Meet Kirsten Pursell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kirsten Pursell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kirsten, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

As an indie author, I’m not sure I will ever completely overcome the sense of being an imposter. On the other hand, I love to write and tell stories. And the fact that what I write resonates with readers acts as a form of validation, taking some of the edge off feeling like an imposter. I remind myself how lucky I am to be writing and publishing and that I have control over the process by self-publishing. I am not a patient person, so as much as I’d love to have an incredible agent and a publishing house behind me to remove some of those imposter feelings, I get to tell stories my way, on my terms. There’s no faking it that way!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am an award-winning indie author tackling various relatable themes in my stories. My most recent release, “Long Enough to Love You,” is a coming-of-middle-age novel that tackles the stereotypes around marriage, love, and sex as we age. I am excited to announce that an audiobook is currently in production and will be available sometime in September. “Long Enough to Love You” has won awards in romance and divorce romance fiction categories. My other books include my memoir, “On Becoming Me: Memoir of an 80’s Teenager,” which has been number one on Amazon in women’s biographies and memoirs, “Harvard,” a romance, “Company Clown,” also a former number one on Amazon in satirical fiction, and “Battle of the Canvas,” which is a compilation of poems. My books have been downloaded over 15,000 times since 2021. Outside of writing, I participate in Masters swimming, competing nationally and internationally in pools and open water. I am currently writing my next novel, which I hope to release at the start of 2025. You can learn more about me on my website at www.kirstenpursell.com.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Every person has their own set of qualities they fall back on to get them through or push them forward. High on my list of relevant attributes impacting my journey are perspective, flexibility, and being true to myself. As a writer, it can be difficult to drown out the noise of negativity. It’s easy to question yourself when you see a negative review, knowing that not all people will love what you write; it may not speak to or be relevant to them. I have learned to have perspective. Most of us don’t write to make tons of money, even though that would be nice. Most of us write because we like to tell stories. I don’t write in just one category, which has given me greater flexibility, a quality I think is necessary to any creative process. I don’t have a rigid formula I use when I write. I always know how something will begin and end with parts in between, but being flexible in telling the story has allowed me to go in directions I didn’t see until I started telling that part of the story. Lastly, being true to yourself is a quality you must have as a writer. I can’t pretend to be anyone else; my voice is uniquely mine.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

When I wrote “Long Enough to Love You,” I was struggling in my marriage. That book, while fiction, was very real for me, and I invested an incredible amount of raw emotion into telling that story. I heard from so many women that it was their story, too. It resonated on many levels. I recognized I was living in a marriage that couldn’t be saved, but the thought of starting over was scary and uncertain. I knew the story I told in “Long Enough to Love You” was my story on many levels. Just over a year ago, I asked for a divorce and am so happy navigating this next part of my life. It’s the first big step that’s the scariest. I am unapologetically me, living life on my terms, even if it’s not always easy.

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Marcy Browe

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