November 5, 2024 • 45 mins
Arden Coutts is a trans non-binary self-published indie author with a few releases under their belt with more to come. When growing up, they loved to read and hoped to one day publish a book. After a career in archeology and going to therapy, Arden has turned to writing and publishing in hopes to make community for those who find their identity later in life.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:16):
- Hello and welcome to Introducing Me.
I'm your host Sarah. Istarted this podcast to get
to know other people and lifestyles
while discovering more about myself.
Each episode, I'll givea new guest a chance
to discuss their background,culture, interest,
or whatever they want to talkabout to help increase all
of our own worldviews.
Today, I would like tointroduce you to Arden Coutts.
Arden is a trans non-binary author
(00:36):
who writes queer romanticsuspense novels about finding
yourself and love in yourthirties and forties.
So Arden is here totalk about that journey,
what their life has been like,
and I'm excited to hearmore about Arden today.
So thank you so much, Arden.
Why don't you go ahead and tell
the audience more about yourself.
- Hi, Sarah, and, um, thank you so much
for having me on the podcast today.
(00:58):
I'm very excited to be here.
Um, I am Arden Coutts
and I'm a self-published indie author.
So, um, I have currently published, uh,
four novel, three novels, um, a novella
and a book of poetry.
(01:18):
Um, all of them really kind of focus on
the queer experience, Iwould say in some way.
Um, but a little bit more about about me
before I guess I drive,dive into the books.
Um, I grew up in ruralNebraska, like middle
of nowhere, um, more cowsthan people type place.
(01:43):
Um, and was lucky enough to have, one
of my parents was a very avid reader.
My mother read a lot.
It was, I think probablyher favorite thing to do.
Um, and so I grew up reading.
I would essentially getdropped off at the library
and would just spend allof my time there, um,
(02:06):
getting lost in different worlds.
And I think that really is
what made me want to be awriter, was that ability to kind
of transport myself to other places, um,
became really important,um, when I was younger.
And as I, I guess throughoutmy adulthood too, honestly,
(02:28):
when it comes to likedealing with mental health
and kind of, um,
handling and processing difficultthings in life, , I find
that writing has been agreat tool to do that.
So, um, that's a littlebit about where I grew up.
Um, I'm actually, uh, anarcheologist by trade.
(02:52):
So I used to travel the country
and, uh, would get onprojects, digging holes.
spent a little bit of time inthe Mississippi back country
and the swamps diggingholes for about four years.
Um, and that whole experience
(03:13):
also had a massive impact onmy mental health, um, which
led me to to write more.
So kind of that combinationof mental health
and life experiences hasreally influenced my writing.
Um, as you mentioned, I ama, I am trans non-binary,
um, and I like to use my ownexperiences in my writing
(03:35):
to really, uh, enhance my work.
So I put a lot of myself into my books
and a lot of my experiences,
and I hope that the,the hope is that people
who are reading them will
also feel like theirstories are being told, um,
(03:57):
and that they're, um, beingrepresented through my work.
So that's what I hope, uh,people get from my work.
- Yeah. So, you know, writingcame from this place of,
you know, figuring out,you know, how to work
with mental health and the joband everything sort of there
(04:18):
and you're puttingyourself into your books.
So what has your personalexperience been like
with your identity?
- Great question. Yeah,it's been quite the journey.
Um, I grew up knowingthat I was different,
(04:39):
um, but I didn't know how.
Um, and I grew up in a time, not
to make myself sound super old,
but I grew up in a time wheremental health wasn't really,
um, a conversation and even,
and gender and sexualitywere even less so, um,
(05:00):
there were no conversations around it.
And I didn't have the language to
describe myself then.
And so for me, you know, eight years old,
I was massively depressed.
Um, didn't wanna be around anymore,
(05:24):
was just a very sad individual
because I just had this feeling of being
so different and lostand just not belonging.
And I started writingpoetry around that same time
because it was the onlyway for me to really
(05:45):
get out what I was feeling.
And it wasn't until, gosh, I think
college or right
before college that I was like, yeah,
I think I'm, I'm bi and you know, and,
and that didn't go overwell with my parents .
(06:06):
Um, and then kind ofsat on that for a while
and then I was like, yeah,I think I might be pan.
And I was like, well, I thinkI might just be into girls.
Well, you know, and itwas, I kept like evolving,
which I think is kind ofa common theme, um, for,
for folks in the community.
And it wasn't until mythirties, uh, early thirties
(06:29):
where I had had thisreally, really rough year
of, um, ending a relationship
of four and a half years.
My dog died. I started a new job
and I just had a full mental meltdown
and went to therapy for the first time.
(06:49):
At like 32, I think.
And I remember having this conversation
with my therapist andshe was like, you know,
I think like therapy might not be enough,
or like, you're so verysad, like, what's going on?
Like, we're not making improvements here.
and I had been holding this in
(07:10):
'cause I was too afraid to say it,
but I was like, I thinkI'm in the wrong body.
Like, I don't think that thisis who I'm supposed to be.
I don't feel like this is my body
and the knowledge, like knowing
that I will never be in the body I want is
like soul crushing.
(07:32):
That's where all this like heavy,
heavy sadness was coming from,
was just knowing I was nevergonna be who I wanted to be.
But just having that conversation
and saying it out loud
opened everything up.
Like it was, it was truly amazing.
Like everything started changing.
(07:55):
I got top surgery, which isessentially a double mastectomy,
and then I was like, oh my God.
Like I can, I can be proactive
and take steps to becomingthe person I wanna be
inside and outside.
And since then it ha my mental health
has improved drastically.
Like huge.
(08:16):
It's, I, I don't even, Ican't even, like, honestly,
I don't have the vocabulary to explain like the
just pure joy that no, like,
making these small changes
and being able to talkabout it out loud have
have made in my life.
(08:38):
- Yes. I mean, it's sogreat to hear, you know,
it took some therapy, it tooksome time to talk it out.
Um, but being able to kindof turnaround from,
uh, depressive episodes tobeing able to be like, no,
like I'm now able to havemy body be like, where,
where I want to be to be who I am.
(09:01):
Um, when you were first, you know, trying
to figure out yoursexuality, you mentioned that
that didn't go overwell with your parents.
So do you have a support system now, now
that you are able to bemore of who you want to be?
- Yeah, I'm still definitely like building
(09:22):
that support system outside of my family.
Um, and I have, I'm lucky Ihave, um, supportive siblings
and like my mother is trying now,
which I appreciate.
I'm like, I, I can seethat you're making efforts
to understand and to to be supportive.
(09:44):
And I, you know, that's reallyall I can ask and ask for.
So that, that's good.
You know, it's, she's come around after
after like fif you know, it'sbeen 15, 20 years, um, since
that first conversation.
Um, but I have
some really close, extremelysupportive friends that
(10:08):
I have leaned on heavilythroughout, I would say the last
10 years that have just been so supportive
and understanding and have,you know, have come with me
to get my top surgery done.
'cause I didn't haveanyone else to go with
and have let me live withthem as I quit my jobs
(10:32):
and start my own businesses .
