We were lucky to catch up with Suzie O’connell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Suzie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

After self-publishing my 13th novel (make of that what you will), I burned out. Hardcore. As in I… could… not… write. Characters and stories that have been chattering away in my mind since I first learned how to construct a story fell silent. It is perhaps the single most disorienting thing I’ve ever experienced, like a massive piece of who I am was just… gone.

There are a number of factors that played into my burnout. Writing faster and publishing more in a year than I am wired for. Undiagnosed ADHD. Forcing myself to continue writing in a genre I had lost excitement for purely because it was paying the bills. Trying to implement common advice in the author community that doesn’t work for me and isn’t healthy for me. Not understanding how important it is to rest and enjoy life and experience new things.

It’s a long list and it’s been a long seven years trying to undo the damage of everything that led to my burnout. And it’s an ongoing process. But through it, I’ve learned that I need to follow where the excitement leads me and to let go of the projects and strategies that don’t fit my vision and hopes for my career. To work with my neurodivergent brain rather than against it. And to embrace the “joy of missing out” on the things that aren’t right for me rather than letting the “fear of missing out” dictate my decisions about my author journey.

As you might expect, seven years without a new release means my sales have cratered. My lifelong dream of being a full-time author—something I was blessed and proud to live for close to eight years—is in tatters. But it isn’t dead. I’m going to take what I’ve learned about the industry and about myself and rebuild my success with a new pen name in my first-love genre: fantasy. It feels good. It feels right. And it’s exciting!

Suzie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been writing stories since I first learned how, way back in second grade. Yes, I’m one of those writers—the kind who are compelled to write and would tell stories no matter if they ever made a penny from them. I started in high/epic fantasy, dabbled in small town romance (with a hint of mystery/suspense woven in for fun) as a teenager, and finished my first novel at 16 (one of those small town romances). While I’ve entertained other job options—”You need a fallback career,” I’ve always been told—”author” has always been my dream. I went so far as to earn a bachelor of arts in literature and writing with a creative writing emphasis. I wrote a 166,000-word epic fantasy novel for my senior thesis.

I think you get the picture. “Writer” isn’t what I do, it’s who I am.

I self-published my first book (romance) in 2012 and two years later, that dream of being a full-time author came true. Between 2012 and 2018, I wrote and published ten books in that first series, a duet, and a stand alone. All romance. Fantasy got pushed to the wayside.

Then came the aforementioned burnout.

And while I couldn’t write, I found other ways to keep my creativity alive. I tapped into my Photoshop addiction and designed covers for other authors (and my own, though I’ve done that from the beginning). I also found a lot of fulfillment helping one of my writing besties, Erin Wright, start the author group Wide for the Win, which has since grown into a thriving community of over 18,000 members with courses and a weekly livestream/podcast. Being able to pay forward all the wonderful advice and help I’ve received in my career from wiser and more successful authors has been incredible.

I’m not sure I can pick one thing I’m most proud of. Because there are a lot of things I’ve accomplished that I look back at with wonder and pride. Sometimes—okay, most times, if I’m being totally honest—I can’t believe everything I’ve done in the last twelve years since I published that first book.

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

Going back to burning out, the fact that I’m still here, still trying, and haven’t given up on my dream of being an author speaks a lot to my resilience, I think. Or stubborness. Or both. I believe it was Winston Churchill who said, “Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” And that pretty well sums up how I feel about writing. Even if I never make another dime from it, I would still write.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I really wish I’d been diagnosed with ADHD earlier. Because knowing that my nervous system is interest-based would’ve led me to making different decisions about my career. Like switching genres earlier. And knowing that I can only force myself to do something I’m not excited about for so long. And I might’ve also seen that a lot of the advice out there was not good for me and that I was doing just fine doing things my way.

Contact Info:

• Website: suzieoconnell.com (romance), kateaneth.com (fantasy), sunsetrosebooks.com (cover design), 100dayswritingchallenge.com (writing accountability)

Image Credits

Suzie O’Connell