Featured Interview With Celina Thompson
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Texas but moved to Colorado in 2021 for medical reasons. I don’t have any pets, but I am preparing to get a service dog to assist with my disabilities.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always loved a good story. I still have my favorite bedtime stories from when I was a child. I realized my fascination in second grade when I read every Nancy Drew book the library had. I’ve had an affinity for writing my entire life, but started writing my debut novel while in the ICU with a blood clot in my brain. My best friend told me to write through my feelings, but I didn’t want to journal negativity. Instead, I wrote about vampires and made one of my characters deal with what I was feeling. Initially, I didn’t intend to publish it. It was just a way to cope with being hospitalized so much. About 40,000 words in, I realized I had written all the life lessons I learned on my deathbed. I continued writing so people would have a fun way to learn those lessons when they need them. I made some controversial choices with it. For one, the pacing is slow to represent how everything drags when battling a chronic illness. Seriously, everything takes more time. I also decided to describe everything extensively. This is because a lot of people with chronic illness experience the world in excruciating detail due to hypersensitivity. It’s not just the story in Sanctuary that advocates for disabilities, but the experience of reading it as well. The audiobook will be coming out in 2026. There may be a sequel in the works. It would be a stark contrast to the first book. Moving to Colorado put me in a much better place regarding my health, and the sequel will represent that—the hope that things do get better.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I love reading books written by my friends; I read Mariah Ankenman, Bernadette Marie, and Angela Sylvaine a lot. My favorite genre to read is romance, but my tastes are widespread. I’ll read everything from cozy to romantasy to dark romance in a single sitting. A lot of my favorite authors are also the ones who inspire me. Some of them are: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Sylvia Moreno-Garcia, Caroline Kepnes, Emma Slate, Charlaine Harris, Navessa Allen, Gillian Flynn, Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, Gabino Iglesias, and Cynthia Pelayo. Each one inspires me for a different reason. Some of those reasons are profoundly personal, and those authors will always hold a special place in my heart.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
La Mamácita Mafiosa is a why-choose dark romance about a bisexual woman who runs the Mexican mafia. It’s set around Día de los Muertos and has a lot of cultural elements from my dad’s side of the family. It’s perfect for those who want to mix up their spooky season TBR. The most important thing is to look at the two-page trigger warning list before reading. About a third of the book is smut, and there are some disturbing horror elements, so it’s best to know what you’re getting into ahead of time.
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