So like the, they're really supportive
and have have been there for me.
And, um, yeah, it's reallywonderful to have those types
of, of people in your life.
- Yeah. And I'm sure that, you know,
having grown up in rural Nebraska, um,
wasn't necessarily the mostinclusive place you could have,
(10:54):
uh, grown up in.
- Absolutely not.
It was, uh, if you were not
quote unquote normal,you are on the outside
and that was not a place you wanted to be.
And that included, I mean,if you were a, a goth
or anything other than, um,
(11:17):
what the main crowd I guesssaw as normal, it was just,
it was, it could be really brutal.
- Yeah. So then, you know,
you've had this support from your friends
as you've transitioned in life with
who you are with your work.
What kind of happened that you, you know,
(11:38):
you were doing poetry at eight years old
and now you're writing again,
but you also by tradeare an archeologist.
So can you take us alittle through that like,
professional journey of yours?
- Oh my gosh, yes. it'skind of a wild ride.
Um, I also knew from a really young age
that I wanted to be an archeologist.
(11:58):
I loved being outside.
I had a huge rock collection as a child.
And, um, my mom made me like a little
pouch to put on my belt.
So when I was just walking outside,
I collect things as I was going.
So like, it has alwaysbeen something I think
that I, I wanted to do.
(12:19):
Um, and so I, I went to school,
got a degree in anthropology,became an archeologist.
Um, and really I didn'treally write during
that time from kind of high school to
senior year in college.
There was a lull in writing.
I think I was just too busy
(12:41):
and I was, I was happier in those times.
And I have a tendency
to really dive into mywriting when I'm kind
of a little down.
Um, but there,
I'm gonna backtrack a littlebit to when I was in college.
Um, my father passed away in 2007
(13:04):
and I started writing
a story after he passed.
And it, at the time it wascalled, um, Giving Up the Ghost
and it's a post-apocalyptichorror story about kind
of humanity falling apartand how you deal with grief
(13:24):
and um, you know, what is humanity
in the time of chaos and destruction.
And looking back, I think thatwas kind of my way of trying
to process everythingthat I was going through.
And like the death of a parentat, you know, an early age is
(13:46):
at any age really is justlike a surreal event.
Um, and so I think it washow I was processing it
and I worked on that.
I'm still working on thatstory all these years later.
One day I think I might release it,
but it's one of those,it's like very close to me.
So I don't, I don't knowif I will, but maybe,
(14:09):
but, um, when I got outtaschool, I immediately moved
to, uh, Washington state,got my first archeology job,
kind of worked on Giving Up theGhost a little bit every now
and then, but was reallyjust focused on work
and um, did a little bit
(14:32):
of archeology throughout the states.
And then I ended up inMississippi working for FEMA,
uh, doing Hurricane Katrina recovery.
And we were one of thefirst archeology teams
that FEMA ever had.
Um, and it was a tough,
(14:53):
uh, it was a mentally
difficult position, .
Um, I definitely
feel like FEMA broke my, uh,
my will to live a little bit ,
which might be a little dramatic,
(15:13):
but, um, I, I think it was
'cause it was my first officejob mixed with archeology
and it was a really unique situation,
but it really broke down my sense of self
and kind of, it like broke me
mentally is really the onlyway I know how to describe it.
(15:36):
But I stayed with that position,
had many different positions within FEMA,
ended up in Washington, DClike climbed the ladder up
to the, the big offices
and had a full,
I took a, I had a full mental breakdown.
I was doing disasterrecovery at that time,
(15:59):
so I was deployed todisasters like nine months out
of the year, no breaks.
Like it was hard.
And my doctor prescribed me a month
and a half off from work .
'cause I was just so mentally broken
and my, I was super depressed
(16:21):
in a terrible place mentally.
And um, that was when I started therapy.
And so I took that month and a half
and I said, okay, I'mgoing to start therapy.
I'm going to look for a new job.
I'm gonna quit my old job
and I'm gonna start doingthings I've always wanted to do.
(16:44):
And so I started my podcast back then, uh,
the Fun with Friends podcast.
And it was all about what happenswhen you stop overthinking
and you just start doing.
And it was all, yeah,just me kind of working
through my bucket list with my friends
and on my bucket listwas to publish a book.
(17:08):
And so I started working on,um, Giving Up the Ghost again,
which is now called Echoes of Us,
and really started to focus inagain on like the creativity
that I had.
Essentially I shelved it for
five, six years
(17:30):
and then I was like, okay,now's the time for me
to like get back into that andlike get that creativity back
and find my happiness.
And I did all those things.
I left FEMA, I got a job
as a contractor, paid offmy student loan debt, quit
that job, moved to NorthCarolina to move in
(17:54):
with my best friend and her husband, um,
so I could start my ownjob or my own business
and then started writing again.
And that was around the timethat I published my first book.
- So in this story you kindof mentioned how you wanted
to find things you enjoyed again,
(18:15):
which obviously like hascome through with writing
and publishing, but alsoyou knew that you wanted
to be an archeologist when you were young.
So do you have that desireto go back to any of that?
Like more boots on the ground digging
and not the disaster recovery office job
portion that you ended up in?
(18:36):
- Yes and no. I definitelymiss archeology.
I miss being outside thecomradery that comes with, um,
the team that you're, youknow, you're like living
with these people, you'redigging with them every day.
Like you, you really havelike a tight knit family
by the end of these digs.
(18:58):
Um, and I do miss that,
but physically ,
I don't know if I could do it anymore.
I've got arthritis in all my joints.
Like I'm, I'm getting a little,
I'm getting a little tooold I think to to go do it.
But, um, I do miss it.
I do miss the excitement ofbeing on digs quite a bit.
(19:20):
But, um, luckily a lot of states have, um,
volunteer digs that you can volunteer for.
So I've done a couple of thosein places that I've lived.
So I, I still get in there alittle bit every now and then.
- Sounds like that mightbe the right dose for you
where you are currently in life.
(19:42):
- Absolutely. .- So what was it like getting
that first book published
and you've now publishedadditional works since then, so
what is the publishingexperience been like
and writing these other pieces?
Because even the first bookyou've talked about is still one
that's close to heart that mayor may not be ever published.
(20:04):
- Yeah, I never thought I
would actually publish a book.
Um, I knew I, again, like,
kind of as a kid, I wanted
to get my work out there some way.
Like I used to write my favoriteauthor, you know, like the,
(20:25):
um, what were they called?
Like not the Pony Club,
but the, the, there were books about
horse riders and Iwas obsessed with them.
And so I would write theauthor and send her my poetry
and I was like, can you helpme get this published somehow?
And so they would write back to me
and send me like, littleinformation for like publishers
(20:45):
for kids' poetry and stuff like that.
So, um,
I've pub I had publisheda few poems leading up to,
um, Fall Into Midnight, whichcame out in last year in 2023.
Um, but I'd never, I don't know,
I guess I just never reallythought it was possible for me
(21:08):
to publish a novel.
