As we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month, Latina writer and filmmaker Marcela Mariz launches the Rom-Com novel Let it Rain — a fast-paced, humorous tale about a young woman trying to stand strong and reconnect with the world, despite life’s disappointments and inflictions.
Marcela Mariz
Let it Rain takes place in Eaglewood, a small and tranquil fictional town in Connecticut, home to twenty-six-year-old Mandy Olsen. It transports the reader straight into the 80s: the decade of neon co- lors, legwarmers, synth-pop, teenage-empowerment films, and blissful happiness, at least for Mandy. It ends in the mid-90s, the era of unwashed, matted-down hair and untucked flannel shirts — the literal representation of the grungy mess that her life has become.
“The inspiration for Mandy came from a family friend,” says Marcela Mariz. “She was the most high- spirited and cheerful person I knew. She had this idiosyncratic way of dressing and talking, even her house was decorated as if she was still living in the 1960s. I was always fascinated by her. But when I got older, I discovered she had some heartbreaking losses in the 60s. So she preferred to pretend she was still living in the best years of her life. Behind her joyful smile, she hid a profound sadness.”
After suffering a devastating trauma, twenty-six-year-old Mandy Olsen also reverts to living in a time when she felt loved and cared for — her free-spirited high school years in 1986. But when Mandy’s deepest secret is exposed and becomes a cruel joke between her colleagues, she is forced to reassess her lifestyle and come to terms with the fact that her romanticized way of life is actually just a dead- end escape from reality.
Mandy uses her humor and self-deprecation as a coping mechanism for her fears and downfalls. Sup- ported by a cast of unique characters, all dealing with their own personal challenges, the reader follows Mandy on a journey of self-discovery as she challenges how we think about life, grief, and loss.
Let it Rain is Mariz’s debut novel for adults, and fans of her writing can expect more inclusive content in the near future — she’s currently working on a third novel as well as screenplays that traverse taboo subjects and bring characters with diverse backgrounds into the spotlight:
“Latinos are highly underrepresented in Hollywood and also in the publishing world. We need more inclusion-oriented initiatives,”
Author: Marcela Mariz
