Hi there! What's up?
As you might have guessed, I’m Iris Marsh, writer of fantasy stories.
Oh, and I blog about books & writing.
I live in the Netherlands with my partner and our cat (who’s a real drama queen, by the way).
Thank you for taking the time to visit my little corner on the web. I’m always here if you’d like to chat about books or writing.
Where it began...
I discovered my love for reading and writing at a young age. I would often read before going to sleep, listening when my parents would come to bed. When I heard them coming, I turned off the nightlight above my bed and waited. When I was certain they were asleep, I would turn it back on and continue my reading. I still don’t know how I was able to sleep so little and yet feel more refreshed the next day than when I would sleep a full eight hours now. The wonders of youth, I guess.
Either way, by the end of elementary school I knew I wanted to be a writer. It wasn’t just that I loved diving into imaginary worlds, it also helped me deal with my emotions and thoughts–I’ve never been quite good at verbalizing them.
But Life Has Different Plans Sometimes.
As I got older, my writing changed into poems and eventually songs. Music became my newly found passion.
And so, I went to the conservatory for two years, and then I quit. While I learned a lot, I felt miserable. It just wasn’t the kind of environment I’d hoped it would be. I felt like I didn’t fit in.
Unsure what to do next, I threw myself down a completely different path. I pursued a Bachelors in Pedagogical Sciences, followed by a Masters’ in Behavioral Science. It was a world where I felt at ease and for the first time in a long time, I had space in my mind again. I got back to writing.
Into the Unknown
After a research master, a PhD seemed the logical choice. So for 2 years, I worked as a PhD in Leuven (Health Psychology). I loved my colleageus, but I didn’t love the job.
So I quit again. (Do you also sense a 2-year theme here?)
I decided to take this writing dream seriously–really seriously.
So now, I work as a freelance editor, helping other writers fulfill their dream of publishing a book, all the while following my dream of doing the same. (If you’re interested in my editing services, you can go to my website here.)
Life often takes us down a winding path, full of unexpected turns. But eventually, you will arrive where you need to be.
Let's keep in touch!
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Ari and her dragon Oizealth are in the final round of a deadly competion: Veils. Only two more men are in the way of what she truly wants: a life together with the one she loves.
But does Ari have what it takes to win?
Some random facts about me
- I get excited when there are new movies or books coming from my favorite franchises, I love collectables & other kinds of bookish merch, so when I have the money I will buy more funkos, bookish candles, bookmarks, figurines, etc. (And, hopefully, one day a full-sized sword.)
- I have a tattoo on my right leg. It’s a butterfly, and I got it after my grandmother passed away. It’s based of this myth I heard where people believed that the soul of the deceased turns into a butterfly and flies to heaven.
- I’m actually a slow reader. I try to read a bit every evening and in the weekends, but sometimes Netflix calls a bit too loudly.
- I have a Nintendo Switch, and I love playing games on it. My favorites so far are definitely the Witcher and Zelda: Breath of the wild. I also have a soft spot for Pokémon games (it’s nostalgic, okay?).
- My name isn’t actually Iris Marsh. Jup, shocker right? However, my real last name is just too Dutch for most people to pronounce, so I upted for a pseudonym.