#137: Sareeta Domingo – Writing Love That Feels Real, Breaking into Publishing, Writing Intimacy on the Page, and Selling Romance
Mar 22, 2025
Sareeta Domingo shares her journey in writing and publishing love stories that resonate with readers. She discusses the importance of crafting authentic intimacy and the evolution of the romance industry. Listeners learn about her experiences navigating the submission process and the balance between her roles as a writer and editor. Insights on the art of writing sex scenes and the unique challenges faced by authors of color are explored. The conversation also touches on indie publishing benefits and defining success in the literary world.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start Strong
Start your story as close to the end as possible to stand out in submissions.
Get to the essential ideas quickly and trust your reader to pick things up.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Early Reading Influences
Sareeta Domingo enjoyed Sweet Valley High and Judy Blume, but S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders stood out.
Learning Hinton wrote it at 16 inspired Domingo as a young writer.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Path to Publishing
Sareeta Domingo's arts degree didn't offer a clear career path.
Publishing combined her love of books with a career, despite low pay.
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In 'The Outsider,' Colin Wilson examines the psyche of the Outsider through the lives and works of various literary and cultural figures such as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Hermann Hesse, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The book delves into the Outsider's experience of dislocation and his struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world that seems devoid of it. Wilson argues that the Outsider is a metaphysical man who seeks a transcending meaning and purpose for human existence, often feeling isolated and disconnected from society. The book is both a study of the Outsider's predicament and an impassioned call for a new form of existentialism that could provide a satisfying and objective religious understanding of life.
Possibility
Possibility
Sareeta Domingo
If I Don’t Have You
If I Don’t Have You
None
Sareeta Domingo
Three of Us
Sareeta Domingo
If I Don't Have You
If I Don't Have You
None
Sareeta Domingo
Chaotic Energy
The hilarious, heartfelt, must-read romantic comedy
Stephanie Yeboah
The Roommate
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Kiersten Modglin
The Roommate is a psychological thriller by Kiersten Modglin. The story follows Wes, a man whose wife leaves him, leading him to stay with a high school friend, Elias. Strange events unfold, causing Wes to question reality and those around him. The novel explores themes of marriage, betrayal, and the unraveling of one's life. It is notable for being Modglin's first book written entirely from a male perspective. The Roommate offers a suspenseful narrative with unexpected twists.
Author and Editorial Director Sareeta Domingo on writing love stories that feel real, breaking into publishing, and crafting authentic intimacy in fiction. She shares insights on balancing her dual careers in writing and editing, the biggest mistakes authors make when submitting, and how the romance industry is evolving.
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ABOUT SAREETA DOMINGO
Sareeta Domingo is the Editorial Director at Trapeze Books (Hachette) and the author of The Three of Us and If I Don’t Have You, shortlisted for the Diverse Book Awards 2021. She edited the romance anthology Who’s Loving You and writes YA fiction under S.A. Domingo.
This episode is brought to you by our friends at Lulu. If you're interested in self-publishing, Lulu has free resources such as helpful tutorials, templates to help you layout a book, design for print, and they have a very watchable YouTube University channel. Our community anthology is in fact published using Lulu. Check them out at lulu.com.
London Writers' Salon 
