We were lucky to catch up with Christina Hill recently and have shared our conversation below.
Christina, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
As someone who has read the self-help books, listened to the podcasts, followed the people with great work ethic advice, nothing has honed this skill quite like being a mom of four.
I’m often in the business of managing, whether this is our schedule, our homeschool lessons, or emotions that are too big for their small bodies. I’ve had to learn how to manage my own expectations and feelings, too. It’s a lot to handle, but it’s also taught me how to manage my time to get the most out of it.
I think this has been the largest contributor to my work ethic because if I want to make time to pursue the things I love, I have to create space for it. Sure, that space looks like a short break between teaching fractions to my ten-year-old and fishing my three-year-old from my neighbor’s yard. But, for me, I need writing as much as I want it.
So, I’ll carve out the moments, though few, and make the most of them because someone is going to need to go to gymnastics or want a hug after falling.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I started writing books two years ago after adopting our fourth kiddo. I had a story or stories I wanted to tell, so I did. As someone who goes by “mom” and “babe” more often than my own name, I was at a place in my life where I was ready to do something for me.
So, with very little experience, I started writing, rewriting, learning from others, watching a thousand YouTube videos (roughly), and reading books to figure out how to craft a story and sell it. I published my first book, Love has a Name, in May of 2021 and have self-published almost seven books since then. I found a home in the indie author community and within myself through this journey, and I’ve never felt more empowered.
After writing three women’s fiction novels, I was feeling a desire to shift, and now I predominantly write romantic comedies with heart and heat. I love when words on a page have the ability to make me laugh out loud, which is exactly what I wanted my readers to experience. Life is heavy. My first three books…heavy. But there’s something about taking notice of the small joys in life that have their place, too.
I’m currently preparing to launch my seventh book, Thirst Trapp Wedding, into the readerverse, and it never feels easier. It’s still an exceptional amount of work to get from idea to physical book, but I love what I do and will continue to write comedic dinner scenes, surly Granny’s with wise cracks, and all the delicious tension.
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?
The three areas that have been instrumental in my journey have been community, the internet, and failure.
When I first decided I wanted to indie publish, I had no clue where to start. I decided sending a few blind messages to other indie authors I didn’t know was the way to go and somehow they didn’t tell me to get lost. I’m pretty sure I asked one of them to be my Yoda. Yeah, I was desperate. But what I learned from doing this is how welcoming this community is and how eager I was for it. Those two things really helped me shed my fears of asking for help and lean into the wealth of knowledge that are human beings. I’m eternally grateful to my internet friends who have become real life friends.
The internet can be a scary place, but it’s also FULL of information. And cat videos. I love those, too. But I knew if I were going to get any good at this craft and publishing a book, I needed even more access to that information. Whether it was in the wee hours of the morning or when the glow of my computer screen was the only light in the room, I researched everything from Amazon keywords to formatting an ebook. I found books and podcasts, YouTube channels and lit agents talking about writing, and I listened. So. Much. I had no idea what I was doing, but someone did.
Lastly, and a shared experience regardless of what you’re working toward, I failed. Like, a lot. I still do, honestly. In order to grow with my craft, I had to fail a bit first. I had to forget to upload my ebook on time to figure out that Amazon will cancel all of my preorders and refund everyone. I had to figure out when (and when not) to read critical reviews. I had to write a first draft that sucked and a final draft that someone else thought sucked. There are so many opportunities in life for failure, and realizing it’s just part of the package has been invaluable. Don’t let that stop you. Fail hard and take chances.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
I think about my ideal reader a lot. The person who appreciates a quirky character they can relate to because we all have our weird qualities. Someone who loves to laugh and swoon.
But mostly the person I’m thinking about is the person coming into or just turning thirty who still holds a lot of fear but doesn’t want to. The person who chooses bravery, possibly for the first time ever, and is willing to risk whether that’s in their job, relationships, or emotionally. Regardless of how they are risking, I write books for those bold enough to live.
Every single one of my books highlights women (and men) who are getting to know themselves in a deeper way because they finally decided to shove fear off a cliff. To this person, I hope they know they aren’t alone in that journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: authorchristinahill.com
- Instagram: @authorchristinahill
- Other: TikTok: @authorchristinahill
Email: authorchristinahill@gmail.com
Image Credits
None. Personal.
