Indie Support Sunday: Giuliana Victoria

Sep 21
10 min read

I came across Giuliana Victoria and her books thanks to another indie author, Evelyn Leigh. And I am eternally grateful for that connection. If you’re not following her yet, I promise you’re going to absolutely love the worlds she’s created. Giuliana’s books are hot and fun, they’re also deep dives into what people are like and that’s the kind of balance I crave in my storytelling. It also helps that once you start reading one of Giuliana’s books, you can’t put it down.

Quiver, the first in her Philia Players series, was also my first venture into Giuliana’s world. And since then I’ve admired her social media posts, the gorgeous art she’s commissioned and added every single book to my shopping cart. Resilient Love released earlier this year and the minute I downloaded it to my Kindle, I was inhaling the book and falling in love with the characters (every single one of them).

Her latest is a western, second chance, small town romance titled Something Tangled, Something True and is available right now on Kindle Unlimited!

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

In school, I always really loved escaping into short stories I’d write, and I remember my second grade teacher telling my mom to push me to keep going because one day, I'd be a well known author. My love of science and medicine eventually took over and I lost sight of that, and it didn't help that my dad is illiterate and I have learning disabilities/processing disorders, so reading and writing was always difficult, even if I enjoyed trying to do both as often as possible. I grew up in a really shitty school system and didn't have the help I needed until later in life. And then when I was dating my now ex-boyfriend, I'd finally found my way back to writing, but he discouraged me at every turn and wanted to make sure I knew I could never do it all, let alone have it all.

After recovering from years of abuse, I finally chose myself. So a lethal combination of spite and a relentless dedication to myself are what inspired me to start writing again, and would you look at that? I've written and published seven books and I'm a gynecologic oncology PA, published in multiple journals for my research in ovarian cancer, and I'm married to a partner who's given up everything to help me make my dreams a reality.

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?

The best part is getting to root for the underdogs and see them eventually come out on top, engaging with readers in a way trad authors aren't often able to (they simply don't have the time necessary to answer every DM), and getting to share my stories without watering them down to meet what trad publishers deem marketable.

The worst part is having to market my books 24/7, and spending tons of money to make them the best they can be while knowing there's this little piece of luck that decides whether or not I'll actually make any of that money back, let alone to be in the green financially.

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

AM I ALLOWED TO SAY ITS CAUSE I DON'T WANT MEDIOCRE WHITE MEN DICTATING MY WRITING? 😭Because that's the truth! I don't want anyone asking me to water down my writing to meet some perceived understanding of what readers actually want to read. I understand that this is absolutely not the case for every publishing house, but I don't see it being a fit for me, especially as someone who's super impatient and likes to work on my own timelines.

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

I read! Listen to audiobooks! Scroll Pinterest too and I love commissioning artists to bring my characters to life for me so I can see them better too. I also love helping other authors with sensitivity reading and alpha/beta reads because being a part of someone else's writing process is really inspiring to me.

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

Oh gosh, I have so many to recommend!!! Anything by Cynthia A. Rodriguez, but especially Another Sky (super emotionally messy, hard won second chance, and very poetic writing style), Lovefool (dark romance with the hottest simp papi), and First Comes Amor (ANOTHER simp papi, but he's a chef and Daniela is pregnant from a one night stand and I'm just obsessed with her because she's hysterical!!!)

Mafia but make it a rom-com with all the yearning and simpy men, andddd the FMCs are the badass enforcer and mob boss: A Love Most Fatal & A Love Most Brutal by Kath Richards

A Black woman being loved the way she deserves by a man who honors and understands her anxiety and fears from previous relationships??? Elevator Pitch by Evelyn Leigh

A hysterical dark romantic comedy that highlights Puerto Rican and Dominican cultures with a Black FMC working through her anxiety and PCOS/PMDD?: Shadowed Obsession by Evelyn Leigh

My Begrudging Scent Matches by Naomi Phillips for a bite sized omegaverse! The Lakefront Billionaires series by Lauren Asher has my whole damn heart. Face Off by Chelsea Curto or any of her hockey romances! Stumped by Anna P. (Yes, I'm reccing YOU to anyone who sees this cause it was so damn good!!!)

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

Repost, like, comment, share, READ, and do everything in your power to elevate the voices of authors, artists, editors, designers, content creators, etc in marginalized communities, especially if you're white, cishet. And when your peers speak out about social issues that might change how you go about your writing in the future, listen to them. Take their advice and really hear them. That is not the time to center yourself and talk about YOU. You sit back, take it all in and make the changes necessary to reduce harm.
Set aside time one day a week to evaluate marketing techniques and create content, schedule it out in advance so you can focus on writing the rest of the week, and don't wait to promote the book. Promote it while writing it!
Even if you think you don't need an editor, you do. Not everyone has the money for one though, so if you're not able to afford one, purchase a copy of Chicago Manual of Style (or whichever editing manual suits your needs) to learn everything you can about editing yourself and have your fellow author friends help you edit if possible. If you have the money for an editor, my biggest tip is to ensure you take them up on the sample edit to make sure they align with your writing style and don't try to change your voice, and if they don't offer one, pass on them. There’s multiple parts here but copy/line edits should be done by one editor and if at all possible, get a second editor for your proofread because the human brain is designed to fill in the blanks after we've seen or read something once. The first editor won't catch nearly as much as someone who's never seen the document before.
PAY ARTISTS. The same way you would want to be paid for your art (your words are art too), pay your peers. Don't use AI. Ever. There is never an excuse for doing so. If you don't have the money for art, you wait until you do and keep grinding with Canva posts and stock images in the meantime.
I cannot stress this enough: if you're thinking about writing outside of your lived experience, think about why. If you still think it's a good idea, hire sensitivity readers and ask around to work with people who have that lived experience. And always, always be willing to make changes based on their suggestions and frankly, this might be hard to hear, but you need to be prepared to toss the entire book out if the sensitivity reader(s) tells you you're going to cause harm with what you're writing. If you aren't prepared for that, please write what you personally know until you are.

