Dark fantasy and other formerly taboo genres have found a home on the internet in the digital age, thanks largely to social media and self-publishing.
We sat down with author Mariel Pomeroy, also known as @Book_Daddy_ on Instagram, and asked her the tough questions…
Like the trials tribulations of being an author with a social media-centric platform. And how on earth you handle the daily negativity of the internet?
ANNIE COSBY: Before we jump into things, can you share what you write?
MARIEL POMEROY: Sure! Right now, I write high-fantasy, dark romance, with a huge focus on mental health. My goal when I started writing these books was to tell people things that I needed to hear when I was younger but dress it up and make it digestible and comfortable.
I know that sounds kind of like an oxymoron when you hear “dark romance, but life is full of incredibly dark themes that are really hard and difficult. I wanted to do that justice.
AC: Romantasy is the word on everybody's lips right now, but dark fantasy romance is a bit different. Can you talk about like, what defines that dark piece of it?
MP: There are various answers to that. For me, it's addressing real dark themes that exist in our world now, but once again, dressing them up as something else.
I think we just delve deeper into hard realities and do it in a fantasy setting. But most of the authors I work with, they're talking about real things.
There might be shadows and vampires and things like that, but at the core, the themes are very real.
There might be shadows and vampires and things like that, but at the core, the themes are very real.
And I think the dark parts come from those real things.
AC: There’s long been a stigma against romance readers and writers, especially dark or erotic stuff. Do you think that’s changing?
MP: There's definitely a stigma. It’s slowly being dismantled, but it takes a while.
Honestly, I think the biggest thing that changed was social media. People are a lot more outspoken, and they can be because they have a platform, where they didn't before.
It goes kind of hand in hand with why there's so many people able to actually put out books now, because they're self-publishing and you can actually market yourself. Before, you were very much tied to publishing houses, and everyone was vying for, like, four spots with the big publishing houses. Of course, they were very selective, and they still are, but I think they're slowly kind of coming around to different genres and voices.
AC: And you're writing stuff that, for a long time, traditional publishing houses wouldn't even consider publishing. Not the mainstream ones, anyway.
MP: Yes. And that's changing. I am seeing that, which tells me they're really paying attention to what the public wants. But I do believe that's come out of self-publishing. That’s come out of social media.
It's come out of people finally being able to actually make themselves heard.
Social media has its negatives, and I have my own struggles with it, but I do think because of it there’s also a lot more material out there that we didn't have before. I think it’s been a big reason for how publishing has progressed so far.
Social media has its negatives, and I have my own struggles with it, but I do think because of it there’s also a lot more material out there that we didn't have before. I think it’s been a big reason for how publishing has progressed so far.
AC: How did you decide how to publish your first book?
MP: I had this moment when I was getting to the point with the book where I was like, “OK, eventually I need to figure out what to do with it.” Because after you actually write the thing, you have this product… What are you going to do with it?!
That can be very scary because so much time, so much effort, so much heart and soul goes into it. But that's just the first 25% of your actual journey!
So I was doing research into publishing and obviously traditional publishing sounded really exciting, but I knew that with how my brain works, I would need a little bit more instant gratification. I knew I would struggle to do the querying process.
At that time in my life, I needed something that would move along a little bit faster. Whether that meant it was going to fail or not, I needed to keep moving. That's when I started looking into self-publishing.
And of course, I quickly realized if I just put it out there, I’d be screaming into the void. I was going to need an audience for it.
And of course, I quickly realized if I just put it out there, I’d be screaming into the void. I was going to need an audience for it.
I was probably a year out from even publishing the thing, but I knew I needed to start.
AC: So what did you do?
MP: For the next year or so, I dove into social media. I was posting, like, six Instagram Reels a day and posting Stories 15, 20 times a day. I was doing lives, Q&A's, reactive content so that, you know, the algorithm would do its thing and people would find my account.
I was collaborating with other Bookstagrammers and different authors. That slowly shifted my page from what had only been me talking about reading and Jennifer L. Armentrout and Sarah J. Maas to slowly transitioning it into being writing content and about my own journey writing a book.
And I honestly think, especially for that first book, that social media journey kept me going, because someone was holding me accountable at all times.
I told the world I was going to do it, and then I had to do it because there were people watching.
AC: Did it work? Do people follow you from that kind of third-party content to your own book?
