We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful P.e. Craven. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with P.E. below.

P.E. , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

Following the path of Self-Published Author has been a bit of an impromptu journey. It was never something I prepared for. Prior to being in publishing, I was a dance educator. I’d spent the majority of my life preparing for a career in the performing arts. In 2020, I was forced to make a career change and began the process of becoming a public school teacher.
Around this same time, I started writing creatively as an outlet for my need to create something artistic. I ended up writing a fantasy novel that I never intended to publish, but was encouraged to pursue publishing from my friends and family who’d read the original manuscript.

As a result, I became a self-published author who works full-time as a public school teacher by day. Sometimes, it leaves me with an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy. Day in and day out, I’m having to teach myself new skills required to run my author business, while simultaneously maintaining my other responsibilities.

This came to a head in the fall of 2024. I attended my first large convention as a signing author. Everything that could go wrong did:
1) In creating my special editions, it took me nearly triple the amount of time to format them because I didn’t have the proper software. It caused my cover designer to redesign the cover several times, thus increasing the amount of time it took to finalize the project.
2) Then, my inventory was delayed in production due to horrible weather. Books that were supposed to arrive two weeks before the convention were delayed over and over.
3) Our hotel reservation was almost cancelled on accident! A hotel staff member noticed the issue beforehand, but it added to the stress as I tried to make my way to the convention 8 hours away.

I showed up to the convention with one box of books and several special orders I couldn’t fill. My assistant and I scrambled to problem solve and ended up coming up with solutions that worked. In the end, we had a successful convention and were shocked to see everything work out in the end. I was so thankful to find many of my customers were understanding.

I realized that not everything has to be perfect, that even when things are imperfect, you can find success. It took some creative problem-solving and honest communication, but the convention ended up being a success and gave me the confidence to keep pursuing this path.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a self-published author who focuses on writing fantasy stories that focus on characters who challenge fate and write their own stories.
Many readers have noted that the structure of my stories are unique, and highlight the themes of challenging fate and the status quo. I love to feature characters who are faced with what feels like insurmountable odds, and rather than giving up, lean on their community for support.

In this journey, I’ve faced down my own obstacles, often my own doubts and fears. I’m proud that I’ve allowed myself the space to grow as an author, but also to find my own footing– even when it is different from others.

In my latest newsletter, I talked about the importance of “running your own race.” In the indie-author world, there are so many creators who will try and convince you that there is a specific formula to success. While there’s good data to support many of these ideas, that formula is not always attainable for every author. I’ve had to come to the realization that I am not always able to do everything the same way as other successful authors. My plate of responsibilities looks different from other authors. In some ways, I have less time and resources. In other ways, my background in the arts has benefitted me. When we compare ourselves to others, oftentimes we end up casting a shadow over our own blessings and gifts. My focus for the new year is to be more aware of my own “race” and focus more on it rather than other people’s “race”.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This story is from my newsletter. I think it’s the best summary of what I’ve experienced recently:

How an Episode of Bluey Reminded Me to “Run My Own Race”

If you’ve been following along, you could probably guess that 2024 was kind of a doozy for me. In fact, it was the year that made me really question how badly I want this life. And by that, I mean the #AuthorLife.

In 2023, I published two books, which sounds incredible. But, in full disclosure, sales have been…well, let’s just say, they could be better. I would go through periods where I crushed the “To-Do Lists,” getting every box checked off. Then, there were days where I was barely motivated to do anything. At the time, I was in the midst of a career change, which turned out to be a bust. The day-job was soul-sucking and left me feeling empty and powerless at the end of the day. In reality, being a teacher in today’s culture blows. It’s not a gig I would readily suggest to anyone. But it’s important work, so I tried to push through, until suddenly I couldn’t.

In December 2023, I made the decision to leave education. I spent the next summer and a month jobless…and then got a job as a teacher. (Cue the laugh reel.) It was serendipitous, but brought a flood of emotions along with it. I’m grateful to be teaching in a welcoming and supportive environment. But the whirlwind of emotions to decide on leaving the profession, to only fall back into it caused a lot emotional baggage I had to diligently sort through.

On top of all of that, I was struggling against the feeling that I was drowning, flailing in the waters of Indie-Authorhood. I was trying to manage inventory, create marketing, write, produce, schedule, network….the list goes on and on.

