AfterDark Team: Before we start, just wanted to make sure whether we call you Rose or Mary, or simply Rosemary in full? Love your username though!

Rosemary: Rosemary, full. And thank you for the compliment on username❣️❣️❣️

AfterDark Team: Great! Can you tell us how your writing journey began?

Rosemary: I started writing in 2012 when I was sandwiched between raising three small, special needs kids and my only parent who was suffering from dementia. I used to lock myself in a closet and let my imagination run wild. It was the only escape I had at the time after a long work day, meals and baths and cleaning after work, then tucking everyone in bed for the night. Evening writing of 750 words per session would reduce my anxiety.

In 2013, before turning 40, I decided to self-publish my first book. I self-published my Dark Romantic Suspense book in 2014. I joined Wattpad soon after when a lot of my contemporaries were joining every social writing site that would get their work seen. But I hadn't uploaded any stories to Wattpad until early 2022 when I had previously removed my entire backlist from book distributors to share with Wattpad readers. I wasn't selling because my marketing was so poor. And I had to reevaluate my writing goals: did I want sales or did I want reads? I realized that I want my works to be seen and read and commented on. Wattpad became my new publishing plan. It's been five months of uploading at my leisure and receiving a steading increase of readers, votes, and comments from really kind and supportive readers. The boost in my confidence has helped me plan my future on Wattpad. I have a lot of goals for writing and releasing to the Wattpad community.

My inspiration is who is a phenomenal Romance writer. She has served as a mentor, sharing her experience and knowledge. And now, after such a warm welcome by readers and writers, I can't see myself publishing anywhere else. I've found what I'd been searching for—reader and writer engagement.

AfterDark Team: *Sends you lots of virtual hugs.* It's sad to know you have gone through so many hardships but we're glad you're here with us. You've come to the right place! So can you tell us a little bit about your life outside of Wattpad? Besides writing, what are your hobbies?

Rosemary: Thank you so much for your lovely sentiments. I appreciate your support and encouragement.

Outside of Wattpad, I'm still taking care of two of my three children. I'm a glorified chauffeur, but I love to read—listening to books while I'm shuttling kids to and from school, doctors appointments, and errands. I also like to read home magazines to use decor ideas for my own home improvement projects. I love DIY. I have more tools than I know how to store. If something breaks, I usually fix it. Home organization may not seem like fun, but it centers me, giving me back time to devote to writing. I also spin yarn from wool. I have a beautiful spinning wheel that I bought fourteen years ago while pregnant. It was in storage for a decade until I rediscovered my passion for spinning these last couple of years. I don't knit anymore, but I plan to return to knitting shawls when I have enough handspun to use for projects. And I love watching Romance films and tv shows. I'm a Hallmark junkie. I just finished Partner Track on Netflix and it was brilliant.

As a former attorney, I knew the grind and cutthroat nature of the legal industry. I also study French and watch French TV shows and films. I'm obsessed with police procedurals and murder mysteries, so I'll watch a lot of those on tv and streaming, keeping them running in the background while working on the administrative tasks of my writing business and home life.

AfterDark Team: And we have a multi-talented writer with us! If there was any genre of show or movie you had not watched yet, what would it be?

Rosemary: Honestly, I've watched a lot of genres because my family has diverging taste in stories, and I hoped to one day become a screenwriter. But I will say that I don't see enough family rated Horror films. A jump scare story that little kids to great grandparents will watch together. A more elevated Goosebumps type of stories, especially the recent iteration on Netflix was such a great family horror series of films. And I hope if they're made, they have diversity and inclusive experiences.

AfterDark Team: Let's hope for the best then. What inspired your characters to life?

Rosemary: Wanting to see characters much like myself and characters who I'd like to engage with in real life but was too afraid or introverted to connect with.

