Cool Cat: Emma CrowE
Interview by Spencer Clifton | Photos by Emma CrowE
Emma CrowE, CWU student and self-published author, lights up the whole room when she talks about “The Mayor's Daughter,” her first published book that came out on Amazon on Nov. 3, 2020.
Loosely influenced by her life, “The Mayor's Daughter” is a story that she explains is something she was proud to share with the world. With some writing tips up her sleeve, and an encouraging message to other writers, here is why you should know this cool cat:
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: This book in particular is the first book that I have written. It was inspired by a lot of my own experiences. It’s about the daughter of a conservative government employee, [who] is openly lesbian in her small town. It is really about her going through life, finding her girlfriend and coming into herself.
Q: How has it done so far?
A: It has done pretty well. I think I could have done more marketing, honestly, but I published it on November third of last year. Most of the people that have read it are family members, friends. But I think the most important thing for me was I was actually able to get a story like this into the hands of other people. I just remember growing up, there were no stories on queer relationships or really open coming-of-age stories. So, for me, this book in particular was about getting that story and getting that perspective out into the world.
Q: How did you go about getting your book published?
A: I self-published. Last summer I wrote the book and did a lot of my own editing. Then I went ahead and hired an editor online, just to polish everything. Then I went on Amazon. They have a program called PDP, where you can self-publish your book on there. I got my brother-in-law to design a cover for me and uploaded my book and did all my own marketing and everything.
Q: What was your favorite part about writing your own book?
A: I think my favorite part was developing the characters. Initially it is difficult, because you want them all to be individualized and have their own really strong voices and their own arcs of development, but I think what’s really cool is it gets to a point when you’re creating your characters, it’s almost like your characters start creating themselves. Like you are writing them, but the characters themselves are filling in the blanks for you.
Q: How long have you been writing for?
A: I have been writing forever. It’s been my passion since I knew how to write the alphabet. This is my first book that I have written, and I wrote that the summer of 2020. It was always my dream to be a published author. I was never sure that I was going to get that chance, and then I decided to just go for it.
Q: If you could give any other writers advice, what would it be?
A: I think the advice I would give writers is to write a story that you want to read. I know that is a common piece of advice out there, but it is so important because you can tell when an author has written something and they didn’t care about it at all. It doesn’t have life in it. But, when you are writing a story that you are passionate about that you want to be out in the world, then it becomes more than just a book.
CrowE mentions that while this book was her first published book, there are many more to come. She has since written a few more stories, and is hoping to get a murder mystery published sometime next year.