Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebecca Proenza. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Rebecca thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I have always been a creative person. I started writing my first book when I was 12 years old, but I wanted to pursue a career in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Big difference, I know. When I took Chemistry in college, I realized that I lost interest in pursuing Astronomy as a career, but I never lost interest in outer space. I love writing my stories and working on them with people. When my editor friends at Sphere of Compassion edit my books, it’s always a joy when I see that they’re enjoying my stories. I’m also working on another project with two friends that I got my master’s degree with. They always tell me that they have fun working with me and enjoy seeing how far the story has come. They are very excited for people to see it. The joy of writing and the joy I feel from seeing people react is an amazing feeling. Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I did become an astronomer. I’d probably have more money and a more stable work environment. Stable as in set hours with a guaranteed amount in my paycheck. I’d have that, but I wouldn’t have that same joy as being a writer. I wouldn’t be able to inspire people with a story and my passion. It would have been nice to discover a life-sustaining planet, but a simple story can inspire many different people, and I love the idea of that more. Also, it’s not like I don’t have a steady job. I have my health benefits with a steady paycheck. It’s not my dream job at Pixar, but I get by. I do that job for health insurance, and I write my novels and other stories for myself and the world. You have to do what you love, but you also have to work your way there. I’m very fortunate that I was able to start working on my passion at a young age, and I would not have been able to do that if I continued with astronomy after discovering my dislike for Chemistry.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an author who started my first book, Protectors of Humanity: Magician Ways when I was twelve years old. I realized that I wanted to share my fiction stories with the world when I was halfway through book two and my computer crashed, deleting everything I did. It was depressing, but I rewrote my story. It was better the second time, so my computer crashing was a blessing in disguise. I originally published myself, but got picked up by a publishing company, Sophie Publishing House (who sadly closed down recently, so I’m in the process of republishing with a new company). I published all four books in my series with them, book four being the conclusion. I have those four young adult science fiction novels, but I’m also working on two other novels. One is a stand-alone alien science fiction novel. The other one is a young adult zombie science fiction/horror stand-alone novel. Both are in the editing phase right now. I am also working on another project with a small team. Two friends who I graduated my master’s with are helping me write it. I’m not making any announcements about that project yet, but I should be soon. I believe what sets my stories apart from other stories is that my characters go through hardships and realize something valuable in the end. Sure, everyone goes through hardships, but these hardships were things I wrote to cope with bad events that have happened to me. When people experience my stories and have experienced similar events, I hope to shed light on those readers and viewers that they are not alone and that their situation does have a silver lining, and things do get better. What I am most proud of is my age. I was twenty-one when I published my first book and earned my bachelor’s degree. Most people at twenty-one aren’t doing many things. I was very young when I knew what I wanted and went after it. I hope this can inspire young people that they can do the same no matter what their passion is.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

To support other authors, I always buy their books directly and not from Amazon. This financially supports other authors just like me. Buying artworks and handmade stickers from their Etsy shops can also do that if you appreciate art more than literature. There are other things you can do to support creatives other than purchasing from them. If there’s a local author reading, you can attend those. If there’s an art show, you can go view their work. Even if you don’t buy from them, you can share their works with others if you like what you see. There are creatives who can’t get noticed in the industry, so they would publish an original animated series on YouTube, they’d post original art on their Instagram page, or they’d type up a story and post it on a site for people to read for free. A simple like and share can go a long way for them.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

When I was twelve, I read a book series. It was Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan. I fell in love with it and even developed a small obsession. I started to love reading fiction stories and even started creating my own. Reading his novels, I was inspired to do the same. I was inspired to go far with my life. I was inspired to do something amazing and share it with the world just like he did. Writing my first book, losing it, and writing it again, I realized that I wanted to inspire young people to do the same. I wanted someone to experience one of my stories and find inspiration to do something amazing with their life. That is my mission for writing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebeccaproenza.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proenzarebecca/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-proenza-7277ab1a3/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProenzaRebecca
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtkO9C0tMcy1ty-gd0o1_RQ
• Other: (My YouTube channel is not up and running yet, but it should be soon with something exciting!)

Image Credits
The digital drawing was created by Misha Bellerive.