{"id":197,"date":"2026-05-14T08:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T08:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197"},"modified":"2026-05-14T08:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T08:03:59","slug":"reinvention-resilience-and-reading-with-rochelle-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197","title":{"rendered":"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

On the latest episode of <\/span>The Miami Book Hub<\/span><\/i>, I had the pleasure of sitting down with bestselling author Rochelle Weinstein, a Miami native whose work, teaching, and generous support of other writers have made her a beloved figure in our local literary community.<\/span><\/p>

Read more MIAMI HOSTED ITS FIRST PUBLIC \u201cTHE LONGEST TABLE,\u201d BRINGING OVER 350 RESIDENTS TOGETHER FOR A SHARED MEAL<\/a><\/p>\n

Rochelle is one of those rare Miamians who can speak not only about the city\u2019s transformation, but also about the literary roots that helped shape it. We began by reflecting on Miami\u2019s evolution from a beach-and-sun destination into a true cultural hub. Long before Art Basel and the rise of major museums, Miami\u2019s literary identity was already being nurtured through institutions like the Miami Book Fair, Miami Dade College, the public library system, Books & Books, and the many writers, readers, and booksellers who helped build that foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Rochelle, giving back to that community is part of the work. She has taught workshops, moderated panels, participated in book fair programs, and consistently championed other authors. But her own publishing journey began with uncertainty, rejection, and a determination familiar to anyone who has ever tried to write a book.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before becoming a full-time author, Rochelle worked in marketing, advertising, and promotions, including a memorable stint in the music industry. After the company she worked for was acquired by MTV, she found herself at a career crossroads. With newborn twins at home and a story inside of her yearning to be told, she sat down and wrote her first novel.<\/span><\/p>\n

What followed was not overnight success. It was years of rejection letters, frustration, and persistence. Her first book, <\/span>What We Leave Behind<\/span><\/i>, was self-published at a time when self-publishing still carried a stigma. But Rochelle understood marketing, believed in the work, and kept going. Eventually, she was able to parlay her self-published success into literary representation and a publishing deal with Lake Union Publishing, where she has now published multiple novels.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most remarkable stories she shared was discovering, years after the fact, that <\/span>What We Leave Behind<\/span><\/i> had made the <\/span>USA Today<\/span><\/i> bestseller list. She had not known it at the time. No agent or publisher had been tracking it for her. She simply stumbled across the news later. For Rochelle, that made the lesson even more powerful: the accolade had not been there to carry her through the hardest years. What carried her was resilience.<\/span><\/p>\n

That became one of the strongest themes of our conversation. The difference between the person still dreaming of becoming an author and the one with books on the shelf, Rochelle said, is often the refusal to give up. Rejection is part of the process, and impostor syndrome may never fully disappear, but the writer\u2019s job is to keep writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also discussed her current novel, <\/span>We Are Made of Stars<\/span><\/i>, which brings together eight lives over seven days at a mountain inn in North Carolina. Rochelle described the book as a story of strangers, friends, secrets, and connection gathered around a shared table. In her own metaphor, the table becomes the sun and the characters orbit around it like planets, each part of something larger.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Read more Localized Miami: Robert Ruano and guest, Ana Maria Rodriguez, Florida State Senator ( District 40 )<\/a><\/p>\n

She also shared the exciting news that <\/span>What You Do to Me<\/span><\/i>, inspired in part by the song \u201cHey There Delilah,\u201d has been optioned for film, something every writer dreams of. Like most things in publishing and entertainment, she approaches that possibility with gratitude, realism, and carefully managed expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

We closed the episode with a new segment, \u201cReading with Rochelle,\u201d featuring her May book picks: <\/span>Dog Person<\/span><\/i> by Camille Pag\u00e1n, <\/span>Life, Death and Giants<\/span><\/i> by Ron Rindo, and <\/span>The Insomniacs<\/span><\/i> by Allison Winn Scotch.\u00a0 Her love for reading and great appreciation for storytelling was on full display as she discussed each of the books with great fanfare.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rochelle Weinstein\u2019s episode was a reminder that Miami\u2019s literary community is not only growing; it is deeply supportive. It is built by people who read, write, teach, encourage, and show up for one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

And for every writer still waiting for permission to begin, Rochelle\u2019s message was simple: know your why, keep going, and don\u2019t let rejection have the last word.<\/span><\/p>\n

I encourage you to learn more about Rochelle Weinstein and her many works by visiting her website: <\/span>rochelleweinstein.com<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To view this full interview and other episodes of <\/span>The Miami Book Hub<\/span><\/i> visit my YouTube channel at <\/span>YouTube.com\/@J.AdrianBetancourt<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>

Read more First Public \u201cThe Longest Table\u201d Brings Over 350 Residents Together in Miami<\/a><\/p>\n\n

\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the latest episode of The Miami Book Hub, I had the pleasure of sitting down with bestselling author Rochelle Weinstein, a Miami native whose work, teaching, and generous support of other writers have made her a beloved figure in our local literary community. Rochelle is one of those rare Miamians who can speak not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[8,23],"class_list":["post-197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biscayne-bay-tribune","tag-biscayne-bay-tribune","tag-miami-dade-community-news"],"yoast_head":"\nReinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle - Miami Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle - Miami Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On the latest episode of The Miami Book Hub, I had the pleasure of sitting down with bestselling author Rochelle Weinstein, a Miami native whose work, teaching, and generous support of other writers have made her a beloved figure in our local literary community. Rochelle is one of those rare Miamians who can speak not\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Miami Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T08:03:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5b0e3d57a65bde12566f648eb2f1bc1a.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1068\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1068\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967\"},\"headline\":\"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-14T08:03:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197\"},\"wordCount\":787,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Biscayne Bay Tribune\",\"Miami-Dade Community News\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Biscayne Bay Tribune\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197\",\"name\":\"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle - Miami Movers Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-14T08:03:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=197#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Miami Movers Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle - Miami Movers Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle - Miami Movers Hub","og_description":"On the latest episode of The Miami Book Hub, I had the pleasure of sitting down with bestselling author Rochelle Weinstein, a Miami native whose work, teaching, and generous support of other writers have made her a beloved figure in our local literary community. Rochelle is one of those rare Miamians who can speak not","og_url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197","og_site_name":"Miami Movers Hub","article_published_time":"2026-05-14T08:03:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1068,"height":1068,"url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5b0e3d57a65bde12566f648eb2f1bc1a.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967"},"headline":"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle","datePublished":"2026-05-14T08:03:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197"},"wordCount":787,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg","keywords":["Biscayne Bay Tribune","Miami-Dade Community News"],"articleSection":["Biscayne Bay Tribune"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197","url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197","name":"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle - Miami Movers Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-14T08:03:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2ab7e557d158943fc3e977e342cc7b4d.jpg","width":960,"height":960},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=197#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reinvention, Resilience and Reading with Rochelle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/","name":"Miami Movers Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/miamimovershub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}