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

Cait, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My novels are definitely the most meaningful project I have worked on. I was an avid reader growing up, then as a teen I got into writing fanfiction and got a taste of that infections joy that comes when someone reads your work and likes it. I wanted to be a writer so bad, but had a bad habit of not being able to finish anything. I have dozens of books rattling around in my head, some which I have only written a few pages. Then, I randomly came across a few “spicy” books online that were very poorly written and had an “I could do better than that” realization.

I began writing my first published novel, Kept by Monsters, as a bit of a silly project. It is about a woman who is attracted to movie monsters, and then learns that not only is she not human, but she is a half-succubus who is destined to inherit a mansion that caters to the ‘needs’ of paranormal beings. I figured that if I could publish something like that quickly, it could garner an audience who might be interested in my more serious writing. However, Kept by Monsters went from a silly few scenes to a rather epic five novel adventure. It does still contain a lot of spice, but it’s simply there to enhance the intrigue, adventure, mystery, and considerable magical world building.

In the end, the first two novels were able to happen within the same timeline as my more serious novel, “Under that Amber Dawn,” which is part of a more epic series largely following a Witch character, Corianna Creigh, as she defends her magic from those who would steal it.

By now my Kept by Monsters series is performing fairly well among readers which is so exciting to see and is an absolute dream fulfilled! While the series is complete, I am working on a companion coloring book for all the favorite “naughty” scenes, which I hope to complete by the end of the year.

Cait, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into what I do because books and art have always been such a big part of my life. I’ve always loved writing and drawing, and I somewhat accidentally fell into a niche of novels that are spicy, and art that is…suggestive…because it was the types of things that people had a genuine interest to see and read.

One thing that has really developed from my art is an Etsy store called ‘Poignant Peni’. One day I painted a cartoonish and disturbing character that was an anthropomorphized male genitalia moping in the rain. I shared the image with a few friends who showed it to their friends, and then came a tremendous outcry for more! The silly picture led to more paintings, which led to prints, greeting cards, and calendars. I have also designed a number of funny Halloween “dickers” that have brought a lot of joy to my consumers.

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

The most rewarding aspect is when I receive positive feedback about my work. For my novels, I refresh my stats obsessively to make sure that people are reading my books, but there is no better rush than when a new rating appears on Amazon or Goodreads, especially if it is followed by a glowing review. Writing is such a vulnerable craft, I always fear the dissatisfied reader that will completely razz my work, but so far reviews have been positive. My absolute favorite thing is when people want to talk to me about the story or characters. It’s an odd feeling for others to know the people that live in my head and care for them as much as I do.

Similarly with my artwork, I am slowly getting out there with Etsy sales, and I get a kick out of every review, but I especially love selling my art publicly at events and watching people laugh as they begin to realize just what they are looking at. The biggest reward is definitely knowing that my work is being appreciated.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The absolute best support that can be given to a creative is to like and share. So many Indy authors struggle to generate an audience, and it doesn’t help if a prospective reader pulls up their book and only sees a few reviews. For every fifty people who read one of my novels, only one or two will leave a rating. And it’s more like one in two hundred who actually leave a review. Without this, Indie authors struggle to get attention to their work. So, if you like something you saw or read, take a second to show your support before moving on. Reviewing is free and you can share what you liked and even what you didn’t like. It’s all valuable information to the creator, and to the audience. Then share the love. You may never look back at that artist/writer ever again, but if you spread awareness in the moment, it can have a cascading effect in getting more attention to those works.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cait-Cro/author/B08WVJXC31
• Other: Peni art; https://www.etsy.com/shop/PoignantPeni
  Coloring book will be available early 2025 at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/croscreepycrafts