Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Crawford.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Susan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started writing ages ago. I’ve always written – through my childhood, my moves to different cities, marriage, and child-raising. I taught for years in Adult Education, delivered newspapers, graded GED essays for the Department of Technical and Adult Education, taught ESL and Literacy, put on local art shows, baked heart-shaped cakes for my daughters’ classes, but through it all, I wrote stories.
When my children were grown, I joined a critique group and The Atlanta Writers Club, learned what I could from other authors, reluctantly let people read my work and tell me what they liked and didn’t, stood up in front of people to read my poems.
At a conference, an agent liked the first pages of my manuscript, The Pocket Wife. She asked to see the rest and, after much rewriting on my part, she took it on. The book went to auction and sold in a fantastic two-book deal. The Pocket Wife has been translated into many languages and my second book, The Other Widow, is now out as well. My life changed overnight. But not completely.
I now write and do authorish things instead of puzzle-piecing together a collection of jobs, but I still go to my critique groups, still have grumbly feral cats, still live in the same place, still cook dinner and (sadly) still procrastinate. I am grateful for my good fortune and for my love of writing that has been with me throughout my life.
Has it been a smooth road?
There are always struggles and in the case of writing this is probably a good thing. Smooth roads can be bland. The unexpected twists and turns, the ruts that trip you up – these are the things that flesh out a life and give it depth. I have had many struggles along the way – a rocky childhood, balancing work and motherhood and a large collection of rejection slips. It’s part of the process.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Author story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m an author but I write articles and blogs too when I’m not working on my book. I also speak at workshops and book events, which I love because I’m able to connect with readers. I teach writing techniques and try to inspire others to pursue their goals, their dreams, and to never give up!
Maybe what sets me apart is that I lived this whole other life as a teacher and a wife and mother but I never gave up on my dream of being a published author – I just put it off until the time was right!
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
Over the next 5-10 years, I hope to continue writing, traveling and helping others to write.
Contact Info:
- Website: susancrawfordnovelist.com
- Email: susansscribblings@gmail.com
- Instagram: susanhcrawford
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susancrawfordauthor/
- Twitter: crawfordsusanh
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