And then I just kept, you know, hearing
and seeing things about self-publishing
and then Amazon really started pushing
that you could self-publishon their platform
and to make it easy.
And I was like, okay, Ithink I can maybe do this.
(21:28):
Like, I think I can figure this out.
But I did get like abook coach that helped me
with my first book tounderstand how to, you know,
find my audience how tomarket my book, how to
format it correctly sothat Amazon will take it
and how to, um,
(21:48):
use Ingram Sparks to distributethe book to booksellers.
Like there's a lot thatgoes into publishing
and being a self-publishedindie author that
I don't think a lot of people know about
until they start researching
and then they're like, holy crap.
Like , there are a lot ofsteps you have to, you know,
(22:09):
get your, find an editorthat likes the type of stuff
that you write that isknowledgeable in the genre
that you're writing thatis also a good editor.
You gotta think about coverart, you've gotta think about
how many times are yougonna send it to the editor.
You've got different types of editing.
(22:31):
So there's like a lot of little bits
and pieces that go into it.
But, um, Fall Into Midnight just kind
of happened.
Um, it was an idea that I had,
um, that started off asa gender fluid bouncer
(22:52):
Gray and an ER doctorthat met at a nightclub.
And the scene I kept seeing inmy mind was them on the dance
floor, kind of having thismoment under a disco ball
with like people justlike dancing around them.
And I just kept seeingthat over and over again
and I was like, I haveto write this story like
(23:12):
it's sticking with me.
I can't stop thinking about it.
Like I wanna know more about these people.
So I have to, this has to become a book.
And I took part in, um,
something called NaNoWriMo,
which is National Novel Writing Month
that happens every November.
(23:32):
And I did that
wrote Fall Into Midnight in one month,
and it was about 50,000 words
and I was like, okay, I have a book now.
What? And it sat for a while
until I figured out the next steps
and then it was off to the races.
(23:53):
Like it was insane howquickly it happened.
Once I got a book coach andfigured out what the steps were
and Fall Into Midnight was
October, 2023.
The second book in the seriesFall Into Me was June, 2024,
and now the third book is coming out in
(24:13):
November of this year.
So once I got the hang of everything
and got the steps down, Iwas really able to apply it
to like future, future works.
So.
- And is this going to be a trilogy
or are there in theory more books to come
after the one that'sgoing to be released soon?
- Ooh, well, , I think
(24:37):
this will remain the Fall trilogy.
There is a prequel
and there is a holiday novella
that is a standalone,
but features these characters, um,
that is coming out inDecember, December 6th.
Um, but I've written themin a way where I can do,
(25:00):
there's the potentialfor, um, offshoot stories
with a couple of other characters.
So I might do, I've set it up
where I think I can do two more books.
- And so are you currentlyin the throes of a new novel
or do you still kind of havethis original novel you started
(25:22):
with and you're focusing on the publishing
of these two upcoming pieces?
- Um, I'm kind of all over the place.
um, I am working on, soI've, I just started a Patreon
and part of that is sharing
the pieces of Echoes of Us that I have finished.
(25:45):
So I'm releasing chapters, um,
every other week on the Patreon.
And it is a work in progress
because I have some, I have
to do massive rewrites for Echoes of Us.
So I'm kind of writing itand posting it as I go.
(26:05):
Um, which is kind of cool
'cause then I get instantfeedback from, um, patrons
and, um,
that feedback is gonna help shapethe book as it goes forward.
So essentially if you'rein in there, you're,
you're helping me write thebook, which is I think kind
of a fun experience.
(26:26):
Um, and then I'm doing awriting challenge this November,
um, where I'm trying to write
10 short stories in the month of November.
So each short story willbe about 5,000 words
and they're short horror stories
because I also love everythingrelated to scary stories
(26:50):
and like scary movies, huge fan.
So I was like, I'm gonna trymy hand at writing a little
more like tra traditional, uh, kind
of horror stories.
And each one is going to befocused on or around a holiday.
So I'm currently working onone called Feasting, which is a
(27:12):
Thanksgiving themed horror story,
that'll come out in November.
And these are also beingreleased on the Patreon.
But at the end, afterthey've all been released,
which will be like maybe May of next year,
I will publish a book ofall the short stories, um,
which I think I'm, I'mtentatively calling Holiday
Horror, very creative.
(27:35):
Um, so I'm, I'm working on a little bit
of every everything right now.
- Yes, definitely sounds likea little bit of everything.
And you mentioned early onhow, you know, you put some
of yourself and your personalexperiences into your stories.
So how, how does thatkind of like shape up
(27:57):
for you when you are saylike pulling from real life
or pulling from this idea?
How do those thingsweave into your writing?
- Oh, great question.Absolutely. Great question.
So I, I used writing
a lot to explore my own, um, gender
(28:19):
and sexual orientation journey.
And when it comes to my writing,
I, let's see if I
can explain this , I put a lot of
my own experiences inthere, my own memories, um,
(28:44):
and the characters arereally kind of different
snapshots of myself.
Um, so in, in Fall Into Midnight
Gray is this very confident, gender fluid.
She, they bouncer, um,
(29:04):
but they have a lot of trauma
and they're a little wearywhen it comes to love.
And that's very much a part of who I am.
And they've also experienced, um,
their parents not beingaccepting of their relationships.
(29:24):
And there's a memory that
I included in Fall Into Midnight
where Gray is sitting inthe backseat of a the car
with Hannah and they're kindof like secretly holding hands.
And that was something thatI experienced as a kid,
like secretly holding handswith one of, you know,
(29:45):
my friends that was also a girl.
Like, so I, I put a lot of my own,
um, I keep saying experiences,but yeah, like memories and,
and pieces of myselfinto that, into my work.
And, um, very, very much so into Fall
(30:07):
Into Midnight and Fall IntoMe was really a look at
different types of partnershipsthat exist, um, especially
platonic partnerships.
And that's kind of a runningtheme through all of the books
because I, I think that
(30:32):
those types of relationshipsare often misunderstood.
That you can have thesereally deep, really intimate
platonic relationships with people.
And I wanted to kind ofshowcase that as well.
'cause those types of relationshipsare extremely important
to me and in my life
(30:53):
and are often the types of relationships
that I have with others.
So I wanted to showthat partnership can be
intimate, platonic, justcoworkers, you know,
like along those lines
and Fall Into Me really focused on that.
(31:13):
And then We All Fall focused heavily on
recovering from trauma.
So, um, if you look at thetime, I guess the timeline
of the three books, it'sreally like my childhood
to early twenties FallInto Midnight twenties
to early thirties Fall Into Me.
(31:36):
And then We All Fall is reallylike when I started Therapy
to where I am now and alot of the conversations
and We All Fall, which is come the one
that's coming out in November.
A lot of those conversationsare conversations I wi wish
people would've had with mewhen I was having a hard time.
(31:59):
Um, and were things thatI needed to hear as well.
So I, I've kind of put thoseall into that last book.
