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

Cy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Learning what was required to publish a book went from a slow, arduous process to a deluge of helpful information. What were once Google searches and stumbles across random articles became long virtual conversations with other authors I had the privilege of meeting through social media.

Just by making the simple decision to join social media as an aspiring author, I not only demystified the processes of querying as a traditional author or choosing to self-publish, but I also gained a group of mentors and friends. Sometimes, I regret not putting my preconceived notions about certain social media outlets and joining them sooner.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a self-published or Indie author who recently (July 2024) released my debut novel, titled Law of Aurornova. A science fiction, adventure novel that is the first book in what will be a trilogy. The book centers around a young man named Law, who travels across his planet in search of answers following the mysterious disappearance of his father.

Law of Aurornova has been my brainchild for almost a decade. I’ve always been a daydreamer, a sci-fi enthusiast, and a writer. One evening, almost ten years ago, I thought, what would happen if I just let one of my daydreams play out? Where would it lead? Could I come up with a full story? So I picked up a pen, grabbed a cheap notebook from TJ Maxx and started writing. From there, I didn’t stop.

For me, it was about writing the stories I always daydreamed. The stories that allow me or someone who looked like me to sit in the captain’s chair, to be the jedi, to explore the lost tombs. There were millions of stories out there like that, but it felt like there were few like mine.

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

Try something new at least once a month! Coming from someone who is both an indie author and someone who can be stuck in their ways sometimes, it can be easy to stick to what you know or have always read, watched, or listened to.

There are so many awesome smaller creatives out there who are looking for ways to share there craft. In many cases, they are willing to share some of it for a fraction of what you may be used to with traditional artists. They just want to share their craft and spread the word, but don’t have the means or the teams behind them that more traditional artists do.

And if you try out a new artist or a new avenue for finding that artist, share them! Tell your friends, shout them out on your social media, rate their products, or just follow them.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Having someone take something away from my story. I am not trying to win a Pulitzer prize for my writing. I’m just trying to share my story with people who need a story. Whether they just need to escape the harrowing feeling of our reality for a few minutes a day or want to be inspired to reach beyond their limits,

So, I love hearing when people focus on a detail I may have forgotten or provide their thoughts on couplings between characters. I love when someone tells me about small things that made the world I created real to them. Overall, I love the connections I’m able to make with people from those things and the conversations we can have because they decided to take a chance and consume my art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cyharold.com
• Instagram: cy.harold
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557909895852
• Other: tiktok and threads: @cy.harold

Image Credits

Character Art: Author TL Combs
Cover Art and Design: Monstermind Studios and Author H.E. Gober