Thank you for being a valued member of our community! Because you are a paid subscriber, you get exclusive access to the complete, unedited interview with Marina Ramwell, the brilliant author behind the True or Knot series.
Below, check out the full conversation where Marina reveals her chaotic writing schedule, how her day job as a Software Engineer influences her Omegaverse worlds, exclusive updates on her upcoming releases, and her passionate final thoughts on what it truly means to be an author.
1. The 3-Word Pitch
For readers discovering the True or Knot series for the very first time, how would you describe your books in three words?
Marina: Multicultural, intriguing, and spicy
2. The Double Life
By day, you’re climbing the corporate ladder as a Software Engineer, and by night, you write romance. What does your typical writing day look like, and do you prefer writing in the morning or as a night owl?
Marina: Definitely a night owl! I can’t write during working hours; my job is mentally exhausting enough as it is. But I do write while I walk the dog, in the bathroom, while I wait in a queue, on weekends, and 80% of it happens in the evenings, when everyone’s asleep, and I have all the peace to focus.
3. The Bookish Life
When you sit down to read or write in the beautiful Canary Islands, what is your ideal reading day, and what is your go-to reading snack or beverage?
Marina: If it's the weekend, I love to read and write on the beach, with the salty breeze and the sound of the waves. I also do a lot of writing lying in my hammock. My usual drink is coffee, but if I want to treat myself, I have a "Barraquito," which is a typical coffee with cinnamon, condensed milk, lemon peel, and liqueur.
4. Current Reads
What book is currently on your nightstand, and what genres do you enjoy reading most when you’re not writing?
Marina: I have a couple of technical and management-related books on my nightstand that, honestly, I've been putting off for ages. My e-book TBR is long and filled with Omegaverse and romance in general. Right now I’m reading “Summoning Trouble” by Luisa Perez.
5. The Warning Label
If your writing process had a warning label based on how you balance engineering, gaming with your son, and writing, what would it say?
Marina: “Warning: chaos and sleepless nights ahead.”
6. The Soundtrack
Music can set the perfect mood for a book. If Beta or Knot had a theme song or a track on a soundtrack, what would it be?
Marina: Let the tears fall – Kelly Clarkson
7. The Animal Critic
We hear you have an attention-seeking dog! If your dog could read, how do you think they would react to you spending your free time typing away at your books instead of giving them belly rubs?
Marina: Oh, he gets belly rubs! And since I write a lot during our walks, sometimes we end up walking more than intended, so I think he would approve.
8. The Spark
What first inspired you to become a writer, and when did you realize you wanted to pursue publishing your stories seriously?
Marina: Being an author had always been a dream of mine, but then things happened, and somewhere between my engineering career and a divorce, life kind of crushed my creativity. I told my son once that I wanted to write a book someday, and when he asked me to make up a story for him, I couldn’t. So that was a turning point. I started doing writing exercises and reading a lot more fiction to rekindle that spark. It took me some years, but it seems to have worked.
9. Planner vs. Pantser
Because your day job involves engineering and logic, does that carry over into your writing? Are you a meticulous planner/plotter, or a write and discover type of author?
Marina: A bit of both. I start with a rough idea. I draw a few steps and cornerstones and then let my imagination run free and discover the story as it goes. I knew Lars’ story from day one! But what was supposed to be one book about a very indecisive Alpha and how two packs formed… somehow transformed into a five-book series. Don’t ask me how; it just happened.
10. The Challenge
Which part of the writing process do you enjoy the most, the cozy parts, the spice, or the tear-jerkers, and which part challenges you the most?
Marina: I enjoy all of it! I struggle a bit with the spice. Though it's getting easier as I go. Some of the tear-jerier parts just poured out of me and surprised me a little; I didn’t expect those to be so emotionally healing.
11. The Advice
What is the best writing advice you've ever received that you would pass along to aspiring authors?
