Interview with Crystal Estell

Author of A Not So Immaculate Conception

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’m originally from Lake View, SC (population 779) and currently reside in Hope Mills, NC with my husband, kids, dogs, chickens, and cockatiel, Puck, who flew into my life uninvited.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

A rather unbelievable one, I admit. In 2002, I became a registered nurse. Two years later, I moved to Columbia, SC, which is home to the Fort Jackson Army Base. There, I met a soldier, who after only two weeks and six days of knowing each other, I married. Within a month, we were shipped off to Quincy, IL, then three years later, to Fort Bragg, NC. In 2013, he retired and we’ve remained here ever since… still married 15 years later.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

If you would have asked me at twelve what I wanted to be, I would have told you a famous author. I grew up poor, not as in I didn’t have the name brand jeans I wanted, but as in we once lived in an abandoned migrant worker’s house with no working bathroom until a church rented us a place, poor. Both my parents only had a 7th grade education, neither held a steady job, and my father was an abusive alcoholic. Sometimes he’d disappear for days, leaving us with nothing until my mother, out of desperation, would hitchhike with us in tow to the nearest payphone to call my grandmother and beg for help. Many days, we went without food, personal care items, and electricity, except for the times when neighbors would allow my father to run a drop cord from an electric socket in their trailer, through their window and ours, so he could watch his late night TV shows on a small, portable TV.

Writing became my escape. I could create fascinating characters, fresh worlds… and as always, a happy ever after.

One year on my birthday, after winning the 7th grade Lt. Governor’s award for writing, I asked for a typewriter. Thanks to monetary help from my wealthy aunt, I got one, the cheap, plastic-key version. But it worked. I was in heaven until one day I came home from school to find that my parents had returned it for money.

They told me I didn’t write enough.

Enthusiasm turned into hopelessness, even more so when a guidance counselor at my tiny school informed me that the chances of me becoming a published writer were slim to none. She pushed me to pursue a more stable source of income.

Fast forward many years later.

I’d been working as a registered nurse, which remains my current day job, when I discovered I had two rare diseases, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and a Chiari Malformation, which led to me having brain surgery. It was then, after my neurosurgeon decided it was necessary to power saw off a piece of my skull and vertebrae and cauterize-away some of my brain itself, that I decided life was short, and I should follow my passions. And because my heart had always been in the arts, I dabbled in furniture building and started a terrible DIY blog.

Still, my love for writing remained a pipe dream that I’d let go of

Until I, and please excuse my embarrassing honesty, read Fifty Shades of Grey. Motivated and shocked by the small fortune E. L. James had amassed from the series, I rushed straight to my computer. Armed with an idea and a delusion, I started my journey to authorship. Eight months later, I had created a masterpiece (Remember the delusion? Yeah, that was it). It didn’t take long for me to realize my book was worthy of nothing more than the delete button.

That’s when it hit me. I had a full-time job. My book could—and should—be for me, an accomplishment I could be proud of whether it brought me one dollar or five-thousand dollars. Because real writing is never about the money. It’s about the passion, the art of creating. Writing is about sharing the story floating around in my head, a story that would only exist if I told it. Writing is making people smile. And so I did, with my first debut novel, A Not So Immaculate Conception.

Hopefully, the first of many more to come.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

A resounding theme amongst all my books is the happy-ever-after. It might come with comedy and conflict and plot surprises, but it arrives, just as promised. I do this because life in general can be tough. Not everyone is born with a silver or even aluminum spoon in their mouth. For some of us, it’s more like a sharp knife. So I enjoy knowing that when people read my books that they’ll be left with something positive to hold on to, a warm and fuzzy feeling to carry with them throughout their day.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Anyone who loves a good laugh, a warming romance, and just enough drama to keep it entertaining. Oh, I nearly forgot, and a happy ever after.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

It’s not as easy as it looks! In fact, I’d compare it to yoga class. The teacher demonstrates the most well-executed downward dog pose, gives you all the steps, and tells you exactly what to do. Then you take a go at it, only to topple over thirty seconds later. Not because you can’t follow instructions, but because you don’t have the necessary muscles. That’s why writing often is so important. It can’t be done well without regular practice and ruthless edits.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Never judge your book by its first draft. It’s equivalent to turning forty and reading the story you wrote in 2nd grade. The only thing that comes to mind, after a few expletives, is, Where was I going with that? But if you stick with the story, sand the rough edges, chisel away the excess, you might be surprised at what lies beneath all the junk.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Would I come off as greedy if I say, the whole world?

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

My biggest frustration has been the discovery that not everyone who reaches the best-seller status among Indie published authors has done so by true talent, or even their own writing. The unfortunate truth, which Nora Roberts has highlighted on her blog, is that some “authors” hire ghost writers, plagiarize other’s work, stamp new titles and fresh covers on the basically the same book, pay for reviews or exchange reviews with other authors, and even work together to drive the trope of the month. My point: despite hard work and talent, sometimes the delightful little angelfish swimming in the Indie Publishing sea gets devoured by the loop-holing sharks. So never fear buying a book that doesn’t have a hundred reviews or a best seller ribbon. What’s inside those pages might surprise you.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Writing is definitely my biggest strength. I write everyday, so much so that sometimes my family has to say, STOP! We want to spend time with you.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing is my biggest weakness. I’m like the kid who knocks on the door and says, “You don’t want to buy any chocolate, do you? Probably not, huh? You look tired. I’ll just go.” I’ve never been great at selling anything, not even for my children. They bring home magazines filled with cookie dough, and I cringe just thinking about having to ask someone to buy it. So I purchase more than I should so they can get the cheap prize. Then, five pounds later, I regret my decision.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’ve already finished my third book, a romantic suspense, filled with some surprising plot twists. With this one, I plan to traditionally publish. If I’m lucky or talented enough to land an agent and publisher, of course. With A Not So Immaculate Conception, I had 5 requests for the manuscript, which because I had no clue what I was doing at the time, was no where near ready. But, after two years of researching and devouring everything I could about writing, I molded it into a book that makes me proud. This time around, I’m hoping to bypass the newbie mistakes.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Currently, I am self-published, but hope to soon become hybrid published. I love the freedom of Indie publishing, yet at the same time, really want to see my books on the shelves of bookstores across the country.