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

I love LOVE. I’ve always read primarily romance and enjoy that warm feeling in the pit of my belly that I get when reading the genre. And I adore the flexibility that comes with writing romance because it's so much more than two characters falling in love. It's two people choosing one another no matter what the author throws at them, whether that be in a contemporary setting, fantasy, or something else altogether.

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

I don't think I'd ever write anything that doesn't have at least a romantic subplot haha. I guess I'd try my hand at a thriller and I'd love to write fantasy romance!

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

Most favorite: Enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, any and all pregnancy related tropes

Least favorite: Love triangles (not why choose, I LOVE why choose) and I hate anything with cheating of any sort. I don't believe cheaters deserve a second chance.

What are some tropes you want to write in the future?

Accidental pregnancy x 2 (one where the FMC chooses an abortion because it's what's best for her, and one where the FMC chooses to keep the baby and her partner is 100% supportive and turns out to be an incredible father).

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

I'm not sure there's much that's truly non-existent in romance, but rather, they're written by lesser known authors and marginalized authors who don't have the same support or visibility as more mainstream authors. That said, I'm all for more realistic and well-researched chronic and mental illness in romance.

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

I exclusively write open door because I love sex. It's a totally natural part of many romantic relationships and I don't think it should be villainized or made to seem ‘dirty’ or ‘shameful.’ And as a women's health PA, I feel women are most likely to be the victims of bad sex, made to believe we're ‘crazy’ for not enjoying mediocre penis. And since the romance genre is read more by women, I love writing spicy scenes that explore different intimacy based on the characters themselves. Not every couple or their unique story will align with a lot of spice, so my stories reflect that too. I just want to normalize asking for what you want and exploring different versions of what that looks like.

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

Each of my books contains pieces of my friends and family. Each character and their story is based on something I've seen or experienced in some way and thought was beautiful enough to put on paper.

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

Oh gosh, okay, um wipes sweat from brow.

The Philia Players series is a sports romance series that really delves into found family, strong female friendships and both mental and chronic illnesses. Quiver, Tremble, and Shiver are hockey romances and Quake is a very emotional soccer player romance. I'm not sure I could truly call this one soccer romance though because there's minimal on-page soccer.

Resilient Love is Secret Trials book one and it's an age gap, grumpy x grumpy, football (soccer) x rugby romance with tons of on-page sports and two emotionally damaged individuals learning how to be soft with each other.

Something Tangled, Something True is a romantic suspense, featuring a mega simp ranch daddy and a Latin dance instructor with an epic second chance and the coolest friends and family.

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

My favorite FMC I've written so far is Adhira and oddly, her MMC, Elijah, is my favorite MMC to date. They're just so different from any other characters I've ever written. Their voices are unique, and the way we get to see them evolve so much throughout their story was honestly such an honor to write. I just adore them!

And I know you didn't ask, but I can't answer this question without mentioning Mayte, because she's based 10000% on my IRL best friend and even though she's only a side character so far (in Something Tangled, Something True) she will have her own book and it's going to be EPIC.

If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?

David Corensweet as Ryder and Christina Milian for Lola (in Something Tangled, Something True).

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

More than I care to admit. I pour so much of myself, my experiences and my traumas into these books, and I feel the more I do that, the better and more relatable the story.

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

There are too many 😭 But in general, I want to write more sapphic and why choose. I'm bisexual, I write a lot of bi characters too, but I want to start incorporating more sapphic and poly love into my works, and have plans to do so in the very near future.

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

At least one MC (if it's sapphic, they're both hella simps, if it's M/F, the MMC is a yearning, whimpering, simpy mess for her) is always a simp. And you'll always find found family or something similar in my stories.

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

I'm currently knee deep in the next Rosa Ranch book which is a sapphic cowgirls romantic suspense. I'm onto the alpha reading stage of the next Secret Trials book and I've got a dark academia, romantic murder mystery Christmas novella in the works that's about 50% complete.

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

Everything. I want my readers to feel seen and understood in a way they might not often feel when reading other books, and if nothing else, I hope they're able to escape into the worlds I've created as a safe place for themselves.

AUTHOR’S CHOICE

Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks and audiobooks: This question is sick, Anna 😭 I love ALL OF THEM! For special editions and forward facing shelf trophies, I want hardcovers. Paperbacks as a casual shelf trophy. Ebooks for when I'm physically reading the book. But ultimately, if it's available in audio format, that'll be my first choice because I'm always on the go and have a really long commute to and from work so I love passing the time and decompressing with audiobooks.
Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense: Also so rude to ask 🤣 Everything but historical, it's just not my thing, but if I had to choose one… contemporary.
Single or Dual POV
Standalones, series or standalones in a series: I like to have the option of reading more in the world if I enjoy it but not feeling obligated
Open door, ajar door or closed door romances
Music or silence when writing: Rain sounds
Plotter, pantser or plantser: Pantser/discovery writer for contemporary and plantser for romantic suspense. I need that extra bit of rigidity to properly weave the suspense threads with the romantic subplot.
Water, tea, coffee or….wine?: Or a lavender London Fog
Cold or warm weather: Fall is the best 🍂
Write better in the morning, afternoon or night? Afternoon, but my spicy scenes are best at night because they're usually really unhinged and fun to edit later.
Illustrated or photo cover?