We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erin Avant a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

I’d never stop doing what I love, no matter how loud the doubt gets, or who’s holding the microphone.

I wrote my first completed novel in my early twenties, wild with excitement and ready to take the publishing world by storm. I sent out eighty queries. I poured over four versions of my letter. The most personal response I got was a single, brutal: ‘Not for me.’

I turned to writer friends for help and, instead, got torn apart. Whether they meant to or not, the critiques shredded me—and I let them. I stopped writing publicly for nearly a decade.

That was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.

Looking back, I wish I’d written more. I wish I’d read deeper, edited smarter, and trusted the voice that made me love storytelling in the first place. Instead, I twisted myself trying to write something marketable, something that fit, something that would sell—and lost sight of why I tell stories at all.

But I was lucky. The spark came back. The quiet years gave me perspective, pain, joy, and truth that now lives in every one of my characters. And this time, when feedback hurts—and it still does—I write anyway. Because I know now: the magic isn’t in the approval. It’s in the doing.

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.

By day, I’m a logistics writer. I ghostwrite blogs, editorials, and marketing pieces for logistics professionals across the supply chain and global trade space.

I didn’t start out thinking I’d build a career in writing this way, but looking back—it makes perfect sense. Early in my logistics career, I had a mentor who knew I was a writer at heart. When he opened a marketing firm specializing in logistics, he offered me a rare opportunity—one that sat at the unexpected intersection of my skills. It turned out, the overlap between “writer” and “logistics professional” was rarer than I thought, and that’s where my journey began.

That was ten years ago. And though I wasn’t writing novels or fantasy epics at the time, I was still writing—and writing is writing. You don’t get better at counting by learning colors. Exercising the craft, in any form, sharpens it. The more I wrote, the more I grew. I met people who reminded me my words had worth, that the time I spent on my craft mattered. Slowly, I got the courage to write fiction again.

I learned how to separate criticism from cruelty. I learned how to take feedback, improve with intention, and keep going.

When I finished my next novel, I queried just eight agents—and all of them asked for pages. I received two revise-and-resubmit offers but wasn’t willing to change the story in the ways they wanted. Instead, I took a chance on an indie press I’d discovered through a TikTok editorial assessment. Her feedback was thoughtful and generous—and she signed me. Nearly twenty years after I wrote my first novel, I officially became a published author.

I like to joke that I’m the oldest child prodigy ever “discovered,” but the truth is: success isn’t a door we walk through. It’s a mountain we build—out of work, effort, time, sweat, and sadness. And one day, if you keep climbing, you look down and realize you’re standing on top of everything you once thought was in your way.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

One of the hardest lessons I had to learn is that creatives can be competitors—and that’s not a bad thing.

For a long time, I struggled with the idea that someone else’s success meant my failure. It took me years to understand that creativity isn’t a zero-sum game. A rising tide really does lift all boats. Watching someone else win doesn’t mean you’ve lost.

That realization was hard to come by, especially when you’re pouring your heart into something and watching it get passed over again and again. I’ve always had a competitive streak—not just to succeed, but to dominate. But here’s the thing: I don’t want to win by default. I want to compete against someone at the top of their game. Someone who challenges me pushes me and forces me to level up.

That’s what healthy creative competition can do—it can sharpen you. Strengthen you. Make you better.

Going with an indie press taught me the importance of a creative community. Being surrounded by other writers, cheering them on, and celebrating their wins changed something in me. I learned how to turn that pang of jealousy into a shiver of anticipation. More books? More writers? More creativity? That’s not a threat. That’s a thrill. It means the magic is alive and well—and we all get to rise with it.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to tell the stories we don’t often hear—the things we think but don’t say, because they’re not considered “nice” or “proper.”

My first series centers around a woman who doesn’t want kids. That choice alone upsets a lot of people—but it mattered deeply to me to write a childfree protagonist. Not as a side character. Not as a plot twist. As the heroine. Because those stories deserve space, too.

My next series is a romantasy with a different challenge: crafting a respectful, non-toxic male lead who still smolders off the page. I wanted to prove that a decent man can still be devastatingly desirable. That you don’t need cruelty to create tension. That masculinity can be powerful and gentle.

After that, I’m exploring something darker—a story about the divine feminine and addiction in a book about demons. I don’t know exactly what lesson that one will hold yet, but maybe that’s the point. Maybe it’s about trusting the unknown, giving myself permission to stretch in new directions and see what emerges.

At the heart of it all, my mission is simple: to tell stories that feel brave, that make someone out there feel seen, that whisper, you’re not the only one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://airieavant.com
• Instagram: theinfernalharpy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theinfernalharpy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-avant/
• Twitter: @infernalharpy