Odette Writes

Disclaimer: I love New York.

My husband and I went to NYC for the first time for our 4th wedding anniversary. I did not know what to expect, but since I was little I have been intrigued by the magic of this city thanks to movies like “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” “Elf” and “Miracle on 34th street” (I am sensing a Christmas theme going on here..) also, I like to think I am Blair Waldorf every once in a while. One of the reasons why I love NYC so much is that it feels like home (weird I know). Walking and hearing so many languages being spoken and seeing so much diversity always makes my heart swell. Pair that with a beautiful park in the middle of the chaos and the amazing food and fashion, is a dream come true! Plus let’s not forget the fact you can WALK and take public transit ANYWHERE. The food is to die for, you have every single cuisine available, molded to every want and craving. The second time we went to NYC was this past October, and we got to take my parents! It was a top-three trip for me not only because we discovered the best tacos the United States of America has to offer (shout out Los Tacos #1 in Chelsea Market and Times Square) but seeing the child-like wonder in my parents’ eyes made me realize that traveling is more than sight-seeing, it’s a way to externalize what is in your heart. All of the could be’s and the would be’s, the day dreaming becoming a reality.

I love Atlanta, it has been my home for the past 16 years and I don’t think it would be viable for Dan and I to ever move away, but what I know is that I think of New York constantly and I day dream about the move to the big city that never was and probably never will. It’s an itch that I am dying to scratch off, maybe one day.

Until Next Time,

Odette

About 10 years ago, the romantic comedy kind of disappeared no? I remember going to the movie theater with my friends and my then boyfriend (and now husband — hi Danny!) on any given Friday and we would watch Reese Whiterspoon and Cameron Diaz fall in love, then nothing. Super heroes, dystopian trilogies, and a horror renaissance took over and it wasn’t until Netflix revived it (kudos also to Hallie Meyers-Shyer for “Home Again”) than the rom-com is going through a second coming. Thankfully, books never stopped being published about ordinary people falling in love. I don’t know about y’all, but a book that I can disappear into – especially during the high stress of life- is therapeutic. I cannot thank enough authors like Emily Giffin or Jasmine Guillory, for their words helped me relax when I felt like I was drowning in responsibilities (full time job + full time school = disaster). During those high stress times, I don’t think I could have enjoyed something by Tom Clancy per-se. What I am loving now though, is the fact that we are seeing this new rom-com and romance revival through the eyes of diverse characters. “Crazy Rich Asians” “To all the boys I’ve loved before” “The wedding date” those are books that have sold, that have gone into successful and mainstream movies, and that have found an audience regardless of how the characters look like. This is progress! I could go on and on about the importance of the romantic comedy, but most importantly, the importance of representation. Seeing “Crazy Rich Asians” be a super successful movie and reading “The wedding date” gave me the courage to write my own book, and while I haven’t found success like Kevin Kwan or Jasmine Guillory, I am not giving up. Hopefully one day another person trying to write their own story could reference “Royal Revolt” as an example as well!

Til next time,

Odette

Hello there! I am Odette Salazar Stone, or Odette for short. I am a newly 30 year old Latina woman living in metro Atlanta, and for the first time in what feels like 15 years, I am unemployed. Every single site or article I read on “how to change your career path” recommended to have a job lined up prior to you quitting your current job, and I of course did the opposite. I gave my two weeks not knowing where I would land, and it was kind of liberating. Shortly after I had begun my sabbatical (we shall call it a sabbatical no?) I confided on my husband a story I had come up with: a mixture of murder, royalty, studying abroad, intrigue and power trips. The protagonist, a Mexican-American woman like me, felt trapped at her job (starting to sound familiar yet?) and didn’t feel like she belonged so she took the opportunity to go study in Europe for a chance at a better job (I was totally projecting). Anyway, she was at the wrong place, at exactly the wrong time, and the rest is history. Dan (my awesome husband! Hey Danny!) and I set up a schedule that worked for us and well, we wrote our first book. The more I wrote and the more I let my imagination run wild, the better I felt. I realized along the way that even though I loved to read many books and relate to its heroines, I could not really picture myself as them. None of them spoke Spanish or had my background, so I took matters into my own hands and created her. I don’t think our book – a work of fiction that definitely falls onto a chick-lit thriller category – will change the world. However, if it opens doors for more Latino authors, with Latina protagonists who aren’t the exotic girlfriend, or the maid, or the drug cartel boss, then this struggle will definitely be worth it. The journey to publication started for Dan and I about three weeks ago, when we queried to 24 literary agencies, with 8 rejections so far. Hopefully, this website would be an outlet for somebody else going through the same motions as we are, looking for an opportunity that would amplify our voices!

Til next time,

Odette