Co2BL: We want to give a warm welcome to
the fabulous author Mariana Zapata. Mariana, thank you so much for taking time
out of your busy schedule to sit down with us at Confessions of 2 Book lovers.
Can you tell us a little bit
about yourself?
Mariana: Thank
you two for having me! I’m originally from Houston, Texas, but I now live in a
small town in Colorado called Pagosa Springs with my new husband (but headache
for the last ten years) and my two Great Dane children. I enjoy making fun of
my family members, a cold Mexican Coca Cola in a glass bottle, and if there’s
such a thing as eating too much kale, I’m guilty of it.
Tell us about your work. What are
you writing now?
I’m
going back to my romance-comedy roots with my fourth release to give my brain a
little break from the last two massive books I wrote. Under Locke took a year
and a half to get from first draft to the final fiftieth draft, and Kulti took
about eight months, so I need to cleanse my palate a little before starting my
fifth book. I love writing rom-com novels, and I’m pretty excited to tackle
this next project. It’s a rewrite from another story I wrote a few years ago
about a girl that goes on tour with her brother for three months, only I’m
redoing it to better fit my style now instead of how I wrote back then.
I loved Under Locke and Kulti, where
did you draw your inspiration from?
All
of my ideas have always come from watching television! I was binging on Sons of
Anarchy when I thought to myself, “I want to write a story about a biker that
doesn’t cheat on the love of his life,” and from there, Under Locke was born.
The idea for Kulti honestly just came from seeing attractive men during the
World Cup, haha. With Lingus, my first book, I watched a documentary about a
porn convention one night and started the book the next day.
I loved seeing a little bit of
Dex and Iris in Kulti. Are there any plans to do books for the secondary
characters of Under Locke or Kulti? Maybe a crossover with one of Sal’s friends
and one of Dex’s guys from the shop? ;)
You
know, that’s not a bad idea! :P At this point, I don’t have any plans for any
novels with secondary characters from either novel. My problem is that writing
male characters is a really tricky process. It’s easy to fall into a formula
for heroes that people love, like with their speech, mannerisms, the way they
think and act, etc., and I don’t want to do that. With my male characters in
Under Locke, I haven’t come up with something that would make them different
from Dex while also making them shine as their own person. But if I ever come
up with an idea that I love, I would definitely do it!
Kulti is a slow build romance. I
totally loved how they became friends and got to know each other, but it’s not
traditional in romance novels. Was that always intentional?
It
was 100% on purpose. I love a slow burn and that long process of friends-to-lovers
has always, even back in my teens, felt like my calling. For me, it’s the
journey not the destination that matters. As a reader, it’s something that I
always strive to find in books, and I remember back when I first started
reading romance novels as an adult, wondering “How do these people fall in love
so fast?” I wanted to see it happen not just be told that it did.
Are there any parts of your
stories that are inspired from parts of your life?
There
are bits and pieces that I take from the people or relationships I have in my
life. There’s a character in my first book Lingus that I wrote with my sister
in mind. When I first started writing Under Locke, I had quit my job about a
year before and I was at this point where I didn’t know whether to keep writing
or quit. Iris’ character at the beginning of the book is at this point where
she’s kind of lost with what she wants to do with her life, and I can look back
on it now and see that I subconsciously adapted that from my own situation. The
friendship and fierce love Sal and her dad share in Kulti is somewhat inspired
with my own relationship with my dad, though he’s a toned down version of Mr.
Casillas.
When did you first realize you
wanted to be a writer?
I’ve
been writing on and off my entire life. My mom has stories I wrote when I was
four years old saved somewhere, but it wasn’t until 2011 while at a job that I
felt was killing my soul slowly, that my now-husband said “Why don’t you quit
and write full-time?”
What do you do while you write?
Do you listen to music, watch TV, eat snacks, etc.?
Writing
with the television on is my favorite way to get work done. If there’s barbecue
chips around while I’m doing it, it’s even better.
Can you tell us 3 surprising
things about yourself?
I had
a website dedicated to NSYNC fanfiction that I wrote when I was fourteen (let
me go hide now), I love reading cheesy romance novels with heroes who have way
too much hair on their chests, and though I can’t handle high levels of angst
or cheating in novels, at all. It’ll ruin my day.
What’s the last movie you watched
and loved?
Dracula
Untold; Luke Evans as a vampire… be still my heart.
How about books…what’s the last book you
read and loved?
Radiance by
Grace Draven
When you’re writing, are you a planner or
do you prefer to wing it?
I wing it 95%
of the time. I usually just have an idea for who I want my characters to be. I
might daydream some scenes I want to write, and then I fill it in as I go
along… then rework it over and over until I can live with it.
How did you decide on your characters'
names?
If I told you
how many hours I spend looking at baby name websites or Wikipedia for surnames
from certain countries, you’d think there was something wrong with me. There
are Post-It notes with lists of names I’m considering scattered around my house
constantly.
How would you sum up the type of books you
write? Like a tag-line if you will…
What about… “Love
stories for those who have patience and can laugh at a good fart.”
Have you ever hated something you wrote?
Every first
draft I’ve ever written has given me nightmares. “This is the worst shit ever
written ever” has come out of my mouth every time I go over that first
manuscript.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
You are never
going to make everyone happy. Ever. Taste is one hundred percent subjective, so
write what you want to write and let it be something that makes you happy and
proud.
Again, thank you so
much for taking the time to chat with us. We really appreciate it. We can’t
wait to read more from you in the future!
Thank you guys so much!
Danielle Allen is a lover of football, fashion, film and fiction. Married to the yin to her yang, Danielle spends most of her time with her husband, family and friends. From karaoke nights to vacationing and everything in between, she enjoys making the most out of the life in which she’s been blessed. Danielle spends her days teaching and event planning and her nights writing.