MP: Yeah. Of course there's always casualties, but as a whole, a lot of them stayed. I'm not good at a lot of things, but I think what I was good at was just being honest about who I was. My content was me. It wasn't a persona. It wasn't a bit or something. It was very much me.
Which is terrifying, right? Because it's vulnerable and people oftentimes feel the liberty to take that and attack it and do whatever they want with it. But I was just putting myself out there.
As a result, I think a lot of people felt very comfortable in the space and felt like they could talk to me because it is just me. Like I'm not a big deal. I'm just writing a book.
I'm trying to do this thing like anyone else. And I love having you guys here with me. And I think that's the biggest thing when it comes to social media: if you can build a following that truly enjoys you as a person, I think you're golden.
My content was me. It wasn't a persona. It wasn't a bit or something. It was very much me. Which is terrifying, right? Because it's vulnerable and people oftentimes feel the liberty to take that and attack it... But I was just putting myself out there.
AC: You just said, “I was just putting myself out there” ... which is like the hardest thing in the world to do! Especially when it's a topic that, like we said, still has a stigma attached!
How did you get the courage to do that? I mean, did you ever second guess it? Or are you like, this is just me.
MP: Oh, I second-guess it all the time. *laughs*
I think it helps that there were so many people who walked so I could run. The people, for instance, who I had followed when I was just starting to write. I saw what people were doing out there, and I saw how brave they were and how sure they were of their words.
I might be OK at writing, but when it comes to actual dialogue, I struggle. I can't figure out how to say something right, or I'll ramble into the abyss. So speaking out loud has always been hugely courageous to me and seeing other people do it was inspiring. Even if they don't know that they did that!
I also think it helps that a lot of the things that might sound controversial to others that are being talked about within the community aren't really controversial to me.
Like being open about sexuality, being inclusive of sexuality and gender, things like that. That's not controversial to me. So it's not hard for me to say it.
There may be people in my comments who disagree, but I'm very sure of my beliefs. So I'm not really second-guessing things like that.
I think a lot of people felt very comfortable in the space and felt like they could talk to me because it is just me. Like I'm not a big deal. I'm just writing a book.
AC: How do you handle those people in your comments?
MP: I don't get a whole lot because at the beginning, I was very clear. And I always tell my friends who struggle a little more with it that you have to set boundaries.
The internet is full of people who want to disagree with you, who want to dislike you, who want to tear you down. Even though they don't know you! It's just a part of it. It's like their day job, you know?
So it’s OK for you to have just a zero-tolerance policy in this situation.
For me, if it's comments, I usually just leave them if it's something that's not harmful to other people. Because sometimes those negative comments illustrate the point I was making. So I'll leave those and let those people fend for themselves. Because others will see what you said and let you know it’s ridiculous.
It's just negativity. And often out of pocket stuff, like “I hate your new hair.” It's usually really dumb stuff.
But if it is harmful to the community itself, I just hide the comment. I don't like to engage because there's no point.
It bothers me a lot less now than when I was just starting out because I realized really quickly that those people must be really unhappy to be able to leave such comments. I think a lot of it is projecting and a lot of it is discomfort about themselves.
And I'm just not going to have a part in that.
I got a comment like a month and a half ago that was kind of gross. And I made a Reel about it, with the name blurred out, and I said, “OK, if you guys ever deal with this, please don't believe it. Cause it's so dumb.” So you can also use that negativity as a lesson sometimes.
It bothers me a lot less now than when I was just starting out because I realized really quickly that those people must be really unhappy to be able to leave such comments. I think a lot of it is projecting and a lot of it is discomfort about themselves.
AC: That's really insightful. What's next for you, if you can share. What are you working on?
MP: I'm working on a few things. I'm working on the next book in my current series, and then I also dipped my toe into the contemporary world.
I'm still in the beginning phases of this third book. It feels really daunting, but I'm excited to really get into that.
And then I've gotten to like the 75% mark on the contemporary, and I hit this wall. Sometimes when I hit a wall like that, it means something's wrong at the front end of it. She's kind of like an ongoing project that I just always come back to when I need a moment to do something else.
But hopefully in the next few years both of those will be published. In the meantime, I just plan on bopping around social media. And it's been so much fun being in this community! Just existing in it is super fun.
