This Filipina's novel tops Amazon's YA Music ebook reads


Here's how Izzy Matias started her writing journey

Izzy Matias and her novel ‘The Hush Society Presents...’

Writing, for many, begins as a hobby. People first write about the things they love. It is a form of release, to share their feelings and passion, hoping that someone as passionate as them will encounter what they have written.

The story is the same for Izzy Matias, the novelist behind “The Hush Society Presents...,” which ranked as a #1 New Release for a few weeks in the Teen & Young Adult Music eBooks category of Amazon.

Izzy's debut novel is a contemporary young adult novel and coming-of-age story about Cameron Evans, a musician in pursuit of his dreams despite the many challenges he encounters along the way. As Cameron dives into the world of secret shows, he is recruited to join a summer tour. To make it big, however, he must face his greatest rival and his self-destructive fears before they destroy his dream for good.

Izzy started writing “The Hush Society Presents...” in high school, and it went through a lot of rewriting and editing during her college years. While working and blogging, she continued revising her debut novel. Finally, this 2021, she decided to self-publish it on Amazon.

"I ran a music blog where I would go to lots of concerts and write about them. Over the years, I ran multiple music blogs and wanted to be able to turn blogging into a career," explains Izzy. "Later on, I decided to approach blogging with a business perspective, which led me to my focus as a blogger now."

Izzy has always enjoyed the opportunity to merge her passion for writing and business. As a finance and wealth management graduate of Enderun Colleges, and now the managing editor of INK Enderun, the school’s official student publication, she’s delighted to also work as a blogger at izzymatias.com where she teaches others to start and build a money-making blog of their own.

“I by being an active member of INK Enderun. I joined INK as a freshman and went from a features writer to features head and eventually the editor-in-chief for two years,” says Izzy.

She recalls that some of her best memories in college were the classes, extracurricular activities, and internship experiences she had back then. She remembers working at Bella Luce Publications which is the publisher of Lonely Planet Philippines, and completing a creative writing course at the University of Oxford.

Her inspiration changes a lot, but mostly what motivates Izzy is her vision to live life on her terms and do what makes her happy. She strives to constantly grow and be better. Another important lesson she values is to always be able to apply theory in practice. She enjoys learning new things today, especially when it comes to improving her blog and writing craft to the point that she always thinks about how she can apply her learnings right away.

“Even if it takes a long time to achieve your aspiration, if it’s something you want, keep going. Take a chance on your dreams and make the most of the opportunities available to you or create an opportunity for you to achieve your dreams,” Izzy's advice to those who dream of becoming an author. “There’s never a linear path to get to where you want to be, but I believe if you keep going, you’ll get there eventually.”

“The Hush Society Presents...” is available on Amazon.