About Me
Marina Collette
I am a Brooklyn-born writer raised in rural Ohio. Growing up surrounded by nature fostered a lifelong love of Animals and anything wild.
My writing is deeply shaped by my personal experiences with grief, identity, and resilience. As a teenager, I lost my grandmother and witnessed my mother’s grief, an experience that profoundly shaped my understanding of loss and the strength required to survive it.
In my early twenties, genealogical research revealed that my great-great-grandmother was Cherokee, prompting a deeper exploration of identity, heritage, and belonging. Raised identifying solely as Black, I found myself reconciling new layers of ancestry while reflecting on the lives of my African American and Native American grandmothers, women whose resilience made my own life possible.
Their endurance and the connection I feel to my ancestors inspired the emotional and spiritual foundation of Running Wild.
My bachelor’s degree in biology allowed me to travel extensively throughout Latin America and the Amazon, deepening my appreciation for diverse cultures, languages, and mythologies. A lifelong reader, poet, and unapologetic nerd, I am also a proud dog mom to an English Springer Spaniel named Davos.
Running Wild is my debut novel, but storytelling—in all its forms—has always been at the heart of who I am.
Creating Space for My Identity
My writing is deeply connected to identity, ancestry, and belonging. In recent years, through genealogical research and personal reflection, I learned that my great-great-grandmother was Cherokee. That discovery prompted a deeper exploration of my heritage and the ways history, grief, and resilience shape who we become.
I do not claim membership in any tribal nation, nor do I speak on behalf of Indigenous communities. I share this part of my story as a descendant—someone learning, listening, and honoring the men and women who came before me. My work is inspired by their strength, as well as by my African American heritage and the many cultural spaces that have shaped me.
I identify as Afro-Indigenous as a way of acknowledging both lineages and the complex histories tied to them. I strive to approach my writing with respect, continued education, and awareness of the impact of colonialism and displacement.
My hope is that my stories explore themes of resilience, reconnection, and healing—and that they encourage readers to reflect on their own ancestry, identity, and sense of belonging.
Author favorites!
I have been and always will be a dog lover.
I have been a dog trainer since 2017 and still work with a small number of clients. Of all the breeds I've trained, the Springer Spaniel was my favorite.
Other breeds that I have loved working with include Dobermans, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Boston Terriers, German Shepherds, and any retrievers!
I love to travel!
My friends and family like to play a game called “Where is Collette going next?”
Places I have loved:
The Galapagos Islands
The Amazon rainforest
Phoenix, Arizona
Puerto Rico ( The whole island, all of it)
Acaida National Park
Favorite Shows, Movies and Documentaries:
Game of Thrones ( my dog is named after Ser Davos)
Sons of Anarchy
The Mayans MC
Shrek franchise (Should move this to the top)
Jurassic Park franchise
Bridgerton (Specifically Queen Charlotte’s season)
Disney movies and Disney World!
Teen Wolf (No surprise there.)
Reservation Dogs
True blood
Sugercane (Documentary by Julian Brave Noisecat)
Pole to Pole (Documentary by Will Smith)
Favorite Books/ Authors:
Anything by Sara J. Mass
Anything by Charlaine Harris (I read the entire Sookie Stackhouse series three times as a teenager)
The Host (my favorite Stephanie Meyer book)
Twilight Saga (You already know I was team Jacob)
Betty: Tiffany McDaniel
Song of Achilles: Madeline Miller
Favorite Podcasts :
The Broski Report and Royal court ( This feels like church to me)
In the Good Books
The Cycle Breakers podcast
The Basement Yard
ShitsnGiggs (Specifically their daddy fantasy videos)