After working as a piano player/singer, Mariana traded in the piano keys for alphabet keys. She penned a chick-lit series of three novels about protagonist Veronica Bennett, whose romantic life is comedic and entangled with accidental crime. Mariana also penned a book of true short stories, "Love, Regret and Accidental Nudity." Inspired by a win at The Moth, she dedicated the last ten years to storytelling and producing. She currently produces a storytelling competition in Long Beach, California that has been "keepin' it real, 6-minutes at a time," since 2011.  Mariana has two completed feature length screenplays. "Mean Gene and the Evil Meter," is YA dramady. A perfect vehicle for tween actors or animation, it’s a fast-paced feature with a message about the terrible consequences and lessons learned from school bullying.Mariana's feature length dramedy, "Happy New Year, Darling" is based on her novel and audio book. When a financially desperate talent booker places an ad to fulfill any romantic fantasy, she’s forced to “sophisticate” a porn actress to pull it off, all while juggling an inattentive husband, a delinquent teen, and celebrity lover.Mariana is married to Oscar-winning songwriter Paul Williams. Both of the aforementioned screenplays have been completed within the last year (2021-22). Representation would be cool.