S.R. Crickard of Columbus on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with S.R. Crickard and have shared our conversation below.

Hi S.R., thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
My day-to-day work is homemaking and homeschooling. Building a culture in our home that’s rooted in good books, prayer, and time in nature is something I’m building daily. I am very devoted to raising humans who love God, reading, and others, and so far, it’s going well.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sarah, although I write under the name S. R. Crickard. I am an author by night and a mom by day. My debut novel, Misshelved Magic, came out in 2024, and book 2 is almost in its second draft. Besides my Christian Fantasy books, I write a blog called First Last Thing where I talk about books and media from the perspective of memento mori; the practice of recalling our death in order to live better.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I was raised by a very practical mother who liked numbers and anything else that followed rules. That God gave her a creative and expressive child like me is proof He has a sense of humor. My mom understood that my creativity was a need and a gift very early on. She often told me, “I don’t get it, but I don’t have to. You keep using your talents.” She diligently read every short story, poem, and essay I wrote, and even framed a few. I see so many young creatives quit because they aren’t taken seriously, and I’m so grateful my mother thought that my writing was just as important as my grades and that I needed to work hard at both.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
When I look back, I can see every failure as a closed door that kept me on the right track. The only way to never fail is never to try. In college, I took what was known as a “weed out” course, a class designed to be hard so that students who weren’t serious would leave the program. You had to get a B or higher to stay in the program. I got a B-, and I remember watching my whole life plan shift in the matter of one day. But that failure left me deciding what I really wanted to do if I didn’t have such a structured career ahead of me, and so I decided to change my major, and that led me to a career as a case worker. I think now that I’d have been unhappy in the field I’d originally chosen. I think that failures are not always a reflection on how hard we tried or our worth, but just a nudge that we’re going the wrong direction.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
I’ve never been one to follow fads, and I don’t advise writers to ‘write to the market’ necessarily. I think that writers ought to be readers, and that if you read voraciously, you’ll figure out what you like in a book. Once you know what books you like, try to write one, but make it your own. There are fads and shifts in the market, but trying to predict and follow them is a little like predicting the lottery numbers. It’s better to just write a book you’d like to read, and then others will like it too.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I was an encourager. From the books I write, to the way I treat others, I hope it’ll be said that I encouraged people to live a life they’ll be happy to present to God. There’s a view of memento mori that it’s all doom and gloom, when in fact I find it a very encouraging way to live. If I only have today to show my love to my family and write the thoughts and stories that I think matter, then I have no reason not to fully embrace those pursuits.

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Image Credits
Ashley Tabler Photography
Rosanna M. White Designs

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