The Beauty of Being Wild

an interview with NYT's bestselling author Meredith Wild

I adored recording my podcast Create Out Loud and chatting with creative women but I couldn’t continue it and write my novel. But I miss talking to interesting people doing interesting things so I’m doing occasional interviews around the theme of it’s not too late.

Here’s the first one in case you missed it with Kirsten Miller.

The second is with Meredith Wild #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of 22 novels.

I have the pleasure of knowing Meredith as a friend and when we were hanging out recently, I got to musing about why and how she’s become so fiercely herself, in her writing and in her life.

And because we all want to be fully ourselves, cue this interview!

After self-publishing her debut novel Hardwired in 2013, Wild used her ten years of experience as a tech entrepreneur to form her first publishing imprint, forging relationships with major retailers, and becoming one of the first indie authors to become fully stocked in brick-and-mortar bookstore chains nationwide.

Both traditionally and self-published, Wild’s books have hit No. 1 on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. Her foreign rights have been sold in over 23 languages. She resides in Florida with her partner, children, and many furry companions.

• You've had a prolific (22+ books) and an incredibly successful writing career. And it has also meant a ton of pressure that led to you experiencing burnout. What's helping you find your way back to writing? And during this time did you ever think "It's too late for me to love writing again, too much has changed?"

My relationship with writing has definitely evolved over the years. When I started my first novel, it was truly my salvation, guiding me toward my passion and out of a business that I no longer loved. While I had always known myself to be a writer, for years, I didn’t know how I could translate that into a career.

Once I did, I had to negotiate with the new reality that I was now writing to live. On one hand I was grateful to be earning a living from my art. On the other hand, I was now singing for my supper and that introduced a new, stressful dynamic to the creative process that eventually led to burnout. Having debuted as an author with such fast success, I was unprepared for the fluctuations that come with anyone’s publishing career who’s been at it for years. I continued to write but struggled to value my work outside of sales expectations and accolades. 

Years into this gradual burnout, I went through a divorce. At that point I really didn’t know if I was capable of writing another novel ever again. Inherently I knew that my passion for writing could never be truly extinguished. But I was undoubtedly experiencing a dark night of the soul and realized that I needed to give myself some grace until the sun came out again.

If I couldn’t park it in the chair and churn out chapters like I once did, I would move myself forward in whatever way that I could. I read a lot, embarked on different creative hobbies, dabbled in writing in different genres, and leaned on author friends who were excited to join me in co-writing projects that made the process less lonely. Setting aside a lot of my limiting personal expectations gave me space to rediscover the aspects of writing that bring me joy.

• You grew a publishing company using methods you pioneered and leveraged, some of which have disappeared because hey everything changes so fast these days. Many of us, writers and not writers, bemoan the pace of change and can use it as a reason to bow out of a career or life in general. How do you stay open to change?

Changes in the market can definitely be discouraging, especially when we find strategies that are working really well and the rug gets pulled out from under us–whether gradually or suddenly. The environment that allowed me to build my brand so quickly and successfully when I entered the self-publishing space a decade ago has changed dramatically. But coming from a background in tech, an extremely fast-paced industry, has helped me embrace the journey. Technology and social media continue to change the landscape of publishing, and I believe in many ways for the better. Readers are driving the market, no longer a handful of editors in New York City highrises. And writers have an impressive array of options for putting their work into the world that they didn’t have twenty years ago.

Keeping up with the trends and trying to figure out where my writing fits into it all is active work–no doubt. But I have often been known to say, it’s an exciting time to be in publishing, and I still firmly believe that. I’m grateful to have been part of the early indie author movement and now, having access to more traditional resources than ever before, I remind myself to take advantage of all the new opportunities that are available to us as writers. And I appreciate how traditional publishing continues to adapt to these changes as well.

• There's still a lot of looking down the proverbial literary nose at romance writers in the world, but I believe we must write and create about what lights us up. That's where the juice and truth lives. I adore how strongly you claim your subject matter including lots of spicy sex. But that's so hard for so many women.  How did you learn to be so unabashed, at least when it comes to writing the books you want to write?

To be honest, I felt totally scandalized the first time I read an erotic romance novel. I couldn’t believe you could just pull these books off the shelf at your local Barnes & Noble! How thrilling! At that point in my life, I was working long hours on my business and raising three little kids at home. I was definitely in it for the romance, but the erotic elements of these books really heightened the tension and reminded me to be in my body again when, for years, my brain had been churning with very unsexy to-do lists 24/7.

I think every woman is entitled to her fantasies, and that’s what inspired me to start shamelessly writing my own. I can’t tell you how many readers have reached out to me because one of my stories helped improve their sexual confidence or relationship, or even emboldened them professionally because of a strong female heroine I portrayed. Even if you ignored how the romance genre powers the publishing industry as a whole, I don’t think you can ignore the enduring power of a great love story, and that’s enough to easily push past any embarrassment around writing sex.

• Have you ever turned an "it's too late for ______" thought into an "I'm going to do _____ anyway" action? What happened when you went for it?

While being a writer at heart, I have always gravitated toward entrepreneurial roles. When my relationship with writing was at its lowest, rooting myself in the business of writing gave me a way to keep my toe in the romance and publishing worlds while I took time to heal and rediscover my passion. Through my imprint Page & Vine, I’ve found purpose in helping other authors in their publishing journey while I sought meaning omy own. Doing so has been inspiring on so many levels.

• What is your favorite "It's not too late" story? Could be yours, could be one of your characters, or someone that's inspired you.

I really love rooting for celebrities who’ve come to success late in their career, or who’ve seen a decline in their career and come back years later, better than ever. Robert Downey Jr., Micky Rourke, Leslie Jordan to name a few.
 

• In my WIP (I need a working title!), older women learn to use their life experience (including all the crap we've been subjected to) to become the most powerful at using magic. What magical power do you wish you possessed?

I’ve always joked that if I could have any superpower, it would be to stop time so I could get more done in my super busy life. Never enough hours in the day! But now, I think that would still be a magical gift to have in order to sit and savor some of life’s beautiful moments…just a little bit longer. 

Now it’s your turn dear reader — What is your favorite "It's not too late" story? I’d love to hear!

Thanks for being here, thanks for reading.

Next week: not sure what I’ll write about. I got COVID and right now I’m not very sick but we shall see.

Love,

Jen