Today we’d like to introduce you to E.d. Hackett

E.d. , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

My name is E.D. (“Ee-dee”) Hackett and I am a fiction author. My journey to become a writer started as soon as I could pick up a pencil and write my name.
I grew up in a single parent household, which was tormented by alcohol, drugs, and men. I learned early on that the safest thing for me to do was stay in my room with the door closed. If I didn’t draw attention to myself, then it was likely I’d be forgotten, and being forgotten would keep me safe from the grown-up things happening outside my door.
To pass the time and calm my mind, I fell into the world of books, where I would escape into other people’s lives. Lives that were certainly better than my own. With books came imagination. I would often watch strangers when I was in public places, wondering if they could be my father coming to take me to a better life. Growing up, all I wanted was stability.
Throughout my life, I had journaled to keep my cluttered mind in order and my chaotic life afloat. Writing was never encouraged as a career, so it went to the back burner until I became an adult.
In my late thirties, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor sitting on my eyes. I couldn’t drive, read, write, or work. After a lengthy recovery, and one of the scariest obstacles faced, I returned to journaling, which became a novel. If nothing else, I needed to get my medical journey out there to bring awareness to Timmy the Tumor.
Now I’m in my mid-forties and I have eight published works under my belt. I am a full-time writer with a part-time job as a speech-language pathologist. I still read and write to escape, process, and daydream. The only difference is I’m no longer a child hiding in my room from all the scary things waiting for me. Instead, I’m writing my own happy endings.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Being a writer is nearly impossible, with many opportunities to throw in the towel and quit. It takes perseverance, determination, and grit. Hundreds of hours are spent learning what makes a story a story. Hundreds more are spent getting the story from your brain to the page, and hundreds more are spent revising so other people will want to read it. Hundreds of hours with no pay, crossed fingers that it will pay off in the future, and prayers that you won’t get publicly shamed because the reader didn’t like your writing. It’s a task that can strip your confidence in a heartbeat.
The struggle I dealt with most was with my own guilt. I had two smallish children at the time, and my heart, soul, and mind were dedicated to learning and executing my dream. In order to follow my dream, I felt guilt for not being around as much, and I was also spending money on books and courses that may or may not come back to me.
When you strive to be a writer, you must decide to go to the traditional route or the indie route, or even the hybrid route. How much creative energy are you willing to give away? How much money are you willing to part with? Does validation from an outside source matter to you? We all have different motivations to write, and those motivations lead us down the right publishing path for us. But to determine that path is difficult because you’re bombarded with the pros and cons from all angles, trying to decipher vocabulary and acronyms that make no sense.
As a new writer, I think the most important element is family support. I was grateful to have a husband who supported my dream because I had no idea what I was doing. He supported me when we lost money because I (again) had no idea what I was doing, when I got a one-star review, and when I needed him to carry more of the household responsibilities because I was under deadline. I consider myself a lucky one for having him in my life.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I write fiction novellas and novels that revolve around identity, family values and dynamics, and friendship. I have a few romance books, but they would be rated PG-13 if they were a movie. Cute, hallmarky love stories that I love to read and watch. Sometimes you need to get away from real life and create a story that makes you feel good.
I’m proud that I hit publish that first time. I had no previous training and consider myself self-taught. Because of that, I made a lot of mistakes from picking out a pen name to a genre, to understanding the importance of editors and marketing, and how to move forward when writer’s block takes hold. But I didn’t care. I was so proud that I put an entire story on paper that had evolved in my mind. I hit publish and it was out there! Had I waited until I knew all the rules and elements and tricks to the trade, I never would have published because I never would have known enough.
My novels come straight from the heart and are derived from experiences I have directly or indirectly dealt with. They are all fiction, but the characterization is strong. I love underdog stories, so most of my protagonists are at their worst at the start of the novel and end up being someone you feel like you know and someone you learned to love. I love that my stories make people feel safe, cozy, and reflective on their own lives.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.

I am not a risk-taker. I watched my mother take plenty of risks that resulted in us not having a telephone, electricity, or having to move. Her risks led to her taking my job or babysitting money to pay the bills (or alcohol) and me never seeing it again. I learned at an early age that risks lead to bad outcomes.
To this day, I am not a risk taker. Especially with my medical issues from my tumor, I have specific precautions and those precautions stay with me twenty-four hours a day. To me, the risk of a few minutes of fun is not worth the consequence of ending up in the hospital. I try to keep those fears in my head, but I know they seep out onto my children.
Too ease my anxiety, I turn to mindfulness, words of affirmation, and books.
I’m trying to not cripple my children from living their best lives, but my history is ingrained in every cell of my body. The fear of losing everything is enough to paralyze me from taking risks. I’ll watch others take those risks and celebrate with them when things turn out okay, but I feel safest when the outcome is expected.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.edhackettauthor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.d_hackettwrites
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edhackettwrites
• Other: https://www.linktr.ee/edhackett