Nia Marita
ABOUT
I’m a queer novelist with a focus on diverse, deeply character-driven stories grounded in the messy realism of life. While romance often provides the framework, beneath it I’m interested in the things that shape us: family, grief, loss, addiction, sex, art, why we're here, and what makes us who we are.My passion for crafting stories, as well as analyzing myself, other people, life, and humanity as a whole started quite young, I remember writing at six and seven years old (my best work, I’m sure), and I spent the better part of my teen years, as well as my adult life thus far carefully figuring out exactly what I wanted to say, and the kinds of stories I wanted to bring to life, how I wanted to do it, and fine-tuning my preferred approach to crafting immersive stories and characters.I believe the innate humanity of a character lives in the specifics rather than in broad relatability; there’s something to be said for crafting each wrinkle and flaw, and allowing a reader to see themselves in fragments rather than blanket projection. Sometimes those fragments may be textual, and sometimes they may not be intentional in the least. Once a character leaves the page, they can take on a life of their own, and mean something a little different to everyone who meets them. To me, that’s closer to how connection works in real life—we don’t relate to people because of our similarities alone, but rather because of our similarities in spite of our differences.
BOOKS
2026
BEARWARD
'Look out for the boars,' is what her father would always say. 'They could be hiding anywhere—they’ll eat you alive without a trace, lest you’re careful.'No one saw fit to warn her about the bears.When Ursa, for the first time in her life, comes face to face with a wild black bear, only to have the situation mitigated by a man bearing the same name as the animal, the irony feels absurd yet simultaneously hilarious.As the two fall in love, Bear's name becomes an inside joke.It doesn't stay that way.As seasons turn, Ursa finds herself caught between the life she thought she was building, and the one quietly slithering its roots around her feet, threatening to drag her down with its harsh words, bruising, unrelenting grip, and overpowering presence. All the while, an unexpected connection with the enigmatic Vivienne ends up becoming Ursa's lifeline—a reminder that love and safety aren't concepts meant to be earned.Set over the course of a single year, BEARWARD is a novella steeped in the quiet rhythms of the natural world—where the instinctual wisdom of animals carry the weight of omens, and the danger which announces itself may be far less sinister than the danger which instead chooses to approach slowly, withholding its true colours until its got its jaws locked, hungry to swallow us whole.
WHERE TO PURCHASE:
E-Book is currently an Amazon exclusive, but will be available at various retailers come November.
2025
THE WAY WE ECHO
In downtown Las Cruces, tucked right in at the corner between the barber shop and the bodega, there’s a bar. It’s not fancy, nor is it run down; it’s warm, reliable, safe—much like the man slinging its drinks.At thirty-six years old, Max Navarro has a quiet life—he likes it that way; he lives in a small, shabby studio apartment above his business, and his day-to-day routine of supplying his once-kryptonite to regulars is, perhaps somewhat ironically, helpful in maintaining his well-earned sobriety. Only twenty minutes away, Max’s brother Sam, an award-winning music producer, lives a very different life—a mansion, a wonderful wife, and a beautiful daughter. If it weren’t for the three of them, Max can’t be sure how—or even if—he would have made it this far.Yes—at thirty-six years old, Max Navarro lives a quiet life—save, of course, for his immensely complicated relationship with jazz musician Benji Cruz-Benoît. Benji is bright, and beautiful, and when he laughs, sometimes Max thinks he could easily replace the sun. No problem.At thirty-one years old, despite Benji being ten years his junior, Max reluctantly allowed himself to give in to his advances. It was supposed to be sex. Good, fun—simple.At thirty-five years old, Max knew his feelings had roots far too deep; he asked for space, and Benji gave it to him.At twenty-six years old, Benji knocks on a door in downtown Las Cruces, tucked right in at the corner between the barber shop and the bodega—and when Benji knocks, god help him, Max answers.THE ECHO ROOM: INSTALLMENT I
WHERE TO PURCHASE:
The Way We Echo is an Amazon exclusive.
The Revised & Expanded edition set to release in early 2027 will be available at a large variety of retailers.
UPCOMING
2027
THE WAY WE ECHO: REVISED & EXPANDED EDITION
(THE ECHO ROOM: INSTALLMENT I)
DEAR THAYER
(THE ECHO ROOM: INSTALLMENT II)
It’s 1985, and Pierce is new to America, just starting out as a Professor of Greek History at Columbia University. In his thirty-two years of life, leaving New Zealand is the most significant change he’s ever made—a good change, a necessary change. That’s what he tells himself, even when it’s scary, even when he’s lonely, even when he has to remind himself how to breathe.There are, however, three things that make the city feel just a little less suffocating, and the sun shine just a bit brighter: the occasional phone call with his sister, the certainty of standing in his lecture hall, and the back-and-forth sticky-note banter he’s struck up with the piano-playing neighbour on the other side of his wall.It’s 2019, and Pierce’s hand is safe in Thayer’s as he wonders how much longer it may be until he no longer has the strength to squeeze back. They were supposed to have more time. Instead, ALS changes the shape of their future—but the diagnosis is not the end of a life. Not yet. Years remain; years of music and family, of watching their son grow into a life of his own, of meeting the people he brings into the family, of making new memories they never expected to have.There's anger, there's frustration—sadness; an indescribable grief in knowing he'll have no choice but to leave his family far sooner than any of them could have anticipated.There's also peace, there's beauty—love. So much love.The sun will set—but when it does, it will set on a life truly lived.
THE WAY WE ECHO AND DEAR THAYER, WHILE DEEPLY CONNECTED, MAY BE READ IN EITHER ORDER.
