We recently connected with Pedro Iniguez and have shared our conversation below.
Pedro, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I think the most important factor in being successful is defining what success means to each individual. And, you can’t succeed without trying to accomplish what it is you set out to do. Having said that, I think persistence is key when trying to reach goals and achieve any means of success. We all get frustrated, overwhelmed, tired. But we never know what’s waiting around the bend if we stop prematurely. I’ve been writing for 15 years and things progressively got better in my career because I kept at it.
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 Bram Stoker Award-nominated horror and science-fiction writer, poet, and sensitivity reader. I’ve been writing for 15 years, have been published in over 130 magazine and anthologies, and am the author of several books, including novels as well as fiction and poetry collections. I have worked on comic books and have a children’s picture book due out this year. I have also been a ghost writer for award-winning apps and have been a sensitivity reader for several clients. Apart from leading writing workshops and speaking at several colleges, I am also currently a proofreader at Galaxy Science Fiction and Worlds if IF Magazine.
I became a writer when the late, great Dennis Etchison (Lifetime Bram Stoker Award-winning recipient) became my friend and mentor and encouraged me to write. I began submitting and selling a few stories, and I haven’t looked back since.
For any questions regarding ghost-writing, sensitivity readings, or appearances, I can be reached through the contact form on my website: https://pedroiniguez.com/
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When it comes to writing, rejections are a big, albeit normal part of the game. For some people it can be a crushing experience. In once instance I didn’t get rejected per se, but rather, I got ghosted. I submitted a picture book manuscript to a well-known publisher. The owner responded to me after a few months and told me she really enjoyed my work and that she would be in touch soon. That was 5 years ago. She never responded, even after a few follow-up emails. They continue to publish widely to this day.
I was devastated and put the story on hold. I was hurt, confused. Usually, I take rejections well, let them roll off my shoulder. But this was worse. I feel like I had the rug pulled from under me.
After a few years, I decided to shake the story off and submitted it to another publisher, They bought it right away and now it’s due to be released in October, 2025. I think, resilience played a big factor in this manuscript’s journey. The will to pick yourself up and keep trying is invaluable when reaching for your goals, even after numerous rejections.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I just want to be the best writer I can be. I’m not interested in competing with other writers, I don’t care about any trends, I just want to write the stories I want to tell, and improve my craft as I go along. That to me is what drives me. To see what cool things I can do, what stories I can weave while I’m in this world. And if I can make people happy, all the better.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pedroiniguez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pete_the_sneak/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Pedro__Iniguez
