Meet Marissa Secreto! Marissa is a senior marketing major at Emerson College about to publish her book, The Haunting at Saint Peter’s Academy. The book will be published through Wilde Press, a branch of Emerson’s Pub Club! Here’s what Marissa had to say about her book:
What inspired you to write The Haunting at Saint Peter’s Academy?
I have typically written contemporary fiction in the past, but I knew wanted to try to write genre fiction for this. I had the idea of ghosts at a boarding school, and the novella grew from there. I also enjoy writing middle grade / young adult fiction, and so I wanted my main characters to be young but still represented as strong characters.
You decided to donate all proceeds to Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. What was your motivation behind choosing them to receive your donations?
I volunteered here in high school, and it changed my life. They are a wonderful organization where people of all ages with mental or physical disabilities can come learn how to ride a horse. Everyone you meet is so enthusiastic and it was great to build strong relationships with both the riders and the other volunteers.
What was the biggest challenge in writing The Haunting at Saint Peter’s Academy?
Timing and self-doubt. I wrote this story over the course of a month, which was definitely an added pressure on myself. I also had to push through the self-doubt that my story wasn’t good enough and believe that, even if it didn’t get chosen, it was still something that I was proud to have written.
The biggest success?
Getting published! It’s an incredible feeling to know that people have read your work and liked it enough to want to publish it.
Is this the first time you have been published? If so, how does it feel?
Yes! It feels so amazing. I am so excited to be published and get to see my book in a physical bound form.
Is there anything you wish you could change?
About the process? Not really. I’m just super grateful about how hard everyone worked on making my book a reality.
What is one thing you want everyone to know/keep in mind about your book?
Even though it’s a middle grade novella, it still has themes that anyone at any age can enjoy!
Anything you’d like to add?
I hope you enjoy reading it!
I’d like to offer a quick congratulations to Marissa and commend her for all the hard work she put into writing The Haunting at Saint Peter’s Academy! It couldn’t have been easy! As a member of Pub Club myself, I had the opportunity to work closely with Marissa’s book, and I’ve got to say, it’s a must read! Make sure to stop by Pub Club’s book launch to purchase your copy of The Haunting at Saint Peter’s Academy for only $8.00! And, in addition, remember that all the proceeds from Marissa’s book will go to benefiting the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center! For more information about Pub Club’s book launch event, check out our article!