- Yeah, I think it kind ofmakes sense how, you know, you,
you've gone on this journey with writing,
you've gone on this journeywith the characters in your book
(32:19):
to be able to really showcasethose different experiences
and make sure you're pulling on realities.
And even when you mentionedkind of the nitty gritty
of publishing, like making sureyou even have an editor that
knows some of these topics
and isn't going to be like, oh, well
that's not realistic when no, like,
(32:40):
it's an experience you'veactually experienced.
Um, just written alittle bit differently.
- Yeah, finding a goodeditor is, that's the, that's
uh, I love my editor .
She's amazing. But I, I,that's usually a piece
of advice I always give, like,
'cause self-publishingis extremely expensive.
(33:02):
It can be. And my, if
you're looking to self-publish
and you're on a budget,the one thing I would say
to spend the most money onwould be a really good editor.
'cause it will make all thedifference in your writing.
- And when you talked about writing
and kind of when you foundyourself writing more,
(33:26):
whether it's through NaNoWriMo,like you're kind
of giving yourself this challenge upcoming
to write these horror stories.
Um, but you also mentionedhow you find that you tend
to lean on writing morein moments of strife
or depression or grief,
but at the same time, youridentity has started to change
(33:48):
and you are in a better place.
So how do you foreseekind of going forward
are, might you struggle with writing
when you're happier in in day to day life?
- Yes, , this is a worry
that I actually brought up tomy therapist when I started
(34:11):
to feel better and then got medicated.
I was like, oh my gosh, what if I can't
tap into my creativity anymore?
Like, what if I was onlycreative because I was sad?
Or what if my medication makesme into a different person?
Like what if the personI was when I was sad was
(34:32):
not who I actually am?
Like I had this wholelike identity crisis kind
of going into therapy andcoming out with medications
and stuff and, um,
but I actually think it'shelped me quite a bit
'cause I can still tap into those feelings
(34:53):
and those memories.
But I am have motivation now, which
did not, I was definitely lacking .
Um, I'm able to concentrate better.
I'm able to like really sit down
and be like, okay, this is the plan,
these are the things I need to do.
Like, but it was definitelya big concern for me.
(35:18):
And I have found a way, um,
like I really tap intomusic and lyrics a lot.
And so if I need to kind of go
to like a sadder place, I will.
I like to build playlistsfor each of my books.
And so if I need thevibe to be a little sad,
(35:39):
I will build a sad playlist
and I'll just listen to that music
until I'm like feelinga little like in my,
in my feels I guess.
And then I will, uh, use that to kind
of transport me to the moment in the book.
So I rely on music pretty heavily.
- That's really interesting
and fun I think to beable to say like, oh,
(36:02):
here's this playlistconnected to this book
to get like in those feelings and vibes.
On a day to day though, whatkind of music do you enjoy?
- Oh no, another one where I'mkind of all over the place.
Um, I love K-Pop, huge K-Pop fan.
(36:24):
Um, I also really love like Korean
R&B or like, yeah, kind of just like
slow pop maybe I don't quiteknow how to describe it,
but it's fantastic.
Um, but I'm also a sucker for, you know,
(36:45):
like Sabrina Carpenter rightnow, I'm really into her music.
And um, of course, uh,
Chappell Roan I'm super,super deep down into
to her music as well right now.
So I'm kind of all over the place.
- I mean, there's nothingwrong with, you know, seeing
(37:06):
what the sound waves give you
and, uh, finding, finding new interests.
When you create these playliststo kind of get the vibe
of your book, do you kindof start with these genres
and artists that you're interested in?
Or do you sometimesmaybe like seek out, oh,
I want maybe songs about this?
(37:28):
Or what are other peoplethinking about when they want
to get in this sort of vibe and feeling?
- Yeah, I usually start
with songs I already knowwill make me like sad, um, ,
which sounds so weird to say.
Like, yeah, I need to besad, so I'm gonna listen
to some music, but .
Um, and then I kind of let Spotify kind of
(37:52):
help me find other music
or I'll hear something on, um, Instagram
or TikTok that really just like hits me
and I'm like, oh, I have tofind out what the song is.
And I, I get a lot of mymusic off of, off of Reels
and TikToks, which is kind of sad,
but that's, it's what I'mdigging into right now.
(38:14):
But, um, yeah,
Spotify helps me outquite a bit when it comes
to finding music thatmixes well with, with
what I already have on there.
- Well, I think thatsocial media is a big way
of where artists are pushing their music,
where they're getting to be top charting
(38:36):
and you know, really puttingthemselves out there.
Which I'm guessing is something that
as a self-published author, you also have
to dive into the world of social media.
- Oh yes. Oh yes, it is.
Um, my life , um,
I am on social media way too much,
(38:58):
but you, when you're aself-published author, I mean you are
taking on all aspects of writing a book,
you're writing it, you're publishing it,
you're marketing it, you're selling it.
Like you're really doingevery aspect of it.
And I don't know if,
if someone has cracked thecode on marketing books,
(39:21):
please get in touch with me
'cause I still have not figured it out.
Um, and it's a, it's an, Idon't wanna say it's an issue,
but I've, I've spoken with a lot
of traditionally published authors as well
who have the same problem.
Um, 'cause a lot of the times, um,
publishers don't actuallymarket their books for them,
(39:41):
like they're fully responsible, um,
and have to do that for themselves.
And we're all, uh,
we're struggling it is a challenge.
But, um, I,
I do love social media.
I, like I said, I'm on there way too much,
but it's another opportunityto, to be creative.
(40:04):
Um, and I get a lot of joy out
of just sitting down on likea Sunday, getting into Canva
and just making posts forthe months like that is,
it's almost like, um, meditation for me.
'cause I can almost shut my brain off
and just make pretty things.
And so I, uh, I really enjoy it.
(40:27):
- Well, it's good thatyou're able to enjoy it and
because it is such a necessity
for being self-published
and even sounding like, evenif you're not self-published,
you know, needing to do thatlegwork to find the audience
and, and get people reading the books
that you're putting out there.
(40:48):
- Absolutely.- Now
before I start to wrap things up,
is there anything else you would
like to share with the listeners?
Kind of an open slate for,for you and your journey?
- Ooh, um, I
would love to just kind of say that, um,
(41:09):
I want to use my writing as kind
of a launching point to build a community
around queer issues and identities.
And I'm really looking to kind of fill
that gap in the industry for people who
realize their sexuality andgender kind of later in life
(41:32):
and want people to realize
that they can still find happiness
and love even as they're kindof figuring out who they are.
That's really what I hopeto do with my writing.
And if folks would like tobe a part of my community,
they can definitely find me everywhere.
(41:56):
I'm on every social mediaplatform pretty much, I think.
Um, and it's just my name in most places,
so Arden Coutts, A-R-D-E-N-C-O-U-T-T-S.
Um, and I also have a YouTube,
which is WanderingCreative Life where I kind
of get more into, um, life
(42:19):
as a multi-passionate, creative.
Um, so yeah, I thinkthat's, I think that's it.
