Episode
Writing Romance from Venezuela with Maria José Morillo | Celebrity RomCom
- Published
- Feb 18, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1826
- Processing state
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- http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com
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Summary
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when a swoony rom-com set in Venezuela meets fake dating, music, and telenovela-level drama? I’m joined by debut author Maria José Morillo to talk about romance, bilingual reading, and writing against the odds. In this episode, I’m chatting with Maria José Morillo , a Venezuelan author making her Big Five debut with The Ex-Perimento . We talk about growing up bilingual, discovering romance through Harry Potter and Twilight , and what it means to write English-language romance from Venezuela. We also dive into celebrity rom-com tropes, Latin American pop culture (yes, Miss Universe matters), and how Maria José went from fanfiction to landing a traditional publishing deal. If you love high-concept rom-coms, global romance, or behind-the-scenes publishing journeys, this episode is for you. 📚 Books Mentioned The Ex-Perimento by Maria José Morillo — Contemporary Romance | Celebrity Romance You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle — Rom-Com | Enemies-to-Lovers People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry — Friends-to-Lovers | Travel Romance Happy Place by Emily Henry — Second-Chance Romance | Emotional Romance The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero-Lacruz — Fantasy | Venezuelan Folklore Bochica by Carolina Florez -Cerchiaro — Gothic Horror | Latin American Folklore ⏱️ Episode Timestamps [00:00] Welcome & why Venezuela pop culture feels familiar [02:00] Becoming a reader through Harry Potter [05:00] Switching from Spanish to English reading [07:00] E-reading vs physical books outside the U.S. [09:00] From fanfiction to writing original romance [12:00] Why writing in English opened publishing doors [15:00] The book that didn’t sell — and why that matters [17:00] T…