Marina: I still think of myself as an aspiring author, so this question is funny. But I would say, find yourself a good dev editor. You have no idea how much I’ve learned from mine, Steph Rawlins. Also, just write. With all the mistakes, typos, plot holes, and weird phrasing, just get the idea out. You can have as many iterations as you need later.
12. The Corporate Setting
Pack or Knot and Beta or Knot both feature Paylance, bringing a corporate tech-style setting into the Omegaverse. Did your real-world experience as a software engineer inspire the setting or the mysterious security breach plotline in Book 1?
Marina: Yes, I’m lucky to love my job, but it is true that I have a lot of corporate shenanigans and anecdotes to get inspiration from.
13. In a Crisis
The Fredriksson pack deals with some intense dynamics. Out of all the characters you’ve created so far across Book 1 and Book 2, which of your characters would you trust most in a real-life crisis?
Marina: Lucía Oramas, definitely! Now, her character is heavily inspired by my own personality, work, and experiences… so I don’t know what that says about me. sigh. Jonas from Book 3 is a close contender.
14. Character Surprises
Did any of your characters like Lars, the new Omega, or the Beta in Book 2 completely surprise you and take the plot in a direction you didn’t originally plan?
Marina: John, from Book 2. I added this character because I needed someone to balance the pack’s dynamics, and it turned out to be perfect for the job. I wish men like him were the norm, honestly.
15. The Big Screen Dream
If the True or Knot series were adapted into a movie or TV series, what would you be most excited to see brought to life on screen?
Marina: Oh, Hannah’s and Lucía’s love. It's so cute and tender, and I loved writing them falling for each other.
16. The Takeaway
Beta or Knot comes out on July 29th! What emotions do you hope readers experience while reading this new installment, and what can readers look forward to next from you?
Marina: I wish more people knew that strength and vulnerability are not mutually exclusive. You can be strong and yet fall prey to manipulations and coercions. If a woman or really, anyone in this situation reads this and finds the courage to step out of a bad relationship… I’ll consider all this worthwhile.
I’ll keep bringing the multicultural aspect to the packs. I like thinking that in a society like the one in my books, we would all be more open to diversity of all kinds. I think the Omegaverse genre, in general, does a great job with this, and it's one of the things I liked about it. Other authors are doing a great job incorporating LGBTQ+ and BIPOC representation, but I was kind of missing a strong multicultural dynamic, which is why I added it so heavily in mine. But I’d love to add even more diversity going forward.
I’m already editing book 3, though I can’t give you the title yet; it’s scheduled to come out in November. And I’m one-third of the way through books 4 and 5. Hopefully, we’ll close this series in spring 2027.
17. The Dinner Guest
If you could have dinner with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Marina: This is an impossible question! All right, I’ll bite. Ayn Rand. I know, I don't agree with all of her philosophy, but debating with her would be amazing.
18. The Time Machine
What is one book you wish you could experience again for the first time?
Marina: “Búscame donde nacen los dragos” by Emma Lira. Can’t explain it; I just loved that book.
19. Fictional Travel
If you could visit any fictional world for a day, where are you going?
Marina: Is it selfish to say… mine?
🛒 Support the Author: Shop the Series
Ready to jump into the corporate Omegaverse? Use the links below to secure your copies!
Pre-Order / Purchase Beta or Knot:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
BookVault
Bookshop.org
Catch Up on Book 1 (Pack or Knot):
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookshop.org
Connect with Marina Online:
Official Website
Instagram
💭 Closing Note from Marina
"Just adding that my first language isn’t English; it’s Spanish. But that didn’t stop me from chasing this crazy dream. I worked really hard to rebuild that figurative “muscle” that's creativity, and even harder to improve my English to reach this point.
So people using gen-AI to “write” and “draw” because they lack the “natural talent” have no excuse. The learning curve, the journey, is a substantial part of calling yourself an Author. If you’re not putting in all the work, you’re just a prompter. Leaving aside the ethical and environmental implications, if that's what you want to be, all right, but be honest with your readers and, above all, with yourself about it."
