FAQ
How did you get into writing?
I've been making up stories all my life, but I only started writing them down when I was thirteen. A friend told me about the book she was writing, and I realized that all the worlds I had in my head were actually stories that I could turn into books. I started working on what would eventually become House of Shadow a few days later.
What are you currently working on?
As I'm querying House of Shadow, I've turned my attention to my guilty pleasure book, a sapphic reimagining of Hades and Persephone set in 1817 New Orleans.
Wait, you do research? Tell me more!
My research is on a little pause at the moment, but my senior year of high school I conducted a year-long research project on the effects of authentic representation of marginalized identities in fantasy literature on readers. You can read more about it here. I'll hopefully be starting up again in 2025 with an independent study at Johns Hopkins.
Don't you also do music stuff?
I do indeed! I'm an independent singer/songwriter, and you can find my music on all streaming platforms under Tessa Barcelo. Much of my book-inspired music is released with the Bookish Songs Collective. If you want to hear unreleased songs, you can check out my YouTube channel. I've also written two musicals, one of which is available to watch here.