- Yeah, I think it's funto hear how, you know, kind
of like this noble purposebehind your authoring, wanting
to create this sense of community
and also, you know, just putting yourself
(42:39):
out there in different ways.
It's, it's just so important.
- Yeah, absolutely.And I think I, I, yeah,
can't stress the importance
of community in whatever form it takes.
So it's, it's so, so important. .
- Definitely. Now at theend of all my episodes,
(42:59):
I do ask my guests a random question.
So my question for you today is,
what is your ideal honeymoon location?
- Ooh, ideal honeymoon.
Um, hmm.
I'm gonna give two becauseI don't think I can choose .
(43:21):
Um, the first would be to go back
to the island of Kauai'cause it was glorious
and it's like, it's got the, what is it?
The National Tropical BotanicalGarden, uh, um, of Hawaii,
I think, um, is on Kauai
(43:41):
and there's Lima Hui Gardens,which is also beautiful.
There's just so many beautiful places
and you can go around theentire island in like one day.
And yeah, it's fantastic.
I would love to go back oneday, uh, and visit again.
And then the second location would have
to be anywhere in Scotland,'cause I love Scotland.
(44:10):
- All right, that bringsthis episode to a close.
So of course if you wouldlike to connect with Arden,
their website and Instagramwill be in the description,
so feel free to connect with them
as their upcoming bookis about to be released
and, you know, just see
what they've got going on in the future
and all of the good thingsthat they will be publishing.
(44:31):
Of course, if you'd like toconnect with the podcast,
our website is in the description as well.
It brings you to all of ourpast episodes, resources,
social media from previous guests.
Um, and of course it bringsyou to our social media.
We are on Instagram,Facebook and LinkedIn.
If you'd like to go follow those pages.
There's also a link in the description
to support the podcast monetarily if
(44:51):
you're interested in doing that.
And my email is in thedescription if you would like
to be a guest on the showor just connect with me.
So thank you so much Arden forspending time with me today
and to my listenersfor taking the time out
of your day to hear new story.
Until next time, bye.
- Bye.
- Hello and welcome to Introducing Me.
I'm your host Sarah. Istarted this podcast to get
to know other people and lifestyles
while discovering more about myself.
Each episode, I'll givea new guest a chance
to discuss their background,culture, interest,
or whatever they want to talkabout to help increase all
of our own worldviews.
Today, I would like tointroduce you to Arden Coutts.
Arden is a trans non-binary author
(00:36):
who writes queer romanticsuspense novels about finding
yourself and love in yourthirties and forties.
So Arden is here totalk about that journey,
what their life has been like,
and I'm excited to hearmore about Arden today.
So thank you so much, Arden.
Why don't you go ahead and tell
the audience more about yourself.
- Hi, Sarah, and, um, thank you so much
for having me on the podcast today.
(00:58):
I'm very excited to be here.
Um, I am Arden Coutts
and I'm a self-published indie author.
So, um, I have currently published, uh,
four novel, three novels, um, a novella
and a book of poetry.
(01:18):
Um, all of them really kind of focus on
the queer experience, Iwould say in some way.
Um, but a little bit more about about me
before I guess I drive,dive into the books.
Um, I grew up in ruralNebraska, like middle
of nowhere, um, more cowsthan people type place.
(01:43):
Um, and was lucky enough to have, one
of my parents was a very avid reader.
My mother read a lot.
It was, I think probablyher favorite thing to do.
Um, and so I grew up reading.
I would essentially getdropped off at the library
and would just spend allof my time there, um,
(02:06):
getting lost in different worlds.
And I think that really is
what made me want to be awriter, was that ability to kind
of transport myself to other places, um,
became really important,um, when I was younger.
And as I, I guess throughoutmy adulthood too, honestly,
(02:28):
when it comes to likedealing with mental health
and kind of, um,
handling and processing difficultthings in life, , I find
that writing has been agreat tool to do that.
So, um, that's a littlebit about where I grew up.
Um, I'm actually, uh, anarcheologist by trade.
(02:52):
So I used to travel the country
and, uh, would get onprojects, digging holes.
spent a little bit of time inthe Mississippi back country
and the swamps diggingholes for about four years.
Um, and that whole experience
(03:13):
also had a massive impact onmy mental health, um, which
led me to to write more.
So kind of that combinationof mental health
and life experiences hasreally influenced my writing.
Um, as you mentioned, I ama, I am trans non-binary,
um, and I like to use my ownexperiences in my writing
(03:35):
to really, uh, enhance my work.
So I put a lot of myself into my books
and a lot of my experiences,
and I hope that the,the hope is that people
who are reading them will
also feel like theirstories are being told, um,
(03:57):
and that they're, um, beingrepresented through my work.
So that's what I hope, uh,people get from my work.
- Yeah. So, you know, writingcame from this place of,
you know, figuring out,you know, how to work
with mental health and the joband everything sort of there
(04:18):
and you're puttingyourself into your books.
So what has your personalexperience been like
with your identity?
- Great question. Yeah,it's been quite the journey.
Um, I grew up knowingthat I was different,
(04:39):
um, but I didn't know how.
Um, and I grew up in a time, not
to make myself sound super old,
but I grew up in a time wheremental health wasn't really,
um, a conversation and even,
and gender and sexualitywere even less so, um,
(05:00):
there were no conversations around it.
And I didn't have the language to
describe myself then.
And so for me, you know, eight years old,
I was massively depressed.
Um, didn't wanna be around anymore,
(05:24):
was just a very sad individual
because I just had this feeling of being
so different and lostand just not belonging.
And I started writingpoetry around that same time
because it was the onlyway for me to really
(05:45):
get out what I was feeling.
And it wasn't until, gosh, I think
college or right
before college that I was like, yeah,
I think I'm, I'm bi and you know, and,
and that didn't go overwell with my parents .
(06:06):
Um, and then kind ofsat on that for a while
and then I was like, yeah,I think I might be pan.
And I was like, well, I thinkI might just be into girls.
Well, you know, and itwas, I kept like evolving,
which I think is kind ofa common theme, um, for,
for folks in the community.
And it wasn't until mythirties, uh, early thirties
(06:29):
where I had had thisreally, really rough year
of, um, ending a relationship
of four and a half years.
My dog died. I started a new job
and I just had a full mental meltdown
and went to therapy for the first time.
(06:49):
At like 32, I think.
And I remember having this conversation
with my therapist andshe was like, you know,
I think like therapy might not be enough,
or like, you're so verysad, like, what's going on?
Like, we're not making improvements here.
and I had been holding this in
(07:10):
'cause I was too afraid to say it,
but I was like, I thinkI'm in the wrong body.
Like, I don't think that thisis who I'm supposed to be.
I don't feel like this is my body
and the knowledge, like knowing
that I will never be in the body I want is
like soul crushing.
(07:32):
That's where all this like heavy,
heavy sadness was coming from,
was just knowing I was nevergonna be who I wanted to be.
But just having that conversation
and saying it out loud
opened everything up.
Like it was, it was truly amazing.
Like everything started changing.
(07:55):
I got top surgery, which isessentially a double mastectomy,
and then I was like, oh my God.
