Indie Support Sunday: Darlene Rodriguez
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
Much like me, Darlene Rodriguez knows that she doesn’t write her stories. The characters tell her what to do and she just follows their lead. It’s also similar to how Darlene and I connected—an author friend of another author friend shared one of her books, told me about it and I found my way to Darlene’s page. And devoured Tattooed Hearts, a story so beautifully inspired by her own disability and experiences.
While contemporary romance is what she writes now, Darlene does want to write a dark romance one day, especially since she’s ready to explore every single trope in the world. She’s also written poetry (another thing we have in common). Mine will never see the light of day (ever again), but I can’t wait to read her collection of poems.
Darlene’s currently working on the rest of her Rainer Brothers series and so much more! For now, you can get all her books in Kindle Unlimited.
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I was inspired to write by loneliness. Living with a disability can make you feel so invisible, yet judged and seen at the same time. I was told to be smaller than I already was, and so my head became a space where I’d just imagine I was elsewhere, someone else. And since there was only so much space in this head of mine, I eventually wrote them down.
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
The best part is the community, being able to be among people who get you in a way others probably don’t. The worst part sometimes it gets lonely making it so easy for crippling self-doubt and imposter syndrome to sink in. Being on social media doesn’t help too much, but you slowly figure out how to make things work for you. Another thing is that there is so much advice, which is both good and bad. You have to wade through all of it and see what works best for you.
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
Honestly? I can’t remember, but I can be impatient, so I’m going to list that as a factor. I also really like being hands on and having control/ a say in what happens to the book.
When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?
I listen to music, sing at the top of my lungs around the house, and I’ll also watch TV/movies or read.
If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?
Harbinger by Anna Noel, What If It’s You by Shauna Mcdonnell (her 4Clover series too), Cruel Prince by Ashely Jade, Rugged Hearts by Ashley Alexander, Wild Card by Ashely Munoz, Phantom by Greer Rivers, Bad Honey by Aubrey Taylor, Before Us by L.N White, The Ones We Fight For by Katie Golightly, Love Sick by Cynthia Rodriguez, The Truth Never Spoken by Ambar Cordova
Honestly, I can keep going but I’m going to stop there! This doesn’t even include traditionally published authors.
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
Follow your own path.
Numbers & Others success doesn’t equal your worth.
Write like no one will ever read it, and then publish it.
Believe in yourself. (that’s a big one)
Be your own hype man. (this is another big one)
Always, always, write what you love. (I gave you an extra one)
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
I have been obsessed with romance and love since I can remember. Yes, I have always been a hopeless and hopeful romantic. My first crush was when I was 4 or 5 years old. And I think the fact that I couldn’t love myself because of my disabilities made me yearn for that romantic kind. Love without judgement or boundaries. My favorite thing about the romance genre is that anyone can be loved for being who they are and love is universal. You can find it in other genres too.
If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?
I’ve dabbled in poetry, and as much as I would like to write in that genre again one day, I prefer fiction. So, maybe fantasy or paranormal, but it’d probably be more of a subgenre of romance.
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
Enemies to lovers specifically, when it’s a bully turned lover, but only because I was bullied as a kid.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
Why choose and masked men are my top! Small town, but I’m a city girl so maybe like a university where it feels like a small town but is still in a city. I want to dive into Dark Romance one day. I want to try a lot of tropes, maybe even all of them, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?
Infertility, long relationships that don’t end up in marriage. Disabilities. How someone can ‘settle’ rather than going for the person they really want. Love after love.
If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
I chose open door romance because it shows another form of intimacy. And to be completely honest, I cringe every single time I write a sex scene because I was born without a vaginal canal, so it’s hard for me to really write sex scenes. Luckily, the characters usually take the wheel and are like “sex scene now” or “actually open door isn’t needed, but touching and oral works.” I get ideas in my head, and then the scene unfolds like a movie. So, I just write down what they want.
