A Bit More About Me…

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida, then ventured off to North Carolina and Illinois for graduate school. I earned my B.A.s in English and Sociology at University of Florida, my M.A. in English at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and my PhD in English at Illinois State University. Throughout my college years, my research specialty was children’s and young adult literature and their adaptations (especially fan fiction). At ISU, I also taught children’s and YA literature courses for many future English teachers as well as general education students. After six years of teaching, I transitioned from college instructor to instructional designer. I now help design and build online courses across multiple universities.

Outside of academia, I spend my time writing and revising my picture book manuscripts, meeting with my critique group, creating videos for my educational YouTube channel, Ever Educating, and spending time with my family and friends. I love drinking coffee ice cream milkshakes (with oreos added in), creating crafts with my Cricut Maker, and exercising in the pool. I’m a homebody who loves relaxing with my iPad and reading some great fan fiction or watching the newest science fiction show on Netflix.

What Can You Find on This Site?

As I experience this journey of becoming an author, I’ve been researching picture book writing, traditional publishing, literary agents, and more. I’ve loved reading blog posts and watching YouTube videos that are so informative and motivational. I know the importance of having an author website, even if you don’t have a book deal yet. So I decided to begin building the foundation of my author website. I already have one for teacher/YouTuber me, but an aspiring author one just makes sense. You never know when you’ll get an amazing email from an agent or editor!

On this website, I’ll post news about my trying-to-get-published experiences (Write), book reviews (Read), and resources I’ve found about writing, publishing, marketing, pitching, etc. (Learn). I’ll also create ideas for teaching children’s and YA literature (Teach). In my free resource library (Resources), I’ll post any PDFs or other materials I create based on what I’m learning. If you’d like access to that resource library, the password will be included in my email newsletters. You can sign up for the newsletter here. I don’t have a set schedule for my newsletter at the moment, but you’ll get access to my library immediately.

Let’s Connect!

I look forward to sharing my journey with you. I hope you’ll decide to follow along!

Want to chat about your own journey or resources? Find me on Instagram as @ErikaRomeroWrites.

Prefer email? Contact me at contact[@]erikaromerowrites[dot]com.