Like I can, I can be proactive
and take steps to becomingthe person I wanna be
inside and outside.
And since then it ha my mental health
has improved drastically.
Like huge.
(08:16):
It's, I, I don't even, Ican't even, like, honestly,
I don't have the vocabulary to explain like the
just pure joy that no, like,
making these small changes
and being able to talkabout it out loud have
have made in my life.
(08:38):
- Yes. I mean, it's sogreat to hear, you know,
it took some therapy, it tooksome time to talk it out.
Um, but being able to kindof turnaround from,
uh, depressive episodes tobeing able to be like, no,
like I'm now able to havemy body be like, where,
where I want to be to be who I am.
(09:01):
Um, when you were first, you know, trying
to figure out yoursexuality, you mentioned that
that didn't go overwell with your parents.
So do you have a support system now, now
that you are able to bemore of who you want to be?
- Yeah, I'm still definitely like building
(09:22):
that support system outside of my family.
Um, and I have, I'm lucky Ihave, um, supportive siblings
and like my mother is trying now,
which I appreciate.
I'm like, I, I can seethat you're making efforts
to understand and to to be supportive.
(09:44):
And I, you know, that's reallyall I can ask and ask for.
So that, that's good.
You know, it's, she's come around after
after like fif you know, it'sbeen 15, 20 years, um, since
that first conversation.
Um, but I have
some really close, extremelysupportive friends that
(10:08):
I have leaned on heavilythroughout, I would say the last
10 years that have just been so supportive
and understanding and have,you know, have come with me
to get my top surgery done.
'cause I didn't haveanyone else to go with
and have let me live withthem as I quit my jobs
(10:32):
and start my own businesses .
So like the, they're really supportive
and have have been there for me.
And, um, yeah, it's reallywonderful to have those types
of, of people in your life.
- Yeah. And I'm sure that, you know,
having grown up in rural Nebraska, um,
wasn't necessarily the mostinclusive place you could have,
(10:54):
uh, grown up in.
- Absolutely not.
It was, uh, if you were not
quote unquote normal,you are on the outside
and that was not a place you wanted to be.
And that included, I mean,if you were a, a goth
or anything other than, um,
(11:17):
what the main crowd I guesssaw as normal, it was just,
it was, it could be really brutal.
- Yeah. So then, you know,
you've had this support from your friends
as you've transitioned in life with
who you are with your work.
What kind of happened that you, you know,
(11:38):
you were doing poetry at eight years old
and now you're writing again,
but you also by tradeare an archeologist.
So can you take us alittle through that like,
professional journey of yours?
- Oh my gosh, yes. it'skind of a wild ride.
Um, I also knew from a really young age
that I wanted to be an archeologist.
(11:58):
I loved being outside.
I had a huge rock collection as a child.
And, um, my mom made me like a little
pouch to put on my belt.
So when I was just walking outside,
I collect things as I was going.
So like, it has alwaysbeen something I think
that I, I wanted to do.
(12:19):
Um, and so I, I went to school,
got a degree in anthropology,became an archeologist.
Um, and really I didn'treally write during
that time from kind of high school to
senior year in college.
There was a lull in writing.
I think I was just too busy
(12:41):
and I was, I was happier in those times.
And I have a tendency
to really dive into mywriting when I'm kind
of a little down.
Um, but there,
I'm gonna backtrack a littlebit to when I was in college.
Um, my father passed away in 2007
(13:04):
and I started writing
a story after he passed.
And it, at the time it wascalled, um, Giving Up the Ghost
and it's a post-apocalyptichorror story about kind
of humanity falling apartand how you deal with grief
(13:24):
and um, you know, what is humanity
in the time of chaos and destruction.
And looking back, I think thatwas kind of my way of trying
to process everythingthat I was going through.
And like the death of a parentat, you know, an early age is
(13:46):
at any age really is justlike a surreal event.
Um, and so I think it washow I was processing it
and I worked on that.
I'm still working on thatstory all these years later.
One day I think I might release it,
but it's one of those,it's like very close to me.
So I don't, I don't knowif I will, but maybe,
(14:09):
but, um, when I got outtaschool, I immediately moved
to, uh, Washington state,got my first archeology job,
kind of worked on Giving Up theGhost a little bit every now
and then, but was reallyjust focused on work
and um, did a little bit
(14:32):
of archeology throughout the states.
And then I ended up inMississippi working for FEMA,
uh, doing Hurricane Katrina recovery.
And we were one of thefirst archeology teams
that FEMA ever had.
Um, and it was a tough,
(14:53):
uh, it was a mentally
difficult position, .
Um, I definitely
feel like FEMA broke my, uh,
my will to live a little bit ,
which might be a little dramatic,
(15:13):
but, um, I, I think it was
'cause it was my first officejob mixed with archeology
and it was a really unique situation,
but it really broke down my sense of self
and kind of, it like broke me
mentally is really the onlyway I know how to describe it.
(15:36):
But I stayed with that position,
had many different positions within FEMA,
ended up in Washington, DClike climbed the ladder up
to the, the big offices
and had a full,
I took a, I had a full mental breakdown.
I was doing disasterrecovery at that time,
(15:59):
so I was deployed todisasters like nine months out
of the year, no breaks.
Like it was hard.
And my doctor prescribed me a month
and a half off from work .
'cause I was just so mentally broken
and my, I was super depressed
(16:21):
in a terrible place mentally.
And um, that was when I started therapy.
And so I took that month and a half
and I said, okay, I'mgoing to start therapy.
I'm going to look for a new job.
I'm gonna quit my old job
and I'm gonna start doingthings I've always wanted to do.
(16:44):
And so I started my podcast back then, uh,
the Fun with Friends podcast.
And it was all about what happenswhen you stop overthinking
and you just start doing.
And it was all, yeah,just me kind of working
through my bucket list with my friends
and on my bucket listwas to publish a book.
(17:08):
And so I started working on,um, Giving Up the Ghost again,
which is now called Echoes of Us,
and really started to focus inagain on like the creativity
that I had.
Essentially I shelved it for
five, six years
(17:30):
and then I was like, okay,now's the time for me
to like get back into that andlike get that creativity back
and find my happiness.
And I did all those things.
I left FEMA, I got a job
as a contractor, paid offmy student loan debt, quit
that job, moved to NorthCarolina to move in
(17:54):
with my best friend and her husband, um,
so I could start my ownjob or my own business
and then started writing again.
And that was around the timethat I published my first book.
- So in this story you kindof mentioned how you wanted
to find things you enjoyed again,
(18:15):
which obviously like hascome through with writing
and publishing, but alsoyou knew that you wanted
to be an archeologist when you were young.
So do you have that desireto go back to any of that?
Like more boots on the ground digging
and not the disaster recovery office job
portion that you ended up in?
(18:36):
- Yes and no. I definitelymiss archeology.
I miss being outside thecomradery that comes with, um,
the team that you're, youknow, you're like living
with these people, you'redigging with them every day.
