Today we’d like to introduce you to Romina Garber.
Hi Romina, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, & I immigrated to the U.S. as a kid with my family. Growing up, I fell in love with words, & I started writing for my high school paper, which opened the door to an internship at the Miami Herald the summer after graduation.
While there, I pitched the features editor on a column that I could write from Harvard when I started there in the fall, giving teens an inside peek into what college life was really like. “College She Wrote” came out weekly, on Sundays, & was eventually picked up for national syndication. It was through this experience that I discovered my voice & my audience: I wanted to write for teens.
Senior year of college, I penned my first novel and submitted it to agents. The book was roundly rejected. So, I wrote a second novel. And a third. A fourth. A fifth . . . All of them rejected.
It was my sixth manuscript that became my first published book, & the biggest lesson I took away from that experience was to never give up on myself. In the end, the no’s didn’t matter, because all it took to make me a published author was one yes.
I’m now a New York Times & international bestselling author with eight young adult fantasy novels, including two series and two standalones.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Senior year of college, I penned my first novel and submitted it to agents. The book was roundly rejected. So, I wrote a second novel. And a third. A fourth. A fifth . . . All of them rejected.
It was my sixth manuscript that became my first published book, & the biggest lesson I took away from that experience was to never give up on myself. In the end, the no’s didn’t matter, because all it took to make me a published author was one yes.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a writer, I most enjoy reimagining existing lore/mythologies & giving them my own twist. My first series, Zodiac, takes the 12 traditional astrological signs & turns them into planetary systems. It also explores why Ophiuchus, the 13th constellation, was kept out of the Zodiac.
My Wolves of No World duology explores werewolf mythology through the lens of the South American lobizón. It also reclaims the werewolf trope as a uniquely feminine allegory.
Lastly, Castle of the Cursed & The Last Vampire create different & unique backstories for vampires, the former as Bleeders who exist in a fantasy dimension, & the latter as a human-descended population that was wiped off our own planet.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that my family & childhood friends are here. I also love that three years ago, my husband & I won our dream wedding on the radio, Y-100!
I absolutely hate the humidity & what it does to my curls.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rominagarber.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rominagarber
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rominabooks
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romina-garber-5663043/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rominagarber
Image Credits
Shari Sharma
