Artist Profile: Riss M. Neilson on Romance That Resonates

Riss M. Neilson writes romance to portray her characters navigating difficulty together rather than escaping it. In her fourth novel, “The Bridge Back to You,” published March 31 of this year, Neilson explores love alongside themes of food, family, and culture while her characters navigate personal difficulties, like life with chronic illness.

Neilson’s newest book, like her previous writing, engages with the heavy themes of racism and abuse. In describing her growth as a writer, Neilson noted that when she began to write seriously, she started with literary fiction. She found that in this style, social issues like racism were often the plot itself. While Neilson continues to see the merits of literary fiction and has not eliminated the possibility of someday returning to the style, she now prefers to weave social issues into the lives of her characters in a way that feels more natural to her current self.

“This way is exploring. Like, I’m having fun,” Neilson said in an interview with The Crimson.

Neilson said she is drawn to writing people themselves who, by nature of being human, work through these social issues. In her work, racism is not a disjointed plot theme but integrated into her characters’ lives. Neilson wants her books to prompt reflection.

“I hope that it can make people think. Like, it’s more than just feel,” Neilson said. “Like, it’s a romance novel, but I really hope that it makes people think about how so many of us are living with mental health issues, or chronic illness, or whatever, and we’re all deserving of love. Everyone is still deserving of love. And I hope people get that message, and I hope also that they feel at home in the book.”

In “The Bridge Back to You,” Neilson draws on her personal experiences — like her desire to justify her immigrant parents’ sacrifices — while also incorporating issues a wider proportion of people suffer from, such as chronic illness.

One of the main characters, Olivia, is a chef with endometriosis. Neilson explained that because Olivia’s chronic illness has the potential to directly interfere with her job, readers cannot dismiss her disease, instead, grappling with how chronic illness can interfere with daily life.

By grounding her two protagonists, Olivia and Carmello, in a romance shaped by these complex issues, Neilson encourages readers to grapple with their own biases and idealizations about what love looks like.

The book’s main plot point is a second-chance romance — a divisive trope that many readers either love or hate. Neilson, however, felt that there was something irresistibly beautiful about it.

“There’s something about growing up, growing apart, rediscovering who you are, learning about yourselves, and then growing back together. I love that. It’s such a beautiful thing,” Neilson said.

Neilson is drawn to write certain stories because she imagines scenes of heightened emotional intensity that overtake her imagination. In “The Bridge Back to You,” the scene where Neilson began is the hookline: After years apart, a woman’s ex calls her for something on the day of her divorce. The story Neilson returns to write naturally builds out from there.

Neilson did not always intend to pursue a writing career, and she was instead considering careers in social sciences or the medical field for the majority of her time in college. This all changed when she was scouted by two of her writing class professors who saw her talent and encouraged her to pursue writing. It may be because Neilson found her way to writing naturally that she continues to approach it in such an organic way. She brings her full self to her work, pushing her characters to navigate the complexities of life in ways that deeply resonate with her and her readers’ life stories. Many of Neilson’s readers feel so connected that they reach out to express their gratitude.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve heard from readers, like, ‘Oh my God, this book changed my life.’ And it’s just such an amazing feeling,” Neilson said.

While Neilson might have a natural talent for writing and crafting stories, she has still had to fight to make her voice heard in the literary world — a space not initially designed for writers coming from backgrounds like hers, which she describes as “Black and Asian” and “part Italian.”

“It’s still a really tough space to be in, and I think that not just to be in, but to continue in. You need people to believe in your writing repeatedly,” Neilson said.

Despite the difficulty, Neilson has persevered — maybe because of her love of learning, as evidenced by the many times she changed her majors to find a perfect fit, or because she writes about topics and places that feel meaningful to her and which she wants to impart on others, or because of her allies in the literary world. Or maybe simply because of her passion:

“I just love this career so much, with all my heart, and I hope to be able to do it forever.”