Today's Read Contributor On August 1, 2025, author Rebecca Ross shared her inspiring journey from working a traditional 9‑to‑5 job to becoming a New York Times bestselling author and viral sensation on BookTok. In a newly published interview, Ross described how she carved a writing career through early mornings, late nights, and the steady accumulation of drafts and perseverance.
Ross began her publishing path with the 2018 release of The Queen’s Rising, which earned her a small but loyal readership. However, it was the April 2023 debut of Divine Rivals that marked her true breakout. The novel, a fantasy romance featuring epistolary magic and war‑torn lovers, struck a chord with online communities, particularly BookTok, where emotional clips and fan art pushed the book into viral territory. Its sequel, Ruthless Vows, cemented Ross’s status as a major voice in romantasy, and in 2025, the story’s film rights were acquired by Paramount Pictures.
In reflecting on her path, Ross emphasized the importance of discipline and consistency. She often wrote before sunrise or during lunch breaks, embracing the quiet solitude needed to create immersive stories. According to Ross, the act of simply finishing a first draft—however messy or imperfect—was essential to building the confidence to keep going. She shared that success doesn’t always come with a single shot, but rather with persistence through multiple attempts, setbacks, and rewrites.
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Looking to the future, Ross revealed her next novel, Wild Reverence, is slated for release on September 2, 2025. The book is set in the same magical universe as Divine Rivals but introduces new characters and themes tailored for an adult audience. The story follows Matilda, a young goddess cursed with messenger magic, who finds herself entangled with a mortal lord named Vincent. Ross described the new title as an expansion of her romantic and mythic storytelling, pushing further into emotional depth and world-building maturity.
Ross’s personal and professional evolution—from typing scenes in the margins of her day to leading a bestselling romantasy franchise—illustrates how passion, perseverance, and community engagement can transform a writer’s life. Her journey resonates not just as a publishing success story, but as a reminder that creative fulfillment often begins in the quietest moments and grows with faith in one’s voice.
