RENATA LEO

BIO

Renata Leo is a queer author, aspiring startup founder, and sexuality/feminist/mental health advocate (as well as so many other random things!) from southern NJ. When she’s not reading or procrastinating on writing her second book, you can find her pulling tarot cards, practicing yoga, causing her friends to lose pub trivia, playing video games, covering all of her food in Buffalo sauce, and bingeing sitcoms or reality TV.

MSWL

I mainly write memoir and self-help, but mainly read smutty romance, so I’d be thrilled to help an author who writes in any of these genres (adult or YA). My first book was self-published through Amazon and Ingram Spark and it’s being sold in several stores in South Jersey. I would be happy to impart any knowledge authors might need on that process.

Some of my faves:

  • “Delilah Green Doesn’t Care” and “Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail” by Ashley Herring Blake

  • “One to Watch” by Kate Stayman-London

  • “If the Shoe Fits” by Julie Murphy

Things I especially love:

  • Stories with several little stories within them (interconnected or not)

  • “I know we shouldn’t but…”

  • Love borne from a reality competition

  • Spiritual/witchy stuff

  • Polyamory

  • Kink

  • Fun holiday themes!

  • Self-help that has to do with loving yourself

DNF’ed:

  • “You, Again” by Kate Goldbeck (no likeable MCs)

  • “Queerly Beloved” by Susie Dumond (MC was upsettingly insecure)

  • “Witch Please” by Ann Aguirre (felt like everything was TOO driven by unrealistically mind-blowing sex)

Themes/genres that I would NOT be a great fit for:

  • Horror

  • Romantasy/Fantasy

  • Characters with physical disabilities

  • Anything glorifying diet culture

  • Self-help that glorifies hustle culture