Conversations with RosaLinda Diaz

Today we’d like to introduce you to RosaLinda Diaz

Hi RosaLinda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Writing novels was never my goal. Yet here I am with my twelfth novel, Mafiella, published in August 2024. I had intended to write screenplays, but on a morning drive to Malibu, where I was working after graduating from Pepperdine, I had an idea for my first novel, Gray Mist Soldiers. That’s the moment I switched my focus to prose. Each novel I write is a unique experience. Some are like Athena springing from the mind of Zeus fully formed. I have a title, can visualize the cover, and generally know how the story will progress. Others have a long gestation period. My newest novel, Mafiella, was one of those novels that took its time. The initial plot for this novel was originally about a young woman who marries into a mafia family, and the rom-com style hilarity that ensues as she tries to assimilate, similar to the film Mickey Blue Eyes. I have a rule that I finish the project I am writing before starting anything new. This new mafia book would have to wait a while. As the idea stayed with me, it morphed into something entirely different and exciting. When I finally sat down to start writing, Mafiella had gone from a rom-com to a young adult, suspense novel full of intrigue, romance, and deep-seated family secrets. I’m grateful the journey of writing Mafiella was so long and convoluted.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Each author faces struggles along the journey to publication. I faced many of the same hurdles as everyone else. Piles of rejection letters or no letter at all after a submission was sent. Those were painful times. I love my characters and stories, but I wasn’t connecting with people in the publishing industry who felt the same. Through a serendipitous social media post I was introduced to an editor who suggested I submit to a new small publishing press. That’s how I landed my first contract. I was overjoyed. This was it. I was on my way! This story did not have a fairy tale ending. It was like getting married after a first date. The publisher seemed like a great fit, but for a variety of reasons it was not the right place for my debut novel, Bee Stings, or the sequel Bee Keeping. More hurdles lay in store for my author journey. I’m grateful to that first publisher. I learned how the publishing process works. Without that initial stamp of approval giving me confidence as a writer, I’m not sure I would have continued writing beyond that first series.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My first love was poetry. I wrote my first poem in my middle school biology class. It was about a dragonfly. I have it framed on the wall beside my computer. All our biology poems were entered into a district-wide competition. I won first place. My poem was displayed at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. I’m dyslexic, and poetry gave me the freedom to express myself with words. It was a life-changing experience.
Now, I write novels in a variety of genres. My latest, Mafiella, is a young adult novel. This is my first foray into the young adult and mystery/crime genres. I love writing for younger readers. The books you read during these years are formative. I can remember some of my favorites, and what an impact they had on me as a person. A novel about the mafia may not seem like an obvious choice for foundational reading, however, Mafiella focuses on the main character, Stella. The series follows her as she discovers who she is in relation to the family she was born into, versus who she is as an individual, the values she wants to hold herself accountable to, and who she wants to become. Which is something each teenager goes through themselves.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Los Angeles has changed dramatically since my childhood. While I can wax poetic about these changes, the pulse that keeps LA vibrant, and marching to the beat of our drummer remains the same. You can still find pockets of fiercely individual creatives making art in Los Angeles. Despite the growing traffic woes and the skyrocketing cost of living this city is special. Los Angeles is a sprawling city seeded by thousands of dreams we all water with our hopes, sweat, and tears to bloom out of the parched soil of reality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://authorrosalinda.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorrosalinda/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosaLindasIdiaz/
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7N8VB2P