My heroine is Afro-Latinx of Caribbean descent from a community that I grew up around. She's smart and eager to prove herself professionally, and I saw myself in her. But I wanted a stronger woman, someone who wouldn't let anyone walk all over her ever again. I also envisioned a hero who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. With their strong personalities come loads of chemistry but even more resistance as they get to know each other. So the inspiration for most of my characters is my inner heroine struggling to be free, but the heroines I've watched in Spanish Telenovelas over my lifetime. I've loved the high drama, extreme luxury, and twists and turns that come from a Spanish Romance.

The hardest part is toning down the inspiration and constant desire to create because there's such great material out in the world to draw from and make my own.

AfterDark Team: We love strong characters here! 'Toning down the inspiration', does that mean you have a new story in mind? If so, could we get a little teaser?

Rosemary: I'm delighted to finalize a series I've had on the back burner. The first book is called Shepherds & Lambs, I like to think of it as an Erotic Cozy Romance. Grace Shepherd is a professor of sex in societies who must return to her childhood home after the suspicious death of her father—the leader of a sex cult. She must infiltrate the cult, not only to reveal the truth of her father's untimely death but to win her inheritance. Yet, she must contend with the interim leader who wants her father's former position and the FBI agent who wants to solve the case.

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SHEPHERDS & LAMBS by Rosemary Rey

Grace folded her arms and sunk into the chair. "I've never had anything to do with his business. As you may already know, I've lived in Maine since I attended college locally. I haven't returned to California in ten years." She shrugged, looking at her pink fingers. After all that time away from him, the coldness in her body was finally seeping out of her bones. She finally felt warm and alive. "I haven't spoken to him in that time."

The agents looked at each other. They seemed to communicate through stares and pursed lips. "Do you know who would want to murder your father?" Agent Yaeger asked.

"I don't." Grace folded her arms, the eggs in her apron bumped against each other.

Agent Wolff rubbed his bottom lip while looking down at the farming and cooking magazines on the coffee table. "Ms. Shepherd, are you aware of who gets The Glen upon your father's death?"

Grace shook her head. She didn't care about inheriting his vast estate. The only thing she cared about was his promise to answer the one question she'd been asking since the moment she could form a coherent sentence.

When she'd asked him for the information, he'd often said, "Over my dead body, Gracie."

She smirked at the memory.

____

AfterDark Team: Fantastic! We look forward to seeing more of your works in future. Lastly, we have a question from TamaraLush - she recommended you and she did it well! We are having such an amazing time with you. So here it is - Where do you see your writing career on Wattpad in 5-10 years?

Rosemary: I love Tamara. She's been such a big inspiration since I read long ago that she was an Amtrak Writer in Residence—a dream of mine.

Wattpad has given me so much in this short period of time. After spending so many years attempting to make sales as an indie author, I realized that I wanted to engage with readers more than anything. Waking up to votes, comments, follows, and my books being placed on reading lists has made up for the last eight years of minimal sales and reviews. It's wonderful to experience the highs and lows of a reader's thoughts as they go through the narrative, specifically which paragraph made them want to express their first impressions.

I want to place all of my backlist books on Wattpad within a year. I have unrevised drafts of completed books that I couldn't see myself self-publishing because of finances and the traditional publishing notion that the story was too quiet. I see myself publishing more than twenty books within five to ten years on Wattpad. Being asked by Wattpad to be an exclusive Creator is a dream—not gonna lie. However, I know it's important to pay my dues by increasing followers, readers, and publishing often to retain the momentum of discovery. Every day, I'm gaining readers.

It would be lovely to break ten-thousand reads then go into the millions as so many of the Creators have experienced. But I'm starting with the small goal of publishing all of my work and planning future releases. Oh, and I can't forget to say that I'd love a media deal for one of my books. I have a few RomComs that are ripe for the big screen. Dream big or go home is my new mantra, and Wattpad has made me believe it's absolutely possible. 

*****

And that's a wrap! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. We wish RosemaryRey all the very best for her future writing projects!