Today we’d like to introduce you to Sylvia Morrow
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I was a little kid. I used to write wild stories all the time. I lost that confidence along the way somewhere but in 2022 a group of friends in a romance readers Discord server helped me find it. We were discussing silly ideas for stories, and they just kept encouraging me to write them. Finally, I gave in. The server also contained a lot of romance writers, who happened to love helping newbies learn how to navigate the technical aspects of self-publishing. By January of 2023 I released my first novella and joined those writers in helping to teach other new writers how to do the same. It all happened fast, but as someone with the patience of a toddler I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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?
It has been quite bumpy. I don’t handle rejection very well, so when all of my first stories did pretty poorly it was hard to keep going. Thankfully, I had friends and family to remind me that most writers have to work a long time before getting anywhere. And I actually got comparatively lucky to have one go viral less than a year into publishing, when my novella Stuffed got popular on TikTok and Instagram. With popularity comes critics, and the harsh comments and terrible messages (telling me to off myself because they didn’t like what I did to a character, for example) were tough to take at first. Now I’m used to them. I learned very quickly not to read my reviews.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a romance author who specializes in stories that have been called “weird but hot.” I dabble in the fantasy, paranormal, dark, and sci-fi subgenres of romance, but am most well-known for the sentient object projects I’ve done. I think what sets me apart from others is that I never hold myself back because an idea seems too strange, or I think it might not sell. Whether it sells thousands of copies or two copies, if it makes me smile, I’ll write it. And if it is a good idea, no matter how weird it is, it gets put on the to-do list. My “superhero story but without superheroes in it,” Goat Girl is hard to explain to people in under a minute, but it’s probably my favorite book I’ve written. People mostly know me from Stuffed, and that’s a lot easier to explain (a sentient pillow becomes a man to win the love of the woman who owns him) so I tend to recommend that one when in situations where I have to be brief. While those are the two I recommend most often, I’m proud of all of my books. What I’m most proud of, however, is just being my goofy self no matter what.
What does success mean to you?
Well, it’s different for everyone, obviously. For me it’s being able to pay my bills on time each month. Being able to help other new authors learn how to navigate the world of self-publishing. Waking up each day and still looking forward to writing. Knowing other people enjoy what I do. That’s so fun. I get to do this thing I love, get money from it, help people, all while entertaining people? What?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sylviamorrow.carrd.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsylviamorrow
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088837824107
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sylvia.morrow