And if I didn’t do every single one of those things, then all of the other Indie Authors were going to surpass me! I’d lose out on this opportunity forever! And then, what?!

(Do you see where this is going?)

All this stress led me to unintentionally taking most of 2024 off writing. I did some, but it was negligible amounts. I was burnt out, discouraged, feeling more and more depressed as the year wore on. (Did I mention that I realized I’d be 40 in a few short years??) I was just feeling more and more bummed about the small amount of success I’d experienced.

I found myself self sabotaging. If I had a task, I would miss the deadline. Executive Dysfunction was an actual, furry, scary monster that was tagging along behind me, constantly keeping me from accomplishing anything on my lists of things to-do. Which only led me to feeling more discouraged.

And then!

I had a conversation with my 11 year old son. He’s fairly wise, and has had to work hard to get to the point he is now. In that conversation, I found myself saying, “You know…I think I need an attitude tune up.” He asked me why, and probed me to explain the sudden realization. And that’s when I admitted the facts:

1) I am but one mere person. If I run out of time or spoons in the day, it will just have to be that way.

2) I do have a chronic illness. My body struggles to regulate it’s endocrine system, which can lead to a whole mess of symptoms that take time and intention to manage. Admitting that, however, means also admitting that I might not have the same output as other people.

3) I have to have a day job. Womp-womp. ‘Cause guess what?? I still need money on a regular basis!

4) Fast-publishing, like fast-fashion, isn’t something I have to subscribe to.

5) I’m working really fucking hard. And you know what? I’m proud of my accomplishments! But I’m also very early in my career as an author. 3 years! That’s it!! I’m making an effort to stop comparing myself to authors who’ve been doing this even two or three years longer than I have.

All of these realizations led me to Christmas Break. My family and I were heading out on a trip, and I decided to unplug. A social media fast, if you will. I announced it online, gave myself a date that I had to be back, and then allowed myself to disengage from that persona. We had an incredible time. My stress was at an all time low. And…I WROTE!! I finally finished the manuscript that had been plaguing me for a year and a half. I got 2/3’s of the way through a new novella that will kick off a new series I’m working on (find out more below), and I came to terms with a few things regarding FireSpy (again…find out below).

I’m starting this year feeling motivated, and more than that, dedicated to Running My Own Race.

This message came through LOUD and CLEAR this past weekend as my daughter and I took a break from snow-day fun and caught a few episodes of Bluey. In the episode, Chili (the mum), recounted the story of wanting Bluey to “beat” another baby at the “learning to walk race.” Chili became obsessed, and every minor set-back ended up overshadowing Bluey’s journey. With every new development, Chili felt worse and worse as she watched another baby hit the milestones the “normal” way. A mum-friend reminded Chili that Bluey was doing great, and so was she. It didn’t matter how quickly one baby walked compared to another. They were each running their own race, after all.

The episode couldn’t have come at a better time for me. It reassured me that the decisions I’m making at the moment are the “right” ones. I’m doing fine. My journey– my race, if you will– is bound to look different from others.

And so, with that, I lift my cup of Starbies to you readers. (It’s a flat-white with oatmilk/brown sugar. Highly recommend).

I hope that this next year will bring you the assurance that you are doing a great job. You are running your own race! And I’m rooting for you, just as much as I can tell you are rooting for me.

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

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an author is that I get to write the stories that matter to me. I’ve found that my voice is truer, more striking, even, when I write the story I need.

There are times when I re-read my first published work and I wonder if I should go back and re-publish it. There are areas where I see my old writing style, and feel like I could improve it. Then, I remember that the story blossomed at a time when I needed it most.

Now, my stories reflect, in a thousand different micro-examples, the person I am at the time of writing. Sometimes the subject matter is deep and raw. Other times, the topics are more superficial and playful. These elements represent the full spectrum of who I am and how I’m experiencing the world.

The audience may not realize that when they are reading my stories, but I do. And that’s one of the most incredible parts of this journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pecravenauthor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p.e.craven.writes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/PE-Craven-Writes-100086381487993/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@p.e.craven?si=n1JAxwhER8gNWiMr

Image Credits

Headshots: Paige Evatt, Ivey Photo
Book Cover: Yosbe Design