Hi there!
I’m Jasmine Romero, author of the sapphic adult romantasy novel Falling Star. I’m aiming for the book to release by the end of 2024/early 2025. I’m also writing a bunch of other stories that I’m either going to query and/or self-publish, so if you’d like to keep up with my eventual querying journey, as well as my leap into the indie publishing space, then thank you for joining me!
I never planned on self-publishing Falling Star—or any book. FS was an idea I got way back in 2017 when I started drafting a completely different book—a YA fantasy/horror—that I’ll be rewriting once I publish FS. FS was nothing more than a broth on my mental stove, and I had no recipe in mind. I didn’t know if I ever would.
So how did we get here?
I’ve wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember. Since I started pursuing publishing, I’ve found that I love to write dark, emotional stories about finding weird magic where you least expect it, and the messiness of being human.
I’m lucky enough to have a best friend who is also a writer. In January 2023, Sav A. Villescas asked me to try out Amazon’s serial fiction platform, Kindle Vella, with her. She had a romantasy idea, which will now be her debut novel The Beast’s Bargain (a monster x maiden story with a grumpy/sunshine pairing) and I thought I had absolutely nothing, so I told her no. Then I took a shower and as it usually goes, I got an idea. FS could totally work as a serial story! We outlined and wrote chapter summaries, swapped them, and gave each other feedback before posting.
As of May 2023, come hell or high water (my apartment literally flooded the night before we were supposed to launch), we were publishing our work for REAL PEOPLE to read. The more we posted, the more we toyed with the idea of self-publishing our Vellas as our debut novels and hurling ourselves into the indie author world, and it’s been one of the best ways to rip the bandaid.
What’s next?
I almost gave up on FS at the end of 2023 when I got home from my wedding only to find out that my dad didn’t make it because he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. He passed away a few weeks later while my husband and I cared for him on hospice. Falling Star is about loss and love, but mostly, it’s about finding something to live for and healing. I’m lucky to have the best support system, and happy that I’ve managed to summon the strength to finish this story. It’s a dream to be able to share it with anyone who might need it. Revisions are taking longer than I expected, but I’m excited to send the book out into the world when it’s ready.
I promise not to overrun your inbox. When you see me, it will be because I have a reason to crawl out of my writing cave! Like early pre-order links, cover reveals, life updates, or what shows I’m catching up on.
If you’d like to see what else I’m up to, you can check out my website and follow me on tiktok and instagram!
I also host The Fantasy Forge podcast with my best friend Sav A Villescas, where we share our ongoing journeys and discuss the epic highs and lows of writing and publishing - and there are plenty. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify here!
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