We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Staci Olsen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Staci below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Staci with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My parents moved our family onto 54 acres of raw Alaskan woodland with the goal of building their dream home. In such a harsh environment, there were times when completing work and completing it well was literally a matter of survival. As children, we had the typical household chores to do: washing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, making our beds, etc. We also had to help gather enough firewood to last through the long, frigid winters. We had to help dig ditches, clear land, put up walls, and install electrical wiring and plumbing. My dad was a bit of a perfectionist and rarely hired outside help, so building a 3600 square foot home was almost exclusively a family endeavor. The work was intense and never ending, yet through it all my parents were leading the way, demonstrating by example what constitutes a strong work ethic. I learned from my parents that work isn’t done until I have done it to the best of my ability, and that knowledge has applied to every aspect of my life ever since.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
While our dream home was being constructed, my family lived in a 16×20 foot cabin that initially lacked running water, electricity, telephone, or plumbing. The first utility we received was telephone, but since our cabin didn’t yet have walls, we had to hang the phone on a tree. We bathed in a wheelbarrow, used a latrine in the summer or a 5-gallon bucket in the winter, cooked on a camp stove, and read by the light of a kerosene lantern. Even after we obtained all the modern amenities, we were often isolated, especially in the winter. We never did get television, and internet was still in its baby phase. Since I was not one that enjoyed outdoor winter activities, and digital devices didn’t exist in our home, I had to create my own entertainment. A lifelong love of reading naturally morphed into an interest in telling my own stories. I wrote my first novel at the age of 14 and haven’t stopped writing since. Today I have published two novels and a handful of short stories. After graduating from high school, I attended Brigham Young University in Utah and received my degree in English. Three years after finishing college, I met my husband. He was the president of the salsa dance club at Utah State University, and he taught me to dance. We’ve been dancing together for 17 years now. We have five children, four boys and one girl, and a dog and two cats. My hobbies are hiking, camping, salsa dancing, escape rooms, and treasure hunting (I’ve won six with a combined prize value of $10,000!).
Writing young adult fantasy novels is my primary focus, but pitching to an agent at a writing conference in 2016 began a series of events that led to a small press hiring me to be an acquisitions editor and then their production manager. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. Reading the slush pile is a task I adore, and I get an adrenaline rush every time I find a gem of a story. Using the skills I gained from my education and experience in publishing, I recently began a freelance editing and formatting business. I find that helping other authors obtain the same dream I’ve dreamed is extremely fulfilling.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Make friends. I know this is uncomfortable for many introverted people, but I can trace my success to a handful of moments where I met people who became influential in my journey: the editor I hired to edit my book, the agent I pitched to at a conference, the neighbor who encouraged me to apply for a job, the brother who suggested I try a different path to publishing. Having a network of friends who are talented, resourceful, and cheering for you is invaluable. 2. Be adaptable. The path to success is not straight and easy. It winds over mountains and through valleys. You will encounter obstacles along the way. You will be able to go around some of the obstacles, but others will force you to choose a different path. That does not mean you have failed! Every successful person has a wildly different story about how they got to where they are. Keep pushing for your goals, and figure out how your setbacks provide you with new opportunities.
3. Don’t minimize your success. So many of us are striving for fame and fortune that I think we fail to acknowledge successes that lack monetary value or that only influence a few people. Have I made millions in book sales? No. But my books are in libraries where they can be accessed for free. That is success. Do millions of people read my writing? No, but strangers in foreign countries have read my books and liked them. That is success. While being a stay-at-home mom of five kids, I wrote several novels. That is phenomenal success. Even I don’t know how I did it! I have a job where I get to help other authors be successful. It’s a profession I never imagined having, and I am so proud of myself for grasping the opportunity when it arrived. I am a wife and mother. I am an author. I have a career in publishing. I work hard. And I’m happy. That is all success.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Ooh, I’m so excited to gush about a book!!! Have you ever read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand? If not, you should! It’s a nonfiction story about the life of Louis Zamperini. He went from childhood delinquent to Olympian to soldier to castaway to prisoner of war to adult delinquent to an unforgettable personal redemption. It reads like fiction because the disastrous course of his life is unbelievable, yet he was able to claw his way out of darkness to obtain peace and even joy. Louis Zamperini should have died a dozen different times, but he endured. He had every right to be filled with hatred, but he forgave. He should have succumbed to PTSD, but he conquered it. He demonstrated bravery and resilience and empathy and a strength of will that is incomparable. If Louis Zamperini can overcome all of that, then there isn’t anything I can’t conquer. I can take rejection and criticism with grace. I can face challenges with confidence. I can be true to myself and my goals and my dreams without fear or shame. I can define success in my own way.
Contact Info:
- Website: staciolsen.com
- Instagram: @authorstaciolsen
- Facebook: staci.olsen.7
- Twitter: @staciolsen12
Image Credits
Katie Blanco Staci Olsen Heidi Devenport
