ABOUT ME
Marcelina LoBue is the teenage author of Masks of Faded Dreams, a project that has taken over her life for the past year. When she's not daydreaming about mythical fantasy realms, fictional morally gray men, or secret rebellions, she's focused on school and student council. Her hobbies, aside from writing, include reading, listening to music, baking, singing, and hiking. You can often find her writing while watching sunsets by the cozy California coast.
Q&A:
Q: What was the inspiration for Masks of Faded Dreams?
A: Ooh, that is a very interesting question...with a very complicated answer. In short, I'd been attempting to write a full-length novel for the longest time but ended up scrapping Every. Single. One. I even wrote in different genres (such as dystopian, mystery, thriller, etc.) to see which would make the final cut - but I finally realized that fantasy romance was where I needed to be! I brainstormed a potential idea for months but came up with nothing...one day, however, I was in the midst of taking an English state test that gave me a writing prompt for nature and the elements - like fire, water, and air, among others; my brain was whirling and whirling, and that's how the basic concept of this story began to blossom.
Q: What's the timeline for Masks of Faded Dreams? How long did it take for you to outline, write, edit, etc.?
A: Here's the oversimplified timeline:
Came up with the idea: in the works since March 2023, but didn't get the specific plot idea until the beginning of May
Outlined: May 9th, 2023 - June 3rd, 2023
Began writing the first draft: June 4th, 2023
Finished writing the first draft: July 8th, 2023
Developmental edits: July 19th, 2023 - August 6th, 2023
Beta readers/feedback: September 16th, 2023 - October 1st, 2023
Line & copy edits: October 7th, 2023 - October 15th, 2023
Designed cover/formatted: October 21st, 2023 - November 1st, 2023
Proofread: December 18, 2023 - December 31st, 2023
Preorder campaign/ARCs/marketing: February 12th, 2024 - April 1st, 2024
Release Day!: April 2nd, 2024
Q: Did writing/publishing at such a young age ever affect you? How did you get through it? What advice would you give to other young authors?
A: Quite frankly, it was really difficult to write AND publish this book at such a young age; oftentimes I'd have to choose between school/homework and working on this project. I pushed a ton of significant responsibilities out of the way and received an unimaginable amount of doubt along the way, making my imposter syndrome even worse. With all that being said, I forced myself to just keep going - to persevere regardless of the outside voices and keep doing exactly what I loved to do: write. Some people around me didn't think a teenager could publish a novel, and, well, I'll admit that it genuinely pushed me to do just that. I wanted to show other young writers that age is simply a number; NOT a limitation to what you're capable of. I wrote Masks of Faded Dreams more for myself than anyone else, though it was an added bonus to prove that statement to be true and inspire anyone I'm able to.
Now if I could give any piece of advice to a fellow young writer/author, it'd be this: don't write to publish. Publish because you truly love what you've written. I think we authors tend to get so absorbed in the idea that we have to publish any and all books we write to the point that we write with the idea of readers' opinions in mind. It ultimately distracts you from the core of your story. Instead, write the stories you desire to see in the world - you can always decide later on if it's of publishing quality!
Q: Is there a Spotify playlist for this book?
A: There is indeed! You can check out the official Masks of Faded Dreams playlist under the Spotify account @authormarcelinalobue
Q: How do you pronounce the characters' names?
A: Although I prefer to leave the pronunciation of each character's name a mystery for the sake of open interpretation, here's a list of how I imagined their names:
Maia Urtisti (My·a Ur·tis·t)
Clarissa Urtisti (Cler·is·a Ur·tis·t)
Itzal Caddel (It·zal Ca·del)
Phoenix Becoi (Fee·nix Be·coy)
Astra (As·tra)
Elijah (A·lie·jah)
Kai Hale (K·ai Ha·il)
Nadia (Nah·d·a)
Governor Ekon Kage (A·con Cage)
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