Ramona Pina is an associate agent at BookEnds Literary.
She is interested in carving a space for and elevating underrepresented voices. Fantasy, magical realism, sci-fi, paranormal romance, horror, and a spin-off of villain retellings are her favorite genres. In YA and Adult fantasy, give her a character-driven, and fast-paced adventure that disrupts societal norms! She’s also hoping to see more Sci-Fi that focuses more on fiction and less on technology while still showcasing how to build a better world. If you have a SF/F that is slightly different from this, she’s open to being pleasantly surprised.
Ramona is a second-generation Jamaican, and third-gen. Cape Verdean, born and raised in Boston. A lover of fall and all things cozy, she is true to her New England roots. She is obsessed with teas, seafood, and Afro- Indo- Caribbean food. Growing up, she was the odd kid who wished she could write like Langston Hughes and read encyclopedias all day. Yes, pre-internets!
Her creative journey has been influenced by Jim Henson productions, Hayao Miyazaki anime, and similar works. She constantly lost and found herself within those stories, identifying with characters who didn’t look like her. This lack of representation led Ramona to explore abroad, and other marginalized cultures. While in Chile and Guatemala, she studied, volunteered, and gained fluency in the Spanish language, applying her cultural anthropology degree to understand the richness of the mythology and folklore of mainstream and indigenous groups.
Ramona knows that her voice is her strongest weapon and continues to highlight that as a BookEnds literary fellow in her capstone podcast, Hollow Moon. As a literary agent, she wants to champion underrepresented voices in literature to elevate them to an even playing field. When she’s not immersed in fictional worlds, she’s a busy mom of 2 (and two fur babies, Rambo & Criminal (cats)), an avid baker, candle-maker, and DIY enthusiast/“Mona Stewart.” Otherwise, she’s watching movies featuring The Rock or other absurd action films. She’s overjoyed to have found her agenting home at BookEnds with equally compassionate fellow humans and looks forward to midwifing more diverse books into the world.