Iris Meridian, Author

Romance books taught me that love should be passionate, devastating, world-altering, and worth fighting for. Real life taught me that's exhausting. Fiction wins.

The way I plan intricate political systems for my fantasy kingdom but can't remember to pay my actual real-world bills on time.

Dragons in folklore: terrifying monsters. Dragons in my book: emotionally constipated immortals with attachment issues who hoard feelings instead of gold.

My non-writer friends: How's the book going? Me: I've rewritten chapter 8 four times and I'm having a crisis about semicolons. Them: So... good?

Currently at the plot point where everything goes wrong and I have to hurt my characters. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But also it's going to be so good.

The prophecy said they'd destroy each other. They decided to burn the world together instead. Sometimes fate needs better handwriting.

She's fierce and broken and doesn't believe in love. He's patient and damaged and believes in nothing but her. This is the recipe. This is the alchemy.

Writing tip: If you're not a little bit in love with your own love interest, your readers won't be either. Fall first, write second.

My search history is a journey: 'dragon mating rituals' to 'medieval torture devices' to 'can you die from yearning' to 'synonyms for smirk.'

The intimacy of letting someone read your unfinished manuscript. That's not sharing a draft, that's showing them your soul in real time.

Pinterest board for my book: 1,247 pins. Words written today: 386. But can we talk about how perfect this castle aesthetic is?

Dragons don't do love triangles. When they choose, they choose absolutely. Which is why writing dragon romance is both easier and more devastating.

That moment when you realize your villain has more depth than some of your protagonists and now you're emotionally attached to someone you have to defeat.

The romance is slow burn. The plot is high stakes. The world-building is intricate. The author is surviving on chaos and confidence. Everything is fine.

Sometimes I open my manuscript just to reread the one paragraph I'm proud of, like visiting a small victory in a sea of doubt.

My dragon just told me he won't say the line I wrote for him because it's 'beneath his dignity.' I created you. You have the dignity I give you.

Writing enemies to lovers: Make them hate each other. Make it believable. Make the tension unbearable. Make the payoff worth every second of suffering.

The deleted scenes folder is where all my favorite moments go to die because they don't serve the plot. RIP to the banter that was too good for this world.

Romantasy reader confession: I judge books by their maps. If there's a detailed map in the front, I'm already emotionally invested.

When your dragon shifter refuses to shift back to human form because he's sulking about something that happens three chapters from now. Sir, we're not there yet.

The thing about writing fated mates is that you have to make destiny feel earned, not inevitable. Love should feel like a choice even when the stars say otherwise.

Writing the epilogue hits different. You've lived with these characters for months or years, and now you're giving them their forever. It's an ending and a goodbye all at once.

When readers ask if there's a happy ending and you have to smile mysteriously because spoilers but also you're a little bit evil.

My editor: This needs to be shorter. My document: 140,000 words of dragons, yearning, and emotional damage. Me: But which part do I cut?

The hardest scenes to write aren't the battles or the betrayals. It's the quiet moments where characters are just soft with each other.

Pinterest boards for my book: 847 pins. Actual words written: significantly fewer. But look how aesthetic my vibes are.

There's a special kind of magic in writing a character who doesn't believe they deserve love and then spending 300 pages proving them wrong.

The villain monologue where they're technically right and now you've accidentally made your readers sympathize with the antagonist. Oops.

My love language is writing emotional devastation and then promising it'll all be worth it in the end. Trust me. Probably.

Book signings are just public proof that authors are awkward humans who are much more eloquent on paper than in person.