Like you, you really havelike a tight knit family
by the end of these digs.
(18:58):
Um, and I do miss that,
but physically ,
I don't know if I could do it anymore.
I've got arthritis in all my joints.
Like I'm, I'm getting a little,
I'm getting a little tooold I think to to go do it.
But, um, I do miss it.
I do miss the excitement ofbeing on digs quite a bit.
(19:20):
But, um, luckily a lot of states have, um,
volunteer digs that you can volunteer for.
So I've done a couple of thosein places that I've lived.
So I, I still get in there alittle bit every now and then.
- Sounds like that mightbe the right dose for you
where you are currently in life.
(19:42):
- Absolutely. .- So what was it like getting
that first book published
and you've now publishedadditional works since then, so
what is the publishingexperience been like
and writing these other pieces?
Because even the first bookyou've talked about is still one
that's close to heart that mayor may not be ever published.
(20:04):
- Yeah, I never thought I
would actually publish a book.
Um, I knew I, again, like,
kind of as a kid, I wanted
to get my work out there some way.
Like I used to write my favoriteauthor, you know, like the,
(20:25):
um, what were they called?
Like not the Pony Club,
but the, the, there were books about
horse riders and Iwas obsessed with them.
And so I would write theauthor and send her my poetry
and I was like, can you helpme get this published somehow?
And so they would write back to me
and send me like, littleinformation for like publishers
(20:45):
for kids' poetry and stuff like that.
So, um,
I've pub I had publisheda few poems leading up to,
um, Fall Into Midnight, whichcame out in last year in 2023.
Um, but I'd never, I don't know,
I guess I just never reallythought it was possible for me
(21:08):
to publish a novel.
And then I just kept, you know, hearing
and seeing things about self-publishing
and then Amazon really started pushing
that you could self-publishon their platform
and to make it easy.
And I was like, okay, Ithink I can maybe do this.
(21:28):
Like, I think I can figure this out.
But I did get like abook coach that helped me
with my first book tounderstand how to, you know,
find my audience how tomarket my book, how to
format it correctly sothat Amazon will take it
and how to, um,
(21:48):
use Ingram Sparks to distributethe book to booksellers.
Like there's a lot thatgoes into publishing
and being a self-publishedindie author that
I don't think a lot of people know about
until they start researching
and then they're like, holy crap.
Like , there are a lot ofsteps you have to, you know,
(22:09):
get your, find an editorthat likes the type of stuff
that you write that isknowledgeable in the genre
that you're writing thatis also a good editor.
You gotta think about coverart, you've gotta think about
how many times are yougonna send it to the editor.
You've got different types of editing.
(22:31):
So there's like a lot of little bits
and pieces that go into it.
But, um, Fall Into Midnight just kind
of happened.
Um, it was an idea that I had,
um, that started off asa gender fluid bouncer
(22:52):
Gray and an ER doctorthat met at a nightclub.
And the scene I kept seeing inmy mind was them on the dance
floor, kind of having thismoment under a disco ball
with like people justlike dancing around them.
And I just kept seeingthat over and over again
and I was like, I haveto write this story like
(23:12):
it's sticking with me.
I can't stop thinking about it.
Like I wanna know more about these people.
So I have to, this has to become a book.
And I took part in, um,
something called NaNoWriMo,
which is National Novel Writing Month
that happens every November.
(23:32):
And I did that
wrote Fall Into Midnight in one month,
and it was about 50,000 words
and I was like, okay, I have a book now.
What? And it sat for a while
until I figured out the next steps
and then it was off to the races.
(23:53):
Like it was insane howquickly it happened.
Once I got a book coach andfigured out what the steps were
and Fall Into Midnight was
October, 2023.
The second book in the seriesFall Into Me was June, 2024,
and now the third book is coming out in
(24:13):
November of this year.
So once I got the hang of everything
and got the steps down, Iwas really able to apply it
to like future, future works.
So.
- And is this going to be a trilogy
or are there in theory more books to come
after the one that'sgoing to be released soon?
- Ooh, well, , I think
(24:37):
this will remain the Fall trilogy.
There is a prequel
and there is a holiday novella
that is a standalone,
but features these characters, um,
that is coming out inDecember, December 6th.
Um, but I've written themin a way where I can do,
(25:00):
there's the potentialfor, um, offshoot stories
with a couple of other characters.
So I might do, I've set it up
where I think I can do two more books.
- And so are you currentlyin the throes of a new novel
or do you still kind of havethis original novel you started
(25:22):
with and you're focusing on the publishing
of these two upcoming pieces?
- Um, I'm kind of all over the place.
um, I am working on, soI've, I just started a Patreon
and part of that is sharing
the pieces of Echoes of Us that I have finished.
(25:45):
So I'm releasing chapters, um,
every other week on the Patreon.
And it is a work in progress
because I have some, I have
to do massive rewrites for Echoes of Us.
So I'm kind of writing itand posting it as I go.
(26:05):
Um, which is kind of cool
'cause then I get instantfeedback from, um, patrons
and, um,
that feedback is gonna help shapethe book as it goes forward.
So essentially if you'rein in there, you're,
you're helping me write thebook, which is I think kind
of a fun experience.
(26:26):
Um, and then I'm doing awriting challenge this November,
um, where I'm trying to write
10 short stories in the month of November.
So each short story willbe about 5,000 words
and they're short horror stories
because I also love everythingrelated to scary stories
(26:50):
and like scary movies, huge fan.
So I was like, I'm gonna trymy hand at writing a little
more like tra traditional, uh, kind
of horror stories.
And each one is going to befocused on or around a holiday.
So I'm currently working onone called Feasting, which is a
(27:12):
Thanksgiving themed horror story,
that'll come out in November.
And these are also beingreleased on the Patreon.
But at the end, afterthey've all been released,
which will be like maybe May of next year,
I will publish a book ofall the short stories, um,
which I think I'm, I'mtentatively calling Holiday
Horror, very creative.
(27:35):
Um, so I'm, I'm working on a little bit
of every everything right now.
- Yes, definitely sounds likea little bit of everything.
And you mentioned early onhow, you know, you put some
of yourself and your personalexperiences into your stories.
So how, how does thatkind of like shape up
(27:57):
for you when you are saylike pulling from real life
or pulling from this idea?
How do those thingsweave into your writing?
- Oh, great question.Absolutely. Great question.
So I, I used writing
a lot to explore my own, um, gender
(28:19):
and sexual orientation journey.
And when it comes to my writing,
I, let's see if I
can explain this , I put a lot of
my own experiences inthere, my own memories, um,
(28:44):
and the characters arereally kind of different
snapshots of myself.
Um, so in, in Fall Into Midnight
Gray is this very confident, gender fluid.
She, they bouncer, um,
(29:04):
but they have a lot of trauma
and they're a little wearywhen it comes to love.
And that's very much a part of who I am.
And they've also experienced, um,
their parents not beingaccepting of their relationships.
(29:24):
And there's a memory that
I included in Fall Into Midnight
where Gray is sitting inthe backseat of a the car
with Hannah and they're kindof like secretly holding hands.
