We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emersyn Park. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emersyn below.

Emersyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

After graduating college, life was filled with excitement and adventure – marriage, a house, a family. I was always on the go. Unfortunately, I lacked confidence in my writing ability and chose the safe route – the path with the least resistance. If I had it all to do over again, I would’ve followed my heart and created fictional stories in my twenties. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but life and financial responsibilities got in the way. I had bills to pay. I landed the job that provided health insurance and 401K.
On paper, that was the right choice, but my passion has always been storytelling. Thirty years later, I’m sure I’d have 30+ books published and wouldn’t regret declining the job in banking.
My advice to someone questioning what to do with your life is to follow your dreams, even if they are the less conventional ones. When you love what you do, it shows.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

During COVID quarantine, I created a bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish before I die: take a trip to Hawaii, attend an Ellen Degeneres show, go to Nashville, be on TV, get a tattoo, go to an Eric Church concert at Red Rock, touch a dolphin, and publish a book. Thankfully, I showed the list to my husband who laughed at every task but the writing a book. Our health-house-arrest was the perfect opportunity to complete one item on my bucket list.

I sat down and started writing. I didn’t know where the story was going to go, but I wrote… and wrote… and wrote. When I finished the first half of the book, a good friend read it, and she told me in simple terms that it was good and I needed to finish.

That first book took over a year to write, but I published it in August 2021. That year, I checked off that goal on my bucket list along with a few others. Every year since 2021, I’ve written and published a book: Puppet’s Shadow in 2022, Secrets Maple Keeps in 2023, and Roots of His Evil in 2024. With each book, I’ve learned a great deal about the publishing process and how trends change.

I’m so thankful for my bucket list. Without it and a gentle push from my husband, I would never have fulfilled my dream.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The best compliment I receive as an author is when a reader tells me that they either were so angry, so sad, or so happy about something that happened in one of my books. Evoking emotion is the goal. Strong emotion will make the story unforgettable. So, when I hear that they hate the antagonist in my book, I know I did my job.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source for new business is referrals. The New York Times can publish a list of the top ten best books, and I will scan the list and maybe jot down a title or two. But if my best friend, co-worker, or cousin tells me that I must read a book, I purchase a copy right away. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

For an author, reviews wherever the book is sold also mean more than anything. An honest review proves value to the work. Small businesses thrive on referrals and reviews. Taking a chance on a less-known diamond makes the discovery even more rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emersynpark.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EmersynPark/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmersynPark/

Image Credits

Cover art of Roots of His Evil and Secrets Maple Keeps – Sandy Fritz
Cover models of Puppet’s Shadow – Caramie Malcolm and Crystal Smith
Cover design of Puppet’s Shadow – Brandon Smith
Cover design of He Loves Me, She Loves Me Not – Jen Naumann