Erin K. Casey, who grew up in the Bryan/College Station area, has always had a passion for writing from an early age. Starting out as a journalist, Casey was a freelance writer before focusing on My Writer’s Connection, her own book coaching, editing, and publishing business. “Along the way,” says Casey, “I’ve written some of my own books, ghost written books, and then helped other people write their own books.”
Her first book, titled “Get Personal: The Importance of Sharing Your Faith Story,” is about how to share one’s own faith story with others. Her inspiration for the book came from her own personal struggle with opening up conversations about her faith when she first moved to Ireland.
The techniques she writes about in “Get Personal” stem from her own background in writing. Just like in the process of writing an article, sharing your faith is about talking to people, interviewing them and listening, so that you are “applying it to being able to develop a relationship,” Casey says.
She’s also written an adventure series, “Zany Zia’s Hats to Where,” for 4th-6th graders. Each book follows Zany Zia as she travels with circuses and roadshows, bringing her hat shop with her. In every one, a kid is unknowingly transported back in time based on what hat they decide to wear. Casey says that she wrote each book with a lesson that the reader can take away from it. The first book, An All Knight Adventure, is about courage, while the second book, Lost in Comanche Country, focuses on friendship.
“That was really important to me, to make sure that while it was fun and definitely not preachy or teachy, there’s a message that comes out of it,” says Casey.
The idea for her adventure series came from her sister. A boy turning into a cowboy when donning a cowboy hat is not a new concept, but Casey decided it was time to write out a story about it, saying, “There was a time in my life where I had a little bit of time and thought, ‘oh, maybe this is a good time to write it’.”
Casey is currently working on a book that explores how victims of sex trafficking can find renewal and hope and start their lives over. She hopes to have it published by December in honor of the Dressember Foundation. This international group raises funds to stop trafficking when advocates accept the challenge to wear a dress or tie every day of December. Like wearing specific clothing every day for a month, Casey’s book will serve as a way to start conversations on a difficult topic. “The idea is to draw attention to this organization that helps stop sex trafficking,” Casey says.
Casey also does ghostwriting at My Writers Connection, and not only helps authors write out their own story (either fiction or nonfiction), but can aid them in building their credibility in the publishing industry.
If you’re trying to write and are suffering from writer’s block, Casey recommends writers of both fiction and nonfiction to have a loose outline for their book. While writing her middle-grade series, she says she got stuck several times because she didn’t know what she wanted to happen next in her writing. “I found that when I set a guide post along the way,” Casey says, “even if it was loose, I had something to write toward. That helps me move the book along.”
Another piece of advice Casey shares with other writers is to get rid of “imposter syndrome,” the feeling that comes with thinking you’re not good enough to share your message or write your story. Casey says, “It’s that little voice in your head that tries to get you to stop doing what you’re doing. If you’re going to be a creative person, you have to be willing to put yourself out there and shut that imposter voice up.”
To know more about Erin K. Casey and her writing, you can check out her Amazon page here: https://amzn.to/3iTaMF6.
