On February 4, 2020, Avon Books announced the acquisition of two original works of romance fiction. A novel by current Writing Popular Fiction student Preslaysa Williams was one of them. 

“The MFA program gave me the space to renew my passion and love for writing again,” Preslaya says. “I workshopped the romance novel which sold to Avon during my writing residencies. My fellow students and the mentors provided me with insightful feedback on excerpts of the novel. These insights gave me the confidence to submit the story to editors until I received The Amazing Call from Avon/HarperCollins.” 

Preslaya is an award-winning author who focuses on writing modern romance and women’s fiction. She prides herself on her Afro-Filipina heritage, and includes a healthy dose of it in her work.

“Being a student in the MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program,” she says, “enabled me to really hone in on my writing voice and find my vein of gold as an own voices author.”