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
Reckless Sin came five years ago? The Rainer Brothers Series is five years old at this point. So this series started out with Book 3, but it was completely different than it is now (we aren’t going to talk about it) anyway, so Nathan sprung from that story which led to his big mouth personality and scenes that were inspired by a story I read on Wattpad and two published books—it got me into the whole bodyguard romance. From Reckless Sin, Irresistible Desire was born because I am more of a pantser and there was a twist in that story which led to the revival of a character. And then Banessa was larger than life so she had to tell her story.
I don’t come up with the plots; the characters tell me what to do really and I’m just along for the ride most of the time.
Tattooed Hearts came about after I saw my childhood bully. It was going to be a revenge story where she ends up falling for her bully’s best friend. BUT then I was like why does it have to be a revenge story? Why can’t the FMC just try to be living her life despite her disability. And thus the story was born.
And as for my recent release, Secrets of the Heart I got the inspiration from a quote. I was still messing around with the idea of Wattpad and they had an open novella contest where they give a shit ton of prompts and you write a novella based on one or more of them. This one, specifically, was: “Every family has that one member of whom no one speaks, and that's you.” From there, the story was born.
Long story short, my characters, my own imagination, books, TV shows, movies, music, quotes, and real-life events inspired these stories.
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
No. Absolutely not lol.
Umm… I don’t know where to start.
Reckless Sin is about a bodyguard reluctant to fall in love because of his job and his boss’s daughter who he’s forced to watch over.
Irresistible Desire is about a bouncer and the exotic dancer becoming each other's distractions so they won’t go back to their exes.
Tattooed Hearts is about a tattoo artist who swore off of love for the sake of his business until he has a one-night stand with an aspiring author who becomes his new roommate.
Secrets of the Heart is about a reluctant heir, who needs a fiancée to claim his family's fortune, and his daughter's nanny—who has every reason to say no, until she learns his brother is the man who ghosted her.
BUT as a whole, my books are about (so far) love, acceptance, and a place to belong.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
Of the women, Cece and Banessa are my favorite because they’re unapologetically themselves. As for the men, it’s hard to choose. But Sebastien is currently my favorite, and he’s not a lead until book 4 of the Rainer Brothers series.
If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?
You’re going to make me go on Pinterest for this! It also depends on which book. I’ll name the main characters because there’s too many sides.
Reckless Sin: Chris Wood as Nathan and Barbara Palvin as Karina (who I know is not an actress, but I’d cast her anyway.
Irresistible Desire: Tom Hardy as Cole and Cierra Ramirez as Banessa.
Tattooed Hearts: Dove Cameron (with brown hair) as Melody and I have no idea for Cassius because I never thought this far with him. Maybe Liam Payne (make him hispanic) but he’s a singer.
Secrets of the Heart: I can’t tell you because I accidentally deleted my moodboard for their story 😭.
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
There are bits and pieces of me scattered around all these characters. But Melody is probably the one I put a lot of myself into.
What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?
I want to show people that we all deserve to be loved for who we are.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
Real, relatable characters who embrace love in all its beautiful, messy forms. Swoon-worthy moments shining light on vulnerability and hope, and the belief that we all deserve to be loved for who we are.
What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?
So, I am slowly writing book 3 in the Rainer Brothers series, which is a fake dating romance, but I’ve written some of book 4, which is a marriage of convenience/enemies to lovers. I also have book 2 of Inked Hearts, that still has to be edited. HOWEVER, I tend to work on multiple projects at once. And right now, that’s book 3 in the Rainer Brothers series and either book 2-3 of Inked Hearts. I also have Billionaire's Novella 2, that I’m currently sharing unedited over on Patreon.
When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?
I’m hoping readers will feel a rollercoaster of emotions, but most importantly, I hope they’ll feel like they can belong somewhere in the pages of these stories.
AUTHOR’S CHOICE
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense
Single or Dual POV
Standalones, series or standalones in a series
Open door, ajar door or closed door romances—but I don’t really have a preference.
Music or silence when writing—Music can be distracting sometimes.
Plotter, pantser or plantser
Water, tea, coffee or….wine?
Cold or warm weather
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?—So, I write better in the morning on the computer and at night on my phone.
Illustrated or photo cover?—This is a tough one. I love both. But I’m definitely more drawn to illustrated!
Commentaires