We were lucky to catch up with E. G. Creel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, E. G. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
There are two types of writers, the pantser and the plotter. I’m very much on the seat of my pants when I’m writing. I listened to Neil Gaiman’s master class commercial on repeat. Hearing him say, “There are no rules,” gave me the permission I needed to tell my story and make it the very best I could.
My children inspired many of my picture books. From the real story of how we went to buy a bag of mulch and ended up with baby chicks, to how I say my boys are like cats, jumping in boxes and playing with toilet paper. And backyard adventuring thanks to a gift from a friend make for the perfect little collection.
A story usually begins to write itself while I’m doing something none writing-related like mopping or taking a shower which I have to abruptly end and run to find my notebook. I scribble out the idea, then type it in Word.
Children’s books must be at least twenty-four pages or twelve double-page spreads. Not all pages need words. Illustrations are usually the most expensive part of the process. I found my illustrator and formatting artist on Fiverr. The formator puts the words to the pages and the files in order so they can be published. I also use AI to generate illustrations for some of my stories. The downside of AI is it usually needs fixing with Photoshop which isn’t a problem for me since I’m very good at editing images. Also, character consistency is difficult. But with a little creative thinking, it’s workable. Plus my kids don’t seem to care if the characters look different. The upside is I get quality of art I’d never be able to afford as an independent author.
Publishing I use KDP (Amazon) paperback and ebook and Ingram for my hardcover copies. And press publish. All of this is the fun part. Then the work begins. Promoting, marketing, writing influencers, bookstores, and setting up vendor markets. Because remember, I chose independent publishing. It’s on me to sell my books.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I share the same birthday as Vincent Van Gogh, I’m also a redhead and like Vincent, my life’s creative work has been, in a monetary way, mostly unnoticed.
Being a storyteller at heart, I’ve been capturing other people’s stories with photography for over twenty years. Their milestones, updated headshots, big events, and holiday cards. I’d slip in a personal project now and again, but those never added any coins to the piggy.
During Covid, I started focusing on capturing my family’s story instead. Every day I’d post a new photo, the good, and the bad. It was equally captured. I also photographed everyone who came to my house during 2020, the garbage collectors, UPS delivery, and the roofer when our house sprung a leak. It’s my blue-collar collection and an ongoing favorite.
However, during the two years of lockdown, I lost my hustle. I still take the occasional headshot and holiday mini but my story is shifting to a new chapter.
I started writing shortly before my fortieth birthday. It was completely spontaneous, I never wanted to be a writer. It started with a nightmare I couldn’t stop thinking about so I decided to write it down. Something I thought would only be a paragraph turned into a page, and then a chapter, and in six weeks I had my first draft of, The Immortal. Then the real work began, endless edits, rereading, rewriting, it was awful. I swore I’d never do it again. But then I wrote Lily, a girl born with a magical shadow. I said no more! And then I wrote Gena a young adult story about a girl who thinks her daddy’s the devil. I’ve written five children’s books this year already, and every time I tell myself, that’s the last one.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My Robert Frost moment. I had to choose. Should I try to publish traditionally or independently? After writing a dozen query letters to agents and publishing houses, I quickly realized I don’t have the patience for the traditional road. So, I stopped waiting for someone else to give me permission and I started my journey on the indie road. This meant I’d be responsible for everything, hiring an editor, cover art, formatting, and marketing.
Step one, finding an editor, was nearly my undoing. I self-edited my manuscript the best I could but I’m dyslexic and knew I’d need help. I tried to hire an editor through a company called Reedsy but every single person I sent a sample to rejected it. The note I got back from most was, needs more self-editing. Every single insecurity I’d had stormed in to tell me, you can’t do this. But then I Googled dyslexic authors and found out Agatha Cristy was dyslexic and it didn’t stop her from selling over four billion books. So I tried again, this time I asked for help in a women’s writing group on Facebook. And through the power of community I didn’t just find an editor, I found the right editor. And it made all the difference. See what I did there? Robert Frosting it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
When I read Mulch For Sale my first children’s book to my kids and they said, “Can you read it again?” Yup, all the serotonin. I don’t think there’s anything more rewarding than a story finding its audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theshrew.wixsite.com/egcreel
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evacreelphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/e.g.creel/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/E.G.Creel @e.g.creel TikTok https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09J74LXCQ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21925578.E_G_Creel