption.

Don’t misunderstand—

I love what I do. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to throw in the towel and sometimes still am.

Now onto a touchier subject:

Add in my BIPOC identity and it’s even harder.

I’ve found a lot of support in the Latina/e community because I decided to embrace my own voice and experiences—something I wasn’t fully comfortable with ten years ago. It wasn’t that it wasn't accepted, it’s that it wasn’t what was selling.

Now? Pfft.

Everyone is trying to add seasoning to their stories. And while I’m happy about it, because that is what most of the world looks like, I can’t help but get frustrated at times.

BIPOC stories are often read to meet a quota by non-BIPOC individuals. So when a white woman/person writes a more palatable version of my identity and her story skyrockets, it stings. They don’t want to know us, they want to swap our identities like costumes, indulge in the fun aspects of our cultures and cast the rest aside.

And when said white author(s) don’t amplify authors already writing their own stories in the same genre? Thank you so much for taking up space in the limited sequestered area we’re allowed.

Do. Better.

I’m not writing this to guilt you into reading my books.

Rather to show aspiring authors and authors who haven’t found their place yet that it will take time. And to show readers that what you ingest has impact, no matter how insignificant you may think your support is.

But if you’re interested in reading my books, find them here.

I write romance novels in several subgenres (romcom, dark, contemporary, and slightly paranormal). If there’s one underlying similarity with all of my stories, it’s the notion that we can’t escape what’s meant to be.

Ultimately, thank you for every moment any of you have ever spent supporting me these last ten+ years.

And if you appreciated this post, subscribe! TF?!

You won’t want to miss what I have up my sleeve next.

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