CeCe Lyra

But when a mysteriously gifted skincare product shows up on her doorstep that promises to transform her life, she jumps at the opportunity.

Desperate for beauty, validation, and digital relevance, she applies it with little suspicion, only to discover that it causes a small, insatiable mouth to grow on her stomach.

As her online infamy grows, so does her hunger.

And the only thing that will solve it and complete her transformation?

The flesh of a man.

With her lavishly themed birthday party looming, which she swears will go viral, Blanca must confront the monstrous version of herself she's created before it consumes everything she has left.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, which taught me how to turn my weird ideas into delectable stories.

I'm a nearly 30-year-old Latina woman navigating spaces entirely made for men while trying to balance the unobtainable beauty standards that society continues to impose.

I wrote Mouthpiece as a way to give voice to the perils of aging and a desire to understand where the line between validation and value diverges.

My internalized rage, mainly at the patriarchy, lives on these pages.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards, Marisol.

Bianca will not be tricked.

I think it depends on the audience.

Okay.

I definitely think that the evil powers that be are trying to infantilize women.

But I also believe that like anything, language is a fluid thing, living thing.

And there are situations where you can do it to empower yourself, but it doesn't work on every audience and nor should it.

Nothing that is interesting is universally liked.

So 360 words started off really strong, you know, because we got comps.