Latina novelist and screenwriter Marcela Mariz recently launched the novel Let it Rain — a Rom-Com exploring the quirky ups and downs of trying to find your place in the world while keeping your sense of humor intact.

We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and, unfortunately, there is still a stigma about mental illness. Over 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression — the numbers among young adults are soaring. We need more lighthearted stories that can generate conversations around the subject without the heavy stigmas and judgmental analyses that typically follow.

“The inspiration for Mandy came from a family friend,” says Marcela Mariz. “She was the most high-spirited and cheerful person I knew. She had this idiosyncratic way of dressing and talking, and even her house was decorated as if she was still living in the 1960s. I was always fascinated by her. But when I got older, I discovered she had heartbreaking losses in the 60s. So she preferred to pretend she was still living in the best years of her life. Behind her joyful smile, she hid a profound sadness.”

After suffering a devastating trauma, twenty-six-year-old Mandy Olsen also reverts to living in a time when she felt loved and cared for — her free-spirited high school years in 1986. But when Mandy’s deepest secret is exposed and becomes a cruel joke between her colleagues, she is forced to reassess her lifestyle and come to terms with the fact that her romanticized way of life is just a dead-end escape from reality.

Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Sophie Kinsella, Let it Rain touches on several aspects of growth and maturity, from self-expression and bullying to forgiveness and acceptance, from healthy nostalgia to prolonged grief.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Marcela Mariz discovered her passion for storytelling on the stage. She produced her first play at sixteen and completed more than twenty theater-commissioned plays. After graduating from law school, Marcela moved to New York to study performing arts and then to the West Coast, where she transitioned from theater to movies and penned her first novel, the YA sci-fi The Chosen Of Gaia.

Let it Rain is Mariz’s debut novel for adults, and fans of her writing can expect more inclusive content in the near future that traverse taboo subjects and bring characters with diverse backgrounds into the spotlight.

We’ll surely stay tuned for more!