Del Mar College barista Samantha Wilhite, a full-time barista at Café Del Mar is celebrating a personal milestone: the recent self-publication of her debut fantasy novel, “Hidden within the Ritarikari.” 

After years of writing and editing, Wilhite’s book is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

“I’ve been working on my book since the pandemic started,” Wilhite said, “Back in July of this year, I finished it and sent it off for publishing.”

Her novel is a love story set in a richly imagined world of vampire royalty and magical kingdoms, weaving themes of choice, power, and destiny. The story follows Nikolai, a vampire prince from American, and Athena, the fiercely independent princess of the hidden island of Ra Rico. Their arranged marriage sets the stage for a complex exploration of family legacy and person freedom. 

Wilhite‘s love for vampires and witches dates back to childhood, inspired by films like “Blade” and “Interview with the Vampire” and later fueled by “Twilight” and “Halloweentown.”

“Books have always been an escape for me,” she said. “If I can help even one person escape reality for a little while, I feel like I’ve done my job.”

Wilhite collaborated with her Café Del Mar co-worker, Colette ‘Cole’ Leal, who created illustrations of the book’s main characters, adding a visual dimension to the story that deeply moved Wilhite.

“Soon as I heard that Samantha was making a book I was like, ‘Oh, I have some experience. If you want, I can totally draw your characters just so you can kind of see the idea I have.’”

Given more details of the characters, Leal was able to show Wilhite the rough drafts and with that, her vision became reality.

“Seeing my character outside of my head made me cry,” said Wilhite, “It’s been a strange but wonderful journey.”

Wilhite emphasized the importance of creative control in her choice to self-publish.

“I get to say exactly what I want in my book. That was my biggest fear with traditional publishing – losing my voice.”

She is already working on the sequel, “In the Void of the Crimson Energy,” expected to be published by the end of the year.

For students, staff and book lovers alike that are eager to read Wilhite’s novel, “Hidden within the Ritarikari” is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s websites. 

“This is just the beginning,” said Wilhite, “I’m proud of what I’ve created and I’m excited to share it with the world.”