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

Hi CAITLIN, thanks for joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

Everything starts with an idea.

Execution is the part where everyone gets stuck. We look at the tasks, the work, and, in the case of authors, the writing that has to actually get done in order to see said idea reach fruition.

The biggest thing for authors is to just write.

Yes, it is that simple. Get the words on the pages even if the sentence is wonky and riddled with poor grammar. You can edit a terribly written page. You can’t edit a blank page.

Once the story is written, open yourself to your peers for critiquing. Hire an editor to help get the kinks out, and prepare to be sick of your manuscript by the time is polished enough for publication.

CAITLIN, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the author of eight commercial fiction novels.

Since I can remember I have always loved writing and words. I dreamt of one day writing a book, but that always seemed like a far dream filled with whimsy in a land of make-believe, so I majored in journalism and became a writer for a magazine in San Diego. I filled my days writing about new businesses and doing restaurant reviews, but it never quite scratched the itch I had for fiction.

When I started having kids, I took time off to be a stay-at-home mom, and ten years later, the pandemic hit, and I remember thinking: now or never. So I sat my butt down in a chair, and I wrote my first book.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I completed my first novel, I received over 100 rejections before deciding to self-publish. Within two months of releasing that book, I had sold copies in eight countries. My goal with being an author has never been to become famous or be a millionaire (though, I would not turn down the opportunity… ha ha), but to reach readers all across the globe write stories that help them feel seen and feel hopeful.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think wanting to be traditionally published and choosing to self-publish was monumental for me. I had to enter an industry I knew very little about and navigate on my own while unlearning that self-publishing is the “easy way out.” Because it’s not. It’s really difficult. As a self-published author, I am the writer, the publisher, the marketer, the scheduler, the PR department, and the social media creator. I wear very many hats on top of being an author.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caitlinmossauthor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitlinmossauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caitlinmossauthor
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitlinmosswrites?

Image Credits
Caitlin Moss