Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to C.J. Peterson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
C.J., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Right now, the author portion of what I do is not self-sustainable. I supplement it with speaking opportunities and we have a publishing company – Texas Sisters Press. I receive speaking opportunities from podcasting and other networking/speaking opportunities. They all weave together to allow me to do what I do full-time. This all did not happen overnight. I have been published since 2012. The journey through the years has been trying at times. I have set aside specific reviews to propel me to continue publishing. I started the publishing company with my sister in 2019. She stepped out this last August, and I have been running it with my husband ever since. We have twelve authors right now and are always happy to add to the Texas Sisters Press family! We are a hybrid publishing company (not a vanity press). Our authors retain full rights to their work. They pay upfront for publishing. We work together with the author, treating them and teaching them what we wished we knew when we started. We do not take all books submitted, even if they are already published with us. They also keep 90% of royalties from Ingram, and 100% from Kindle. We do our best to help them have a successful launch, including a marketing/branding class, and a book launch with like authors.
Other opportunities I utilize, as mentioned above, are podcasting and speaking opportunities. I started speaking in 2013. Speaking engagements were difficult to come by over the years. Networking has helped tremendously. I also started podcasting in 2020. This helped in providing more opportunities. Sometimes they are ‘podcast swaps’ for interviews, or people contact me to come speak at their events. I enjoy this aspect. Sharing what I love with others never seems like work!
My tagline is, “While the stories are fiction, the journey is real.” To me, it’s all about the journey, and how you got there. Whether you are an author yourself, a promotor, a publisher, or another creative outlet, it’s what you put into it. Grow organically. Put yourself out there. And don’t give up!
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?
I am an author, blogger, podcaster, publisher, and speaker. I have eighteen novels (another to be published at the end of August), two children’s books, and am in three anthologies. I have ten book awards, two blogs, and am a co-host on two podcasts. I also have several speaking options available to those interested. I write ‘big people’ and ‘little people’ books. I prefer the ‘big people’ books, though. That’s my first love. I write Christian fiction, but I make sure to add – it’s not your mama’s Christian fiction. Some have supernatural elements, some have characters with abilities, and there is another regarding time travel. They all have sci-fi elements. I am a sci-fi geek, and I own it. I love the twists and turns that come along with sci-fi and the flexibility it provides regarding storylines.
I have two blogs: ‘Journey To Fruitfulness and ‘Shelf Life Blog.’ In The Journey To Fruitfulness, follows Super Hubby (my nickname for him) and me as we take our five-acre farm to a fully-functioning, self-sustaining farm. We currently have an apiary (bees) with eight hives, seven jumbo Pekin ducks, and various fruit and nut trees. Our next project is a giant greenhouse! I share our joys and successes, as well as our mistakes and epic failures…along with the lessons we learned along the way. On the Shelf Life Blog, I do book reviews and promotions. I also work with Lone Star Literary Life as one of their bloggers. This opportunity allows me a lot of opportunities to share other authors’ works!
I am a co-host on two podcasts: Book World: The Great Escape and Magic Making Mischief. On Book World: The Great Escape, I co-host with author Michael Scott Clifton. We cover just about every aspect of writing, including interviewing various authors regarding their specific genres, tips, and roadblocks that many authors face. It is live on Wednesdays at 1PM CT on the Facebook group and YouTube. It is also added to a wide variety of audio platforms. For Magic Making Mischief, I co-host with YouTuber Mombierella. We cover various comic cons, along with interviewing many creatives. Anyone interested in comic con related subjects, you can enjoy it Wednesdays at 11AM CT (starting AUG2023, we are moving to 11:30AM CT).
In the publishing realm, I am co-owner of Texas Sisters Press. We are a hybrid publishing company, not a vanity press. The distinction between the two, is that we do not publish every book submitted to us, even if you have previously published through us. We read everything to make sure it fits our standard. We provide quality covers and books for the family to enjoy. We started the company to give authors a fair shot at publishing. We also work with our authors to make sure they have a successful launch. Our authors retain full rights to their work. If they choose to leave Texas Sisters Press, they keep everything, except the ISBN, as it is attached to Texas Sisters Press. We treat our authors like family. If they are need help, we do our best to be available for them.
I also thoroughly enjoy speaking! I actually have a speaking engagement for a week-long conference coming up in JUL2023. Super excited for the opportunity! I just spoke at a spring conference for a local author group in April. Sharing everything from writing, to publishing, to podcasting, and more, I have several options available to choose from. If you go to my site and don’t see the option you are wanting that is related to the subjects posted, let me know and we can talk! When I do speak, I try to give a few ‘gold nuggets,’ tips, and tricks for writers. I also try to lighten subjects with a bit of humor along the way.
To learn more, feel free to check out my website: cjpetersonwrites.com
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
It pains me to no end to see schools cut the creative arts. When they make budget cuts, those are the first things to be cut. The creative arts in school give children/teens who struggle academically, but excel artistically, a boost of confidence needed to continue. They give the kids who need an outlet, an opportunity to thrive, and actually love school. When they graduate, the creative arts allow those whose passion is art to thrive in society. It’s not an easy walk, but for those right-brained people, it allows them to share their hearts and work with others.
I do give credit where credit is due. Austin and San Antonio back our creatives. They support and encourage the creative arts in various festivals, conventions, murals for artists, and more! Whether you are a local library or business, if you have an opportunity to share the creative work of others, do it! Support the arts.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the joy we spread to others, and/or the ability to bring before them another perspective. Writing allows me the opportunity to do this. It’s like painting, only we use words. When my husband and I started publishing the books, we agreed that if the words in the stories help at least one person, it is worth it. Over the years, there have been many reviews or meeting someone at a show, where they have shared stories. These stories touch my heart and keep me going each day in creating more work. The stories I write are for the readers. Those who share in the joy of reading them with me, is their gift to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cjpetersonwrites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoress_cj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoresscj
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/authoress-cj/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoress_cj
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CJPeterson