Stories have a way of taking on a life of their own. When I first wrote The Ordinary Bruja, it was a whimsical, magical realism short story—something light, something filled with wonder. It had a touch of enchantment, a girl discovering something extraordinary about herself, a narrative infused with the warmth of magic woven into the everyday. But as time passed, as I continued to grow as a writer and as a person, the story began to shift. The magic remained, but the tone darkened, deepened, and became something else entirely.

Now, The Ordinary Bruja isn’t just a magical realism story—it’s a psychological horror, a coming-of-age tale, and an exploration of what it means to believe in oneself when everything tells you otherwise. It carries the weight of self-doubt, the fear of never being enough, and the suffocating pressure of expectations. And while there’s still magic, it no longer exists simply as a source of wonder. It lurks, it pulls, it unsettles—just like the doubts and insecurities we all battle.

A Story Shaped by Experience

I’ve always pulled from my lived experiences, my observations, and the world around me when writing. That’s why The Ordinary Bruja evolved the way it did. Life has a way of sharpening the edges of a story, of revealing the shadows that exist even in the brightest of narratives. I began to realize that Marisol’s journey wasn’t just about discovering magic—it was about confronting her worst fears, the ones that whispered she wasn’t enough, that she didn’t belong, that she would never be like the others who seemed to navigate life so effortlessly.

The transition from whimsy to psychological horror happened naturally because that’s what felt true to Marisol’s story. It’s what felt true to my own experiences. I’ve known what it’s like to question my worth, to feel as if I’m constantly reaching for something just out of grasp, wondering if I’ll ever be enough. That feeling is terrifying in its own way. And what is horror if not a confrontation with our deepest fears?

The Dark Way of Saying “I Am Enough”

At its heart, The Ordinary Bruja encapsulates the theme of I am enough—but in a very dark, unique way. It isn’t about easy self-acceptance. It’s about grappling with the lies we tell ourselves, the doubts that try to swallow us whole, and the fear that maybe, just maybe, we are as ordinary as we believe. It’s about finding power in that darkness, not by ignoring it, but by facing it head-on.

Marisol’s journey is one of self-discovery, but not the kind wrapped in softness. Hers is a journey through shadows, through whispers in the dark, through the unsettling realization that sometimes the thing holding us back isn’t an outside force—it’s the version of ourselves we’ve been too afraid to face.

Why This Version of the Story Matters

I hope readers see themselves in Marisol. I hope they recognize the feeling of not being enough, the weight of expectations, the loneliness that can creep in even when surrounded by others. But more than anything, I hope they see the power in facing those fears. The Ordinary Bruja is a story of transformation—not just in its themes but in its journey from a lighthearted tale to something far more complex and haunting.

Because sometimes, the most powerful stories don’t just comfort us—they unsettle us, force us to confront the things we’d rather ignore. And in doing so, they remind us that even in the dark, we are still enough.

Are you ready to step into Marisol’s world?