Meet Caitriona Drexler

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

Hi Caitriona, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?

This is a very relevant question for me because I got laid off from my corporate day job in early March. I had worked at this company for 15 years and didn’t see it coming. This job was my very first after graduating college and I spent these last 15 years climbing up a difficult career ladder. But I did. I was successful and became a valuable asset to the company. At the end of the day, I was only seen as having the highest salary in my rank within the department I worked for and that was the reason I was laid off. I’m still trying to move past this surprising change in my life. But one of the things I’ve found to be most important in all of this, is having a support system. My friends and family have done nothing but support me, offering me help wherever I might need it and the motivation to find a better job and keep going. The same can be said for being an indie author where it can feel very isolating. All the indie authors I’ve befriended have been so supportive and helpful. Any goal is achievable when you have the support of friends behind you.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve always had a passion for writing, whether creative or academic. It wasn’t until a difficult breakup that I used my skills in writing to heal while attempting to create a full-length novel. That journey was interrupted a few times and I didn’t take it seriously until the pandemic. But once I finished that first draft of my debut novel, A Life Unplanned, I had the bug and I couldn’t stop writing.
Choosing the self-publishing route was an easy decision, I didn’t even attempt to go traditional. I knew I wanted to own all creative aspects of my work, but that meant I needed to put in a lot more effort than I imagined. Becoming an indie author who self-publishes means you have to put on all the hats of a single company. For a while, it was overwhelming. I knew nothing about the publishing world and I’m still learning three years later.
From concept to book launch, I manage all phases of book production and marketing. And as much as I just want to keep writing, I have to put on all these hats in order to get my books out there in the world. This is what makes indie authors so special and why I love this community so much. Our dedication to our craft is woven into our stories, our engagement with readers, our drive to learn more, and our support in each other.
Taking a look back at what I’ve accomplished so far, I’ve written 6 full-length novels, a novella, and a short story. With each book, I can see my writing style develop and my skills as an author and editor blossom. One of the most fulfilling things as an author doing everything on my own is hearing from readers that they see this growth in my writing. Every step I take is important to producing a book, but writing is at the very core of what I do.
One of my beta readers told me that my upcoming book, Once Upon an Apocalypse, is my best yet. This novel was a challenge to write because it is a different genre than what I usually read and write. It’s a hell of a journey and I hope to surprise readers with unexpected twists while telling a tale of survival, self-discovery, and empowerment.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Knowing very little about the publishing world meant I needed to learn everything. Where to publish was the easiest part. How? That was a journey. For anyone getting ready to launch their debut novel as a self-published indie author, don’t do it alone. Find your people. Ask them questions. You might not get all the answers for your first book, you will definitely make mistakes, but having even just one indie author friend who knows the game will help you in your journey because the internet lacks a lot of information on this subject.
That is something I wish I did before I published my debut. I felt like I couldn’t reach out to anyone because I was nobody. Shortly after publishing, I learned that to be the opposite. Even though I had made many mistakes, I was resilient, a trait I needed to have or else I’d have given up.
Being organized is another skill that still helps me on this journey as an indie author. Spreadsheets are life. I use them for everything. If I didn’t have spreadsheets, I’d be lost. I use spreadsheets to keep track of to dos, metadata for my books, a publishing dashboard for sales and budgets, and social media schedules. Name it, I have a spreadsheet for it.
My tech-savvy skills continue to come in handy too. There are many helpful tools out there for indie authors. Navigating these new tools was easy for me, even though they were all new. The hardest part for me was learning of their existence. And this is where having indie author friends come in handy. Without them, I wouldn’t know about Atticus, which is a lifesaver in formatting manuscripts into PDFs and epubs. Or Canva, which I use for all my social media graphics and cover designs.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The biggest challenge I’m facing at the moment is not having a full-time job. Being unemployed brings a lot of uncertainty in my life. Sure, I’m an indie author, but it doesn’t pay the bills. I haven’t even broken even from my initial investment into starting this journey 3 years ago. It was never my plan to become profitable either, I just love writing and sharing my story with readers.
But now, not having a steady paycheck, not knowing when I’ll find a new job is absolutely terrifying.
I’m a pantser when it comes to writing but in life, I’m a planner. I had my entire year planned out. In person book events, family trips, and upcoming book releases. All of this relied on the fact that I had a secure job. A job that offered me a flexible schedule and a whole lot of paid time off.
Getting a new job is my number one focus right now. Thankfully my next book is just about ready for its release date on June 5, giving me more than enough time so I won’t have to make a sacrifice there. But I am hoping that whatever job I land offers me the same flexibility I had so that I can balance work, family, and my indie author responsibilities.
Keeping my routine has been so important for me. As long as I can keep it up, I know everything will be okay. I just have to stop worrying about the future and focus on the now.

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