We recently connected with Robin Jeffrey and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Robin, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
When I was a very young child, I worried about everything. I worried about whether the sun would come up the next morning, I worried about whether my parents would disappear in the night, I worried about the monsters in the closet. I never took risks and I was constantly afraid.
As I grew older, I gradually got better at worrying less, but I was still pretty risk adverse. To this day, I struggle with letting the fear of failure or negative outcomes control me. But despite that, I’ve managed to publish six books with more on the way, regularly querying agents and publishing houses, becoming a teacher of writing, leaving a full time job so I can write… all of which necessitated taking risks that would have made little me quiver and hide under the covers.
How did I do it?
I repeat two things to myself everyday:
– Be scared and do it anyway.
– Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the acting in spite of it.
It’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to worry. What isn’t okay is letting that worry and fear stop you from doing what may bring you joy. And I have found such joy in taking risks, found such genuine fulfilment from doing things that were terrifying that I have never looked back once and gone “I shouldn’t have tried that.” It’s never easy to push yourself, but it’s always worth it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I love to write. I love books. I have a deep respect for books and the written word. I think everyone deep down is a reader, whether they know it or not. I think people who say, “oh, I don’t read” or “no, I don’t like to read,” they just haven’t found the right book. They haven’t been exposed to reading in the right environments, in the right context. I think everybody is a reader. They just need to find what they want to read, and I think once they do that, it can be enormously powerful and life transforming for them. I truly do believe in the power of information to bring people together rather than tear them apart. I think information is enormously powerful and can do a lot of good in the world. I’ve been writing with an eye to publishing for the last 14 years, but I’ve been a storyteller all my life. In the publishing world, I cut my teeth on microfiction and flash fiction, and then I jumped right to novel writing. I love mentoring writers at any stage in their career. I find I have a real passion for teaching, and I love meeting readers. I love connecting directly with people who have enjoyed my work and are looking for their next big read.
Speaking of next big read, I actually have three writing projects that will be hitting shelves before the end of the year!
Oct. 1 – “Hungry is the Night: Author’s Preferred Text” hits shelves! Pre-order this special edition of the first book in this smash hit series! Now with all new bonus story and a special sneak peek of book two!
Oct. 22 – “Dirty Drinks” slides onto eReaders everywhere! Alex serves liquor neat – but his love life is messy as hell… Pre-order this mafia romance novella today to heat up your fall!
Nov. 12 – “Bloody is the Night” debuts! Pre-order the much anticipated second entry in “The Night” series and find out why in Los Angeles you can either run with the wolves…or from them…
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the three qualities that were most impactful in my journey as a writer have been:
– Curiosity: Being constantly curious, hungry for knowledge and willing to learn has allowed me to continue to move forward and improve my skills as an author, a marketer, a businessperson — just advance in every aspect of my life. I think the best way to develop or improve this skill is to always look for an aspect of every task that interests you and pursue it relentlessly.
– Self-discipline: You have to exercise self-discipline to sit and work on your craft, especially when it’s hard or not going well. Those are the times it’s most important to get to work and the times it’s hardest to make yourself do it. My best tip for developing self-discipline? Be gentle with yourself. You’ll learn better with a carrot than with a stick!
– Belief in myself: You won’t get anywhere if you doubt yourself, especially artistically. Believe in your vision and no one can stop you! Practice affirmations, daily.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
This is something I struggle with a lot. Being an independent author, there are so many moving parts that make up my life, from actually writing the books, to marketing, to networking – it can often feel like trying to keep a dozen plates spinning in the air all at once with only two hands! When I feel overwhelmed, one of the most helpful things I can do for myself is check in with my support network – my friends and family. They are always the first to tell me how great I’m doing, remind me how much I’ve already accomplished, and offer to help anyway they can. Often times I find my overwhelm comes from trying to do everything myself, but you don’t need to do that. You have people in your life who want to help – let them help!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://robinjeffreyauthor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidekick_ig/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinjeffreyauthor
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesidekick_author
Image Credits
Cadence Turing Mystery covers drawn by Julianne Stone
Hungry is the Night cover drawn by Kiv Bui
Robin Jeffrey headshot taken by Fat Yeti Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
