We caught up with the brilliant and insightful ANDREW AUSEON a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

ANDREW, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve managed to earn a living as a creative writer, my ambition since I was very young. However, a writing career hasn’t been without its challenges, and I’ve rarely worked exclusively in one role or position, needing instead to balance multuple careers and projects simultaneously to make ends meet and fulfill my creative needs. I knew early in life that I enjoyed experiencing and creating stories, primarily as a consumer of film and books, but also of interactive games and more sophisticated storytelling platforms like VR as those became available. The biggest challenge came in the untraditional path to careers in the arts. For example, friends and relatives interested in a future in business or medicine had a known and predictable road to employment and success. Poets, filmmakers, visual artists, and musicians have a much more convoluted and precarious path in front of them. For a long time (and perhaps even today), being a college English major was a bit of a joke, because it was such a common choice even if it rarely led to gainful employment.
I was naive. I pursued what made me happy, even though my trajectory didn’t become clear until much later in life. At several key junctures I had the opportunity to step off my current track and opt to stay in a more stable, yet not as fulfilling career, such as when I nearly went to graduate school for teaching, or considered a skill reset, transitioning from game designer to game producer. Each time those moments presented themselves, I weighed the options and knew it was crucial to prioritize my creative satisfaction, even if it meant sacrificing higher pay, a clearer future, and more responsibilities.
It’s worth mentioning that I have always held a day job, even as a published novelist. It’s in my nature to try new things and work on multiple projects at once; but it’s also a financial necessity.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been writing professionally for more than 20 years, and in that time I’ve released five novels from major publishers and worked on numerous video game projects. I write stories for young readers, but I also write and design video games, two jobs that often seem to be at odds with each other in the fight for children’s attention. Personally, I think there’s a lot of overlap between the two endeavors, and being able to speak knowledgeably about games to young book readers is a valuable skill that earns me plenty of street cred. In fact my latest novel, Spellbinders: The Not-So-Chosen One (Penguin Random House), is the first in a series that’s directly influenced by my lifelong obsession with gaming. In both books and games, I’m known for my skill with character voice–authentic, humorous, and with a bit of an idiosyncratic edge. Despite spending much of my time as a solitary writer, I adore collaborating with other creators, and I believe my ability to work with people has been the most critical feature of my career. Experiences carry a lot of weight in an intense, intimate industry like video game development. Sometimes it feels like nothing is more important than forming key relationships and leaving strong positive impressions.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It may sound quaint at this point, but every writer suffers from constant and unending rejection. It’s in the job description. Anyone who chooses to share their creative work with someone outside themself is instantly subjected to criticism and judgment; and if you choose to pursue it professionally, the journey is a painful one. Writers, regardless of their perceived measure of “success”, face and suffer rejection on a regular basis. Every new piece of work has to make its way in the world, and its creator feels the highs and lows accordingly.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m always looking to be inspired, and I often find energy in the work of my peers, collaborators, and total strangers. However, every time I sit down to write, I’m very consciously trying to reproduce a feeling I had as a child reading books and getting lost in a story. It’s not a specific sensation. I can’t even really describe what it is I’m chasing. Sometimes it feels like it might be a type of story or a style of writing, while other times it’s more of a vibe, like a runner’s high or that wonderful sensation of being in the “zone”. Whatever that magical feeling is, I’ve never been able to get remotely close to it. So I just keep writing…

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.andrewauseon.com, http://www.spellbindersbooks.com
• Instagram: @andrewauseon
• Facebook: Andrew Auseon
• Linkedin: Andrew Auseon
• Twitter: @andrewauseon