We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marissa Eller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

Something we don’t talk about enough as authors – at least until well after it’s happened – is when we have to shelf books we love. This is a process we call “dying on sub,” which is both dramatic and appropriate. In traditional publishing, this means that you’ve signed with an agent, and your agent has taken your book out on submission to editors at publishing houses. This is the “on sub” part.

It’s all very exciting, and it feels like your life’s biggest dream is just a breath away. Then, months pass with nothing, or nothing but rejection. and at some point, a decision has to be made. The decision was mine. I asked my agent to pull the book I loved so much from submission and switch focus to my next one. That was painful. I thought that book was my ticket to my dreams coming true, but instead, I put it away, because in the end, that next book was so much better. That “next book” is my debut novel which publishes in summer 2024.

I ended up rewriting that first book from scratch, and hopefully, the new and improved version will make it out into the world someday soon.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an author, professor, and academic consultant with chronic pain and an abundance of emotions. I hold a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University. I live in Hickory, NC with my family and two rescue cats, all of whom I couldn’t love more if I tried. When I’m not writing, reading, or working with students, I can be found thinking entirely too much about my favorite TV shows, obsessing over a band I’ve loved since I was fifteen, or enjoying an afternoon nap.

My debut young adult romance novel JOINED AT THE JOINTS is forthcoming from Holiday House Books in Summer 2024.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’ve always been a weird person, someone who doesn’t find relatability in other people often. In books, though? I find relatability all the time. In art, in music, in TV, in movies, I find pieces of myself that I’ve never been able to explain or share with anyone.

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is providing that for someone else.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There’s a group of people on Facebook that are truly my core friends, and they’ve been so helpful. It’s called Disabled Kidlit Writers, and everyone is welcome. The journey to traditional publishing can be lonely and isolating for anyone, but especially so when your work features disability themes, and this group has allowed me to make friends with other disabled authors, watch them succeed in incredible, mind-blowing ways, and vent when going through tough times.

I joined when Lillie Lainoff, the group’s founder, announced her debut book deal, and I wish I had known about it sooner. It’s so incredible to see how far everyone has come.

Ultimately, I wish everyone could have a core group like DKW, supportive, united, and welcoming.

Contact Info:

• Website: marissaeller.com
• Instagram: @themarissae
• Facebook: Facebook.com/MarissaEllerBooks
• Twitter: @MarissaEller

Image Credits
Melissa Eller (Headshot)