For many authors, the writing bug attacks us when we’re young. Indie author Marcelina LoBue has had the writing bug for years… But she’s still young herself! This teenage author published her first book just after fifth grade, and she hasn’t slowed down since. Nowadays, when she’s not listening to true crime podcasts or staying heads-down with her education and student council, she’s writing about fictionalized crime with mental health rep. We recently sat down to talk about her unique publishing journey.
Nikki: Thanks so much for chatting with me today, Marcelina! To kick things off, let’s talk about genre. What genre do you write in? Is it also your favorite genre to read?
Marcelina: Funnily enough, my writing and reading tastes are almost polar opposites! Me getting bored of things very quickly might have something to do with that… who knows? After dabbling in writing fantasy and dystopian in middle school, I realized my skillset did not include detailed worldbuilding and magic systems, so I switched to something more realistic and fast-paced — mysteries/thrillers/horrors with a sprinkle of romance. That community has been very welcoming and apparently I do a good job on the plot twists part of it. However, I don’t really read much mystery. My go-to genre after a long day of school is contemporary romance (sometimes dark romance), as well as romantasy. I will not read a book without romance.
It’s interesting that you gravitate toward a much more mundane genre as a reader! I’d love to hear more about your books, though. You’ve got two out right now, right? And an astonishing 17 works-in-progress?
That’s right! Both of my books out at the moment are standalones, but couldn’t be more different in terms of vibes and mood. The Blood that Divides Us, my first ever mystery, leans more into a murder mystery with a singular murder being investigated. My newest one, though, is the one I recommend everyone to start with — it’s called Labeled Innocent, Presumed Dead. It follows a more traditional law enforcement/FBI/detective style with a secret society organization, a love triangle, the found family trope, and a missing family member.
Both are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but please check trigger warnings.
And you have another book coming up, don’t you?
I do! There’s no hiding here, huh? My third book is called Two Hearts in the Crossfire and will be released sometime in June of 2027 (exact date TBD). I’m currently 15,000 words into the first draft and it’s inspired by the Scream franchise with a childhood friends-to-lovers romance.
I always love the thrill of starting a new manuscript and watching that wordcount grow. And you’re self-published, correct? Do you mind telling me about that journey?
I am self-published and wouldn’t want it any other way! I’m a control freak and perfectionist, so it’s refreshing to be able to make decisions without others’ permission.
It all started when I was in fifth grade, which also happened to be in the midst of the COVID pandemic/online learning timeline. We had to write a short story and my version of “short and kid-friendly” was an 18,000 word coming-of-age horror. My teacher was so impressed that she gave me extra Zoom call time to do editing sessions; she also researched publishing options accessible for an eleven-year-old, and walked me through the whole process. That book was obviously horrible in hindsight and I’ve since unpublished it, but it opened my eyes to Amazon KDP. That’s the publishing platform I still use to this day.
Oh goodness, you’re making me feel so old right now. I also wrote my first novella around fifth grade, and finished my first “publishable” full-length manuscript when I was in middle school. I never published it, thank goodness, but once you’ve got that writing bug, it never really goes away. Given that you started publishing so young, I’m curious to hear advice you’d give to aspiring authors.
If you only write when you think you want to write, you’re never going to write. What this means is, you’re never going to feel in the right mood all the time. Sometimes you have to force yourself and force the words out. Fifty words is still fifty words. Progress is progress. Although if you wait until you’re excited to work on it, weeks (if not months) will go by and because you’ve been out of the story for so long, it’ll be a million times harder to get back into it. It’s an endless cycle of a toxic relationship. So, no matter your mood, go write a paragraph.
That’s fantastic advice. Now, I’m curious about style… Where do you stand on the Oxford comma?
I… LOVE IT! Commas, to me, are like the ketchup to French fries. You can have it without, I suppose, but it’s bland, boring, and could be interpreted as something else entirely. (See what I just did there?) Without it, it feels like the sentence is only half-complete and someone needs to come back and finish the rest.
Ha! That’s funny, I’ve never heard anyone compare commas to condiments. Now I’m curious… What’s one thing nobody has asked about your books, but you wish they would?
How much of my characters’ trauma is based on me. The answer is a lot and none at the same time.
Interesting. I suppose you’ll leave readers wondering, then. Speaking of reading, given that you’re still in school, how do you feel about required reading?
I hate it. I hate it so much. I’ve been a writer ever since I was eight years old, so trying to find time to do that (which is my biggest passion) and keep up with the school’s outdated reading curriculum has been a skill I’ve yet to master. Younger generations’ declining literary rates is a hot topic in the media right now… and I personally think it’s partly because of forced reading. I have a few friends who refuse to read because they were only exposed to the required books and struggled with them, so they assume all books are like that. Schools are never going to provide romances or modern fantasies, which are the most popular/beloved genres. One goal I have as an author is to be the reason someone falls in love with reading again and prove not all books are boring.
That’s a special goal to have. What’s the best thing a reader has told you?
One of my lovely readers said this in their Goodreads review for Labeled Innocent, Presumed Dead: “You’ve truly crafted a masterpiece with this unforgettable story with complex characters plus an extremely hooking plot! This book made me laugh, swoon, smile, cry; all the emotions tbh. I can’t wait to buy the print copy so that I can transfer my ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE annotations! Had the absolute BEST TIME reading this!” Even six months later, I come back to this on a daily basis for motivation.
I love that… Reader hype really can get us through the writing slump sometimes. I just have one more question for you, Marcelina. Are there any tropes you try to avoid? Any you love to run with?
Insta-love is probably my least favorite trope ever, so I try to steer clear… but writing a 400-page standalone with enemies-to-lovers where romance isn’t even the main plot makes that tricky. You have to speed things along at that point. I draw the line at cheating, not-like-other-girls, and smut as a whole, though. I’ll never touch those. But! Enemies to lovers, “who did this to you?”, “touch her and die”, and found family will never get old for me. I could use those for the rest of my life and still find ways to reinvent them.
Amazing. Thanks so much for sitting down with me today and chatting, Marcelina. Wishing you continued success in your writing career!
The future is bright for Marcelina LoBue, who’s just getting started on building a backlist that’ll be as long as a CVS receipt by the time she’s old like me. To follow her journey, swing by her YouTube channel and website.
Want to discover more indie authors across fantasy, horror, romance, sci-fi, and beyond? Keep an eye on my Indie Author Spotlight Series for more conversations with creative minds worth celebrating.