And that was something thatI experienced as a kid,
like secretly holding handswith one of, you know,
(29:45):
my friends that was also a girl.
Like, so I, I put a lot of my own,
um, I keep saying experiences,but yeah, like memories and,
and pieces of myselfinto that, into my work.
And, um, very, very much so into Fall
(30:07):
Into Midnight and Fall IntoMe was really a look at
different types of partnershipsthat exist, um, especially
platonic partnerships.
And that's kind of a runningtheme through all of the books
because I, I think that
(30:32):
those types of relationshipsare often misunderstood.
That you can have thesereally deep, really intimate
platonic relationships with people.
And I wanted to kind ofshowcase that as well.
'cause those types of relationshipsare extremely important
to me and in my life
(30:53):
and are often the types of relationships
that I have with others.
So I wanted to showthat partnership can be
intimate, platonic, justcoworkers, you know,
like along those lines
and Fall Into Me really focused on that.
(31:13):
And then We All Fall focused heavily on
recovering from trauma.
So, um, if you look at thetime, I guess the timeline
of the three books, it'sreally like my childhood
to early twenties FallInto Midnight twenties
to early thirties Fall Into Me.
(31:36):
And then We All Fall is reallylike when I started Therapy
to where I am now and alot of the conversations
and We All Fall, which is come the one
that's coming out in November.
A lot of those conversationsare conversations I wi wish
people would've had with mewhen I was having a hard time.
(31:59):
Um, and were things thatI needed to hear as well.
So I, I've kind of put thoseall into that last book.
- Yeah, I think it kind ofmakes sense how, you know, you,
you've gone on this journey with writing,
you've gone on this journeywith the characters in your book
(32:19):
to be able to really showcasethose different experiences
and make sure you're pulling on realities.
And even when you mentionedkind of the nitty gritty
of publishing, like making sureyou even have an editor that
knows some of these topics
and isn't going to be like, oh, well
that's not realistic when no, like,
(32:40):
it's an experience you'veactually experienced.
Um, just written alittle bit differently.
- Yeah, finding a goodeditor is, that's the, that's
uh, I love my editor .
She's amazing. But I, I,that's usually a piece
of advice I always give, like,
'cause self-publishingis extremely expensive.
(33:02):
It can be. And my, if
you're looking to self-publish
and you're on a budget,the one thing I would say
to spend the most money onwould be a really good editor.
'cause it will make all thedifference in your writing.
- And when you talked about writing
and kind of when you foundyourself writing more,
(33:26):
whether it's through NaNoWriMo,like you're kind
of giving yourself this challenge upcoming
to write these horror stories.
Um, but you also mentionedhow you find that you tend
to lean on writing morein moments of strife
or depression or grief,
but at the same time, youridentity has started to change
(33:48):
and you are in a better place.
So how do you foreseekind of going forward
are, might you struggle with writing
when you're happier in in day to day life?
- Yes, , this is a worry
that I actually brought up tomy therapist when I started
(34:11):
to feel better and then got medicated.
I was like, oh my gosh, what if I can't
tap into my creativity anymore?
Like, what if I was onlycreative because I was sad?
Or what if my medication makesme into a different person?
Like what if the personI was when I was sad was
(34:32):
not who I actually am?
Like I had this wholelike identity crisis kind
of going into therapy andcoming out with medications
and stuff and, um,
but I actually think it'shelped me quite a bit
'cause I can still tap into those feelings
(34:53):
and those memories.
But I am have motivation now, which
did not, I was definitely lacking .
Um, I'm able to concentrate better.
I'm able to like really sit down
and be like, okay, this is the plan,
these are the things I need to do.
Like, but it was definitelya big concern for me.
(35:18):
And I have found a way, um,
like I really tap intomusic and lyrics a lot.
And so if I need to kind of go
to like a sadder place, I will.
I like to build playlistsfor each of my books.
And so if I need thevibe to be a little sad,
(35:39):
I will build a sad playlist
and I'll just listen to that music
until I'm like feelinga little like in my,
in my feels I guess.
And then I will, uh, use that to kind
of transport me to the moment in the book.
So I rely on music pretty heavily.
- That's really interesting
and fun I think to beable to say like, oh,
(36:02):
here's this playlistconnected to this book
to get like in those feelings and vibes.
On a day to day though, whatkind of music do you enjoy?
- Oh no, another one where I'mkind of all over the place.
Um, I love K-Pop, huge K-Pop fan.
(36:24):
Um, I also really love like Korean
R&B or like, yeah, kind of just like
slow pop maybe I don't quiteknow how to describe it,
but it's fantastic.
Um, but I'm also a sucker for, you know,
(36:45):
like Sabrina Carpenter rightnow, I'm really into her music.
And um, of course, uh,
Chappell Roan I'm super,super deep down into
to her music as well right now.
So I'm kind of all over the place.
- I mean, there's nothingwrong with, you know, seeing
(37:06):
what the sound waves give you
and, uh, finding, finding new interests.
When you create these playliststo kind of get the vibe
of your book, do you kindof start with these genres
and artists that you're interested in?
Or do you sometimesmaybe like seek out, oh,
I want maybe songs about this?
(37:28):
Or what are other peoplethinking about when they want
to get in this sort of vibe and feeling?
- Yeah, I usually start
with songs I already knowwill make me like sad, um, ,
which sounds so weird to say.
Like, yeah, I need to besad, so I'm gonna listen
to some music, but .
Um, and then I kind of let Spotify kind of
(37:52):
help me find other music
or I'll hear something on, um, Instagram
or TikTok that really just like hits me
and I'm like, oh, I have tofind out what the song is.
And I, I get a lot of mymusic off of, off of Reels
and TikToks, which is kind of sad,
but that's, it's what I'mdigging into right now.
(38:14):
But, um, yeah,
Spotify helps me outquite a bit when it comes
to finding music thatmixes well with, with
what I already have on there.
- Well, I think thatsocial media is a big way
of where artists are pushing their music,
where they're getting to be top charting
(38:36):
and you know, really puttingthemselves out there.
Which I'm guessing is something that
as a self-published author, you also have
to dive into the world of social media.
- Oh yes. Oh yes, it is.
Um, my life , um,
I am on social media way too much,
(38:58):
but you, when you're aself-published author, I mean you are
taking on all aspects of writing a book,
you're writing it, you're publishing it,
you're marketing it, you're selling it.
Like you're really doingevery aspect of it.
And I don't know if,
if someone has cracked thecode on marketing books,
(39:21):
please get in touch with me
'cause I still have not figured it out.
Um, and it's a, it's an, Idon't wanna say it's an issue,
but I've, I've spoken with a lot
of traditionally published authors as well
who have the same problem.
Um, 'cause a lot of the times, um,
publishers don't actuallymarket their books for them,
(39:41):
like they're fully responsible, um,
and have to do that for themselves.
And we're all, uh,
we're struggling it is a challenge.
But, um, I,
I do love social media.
I, like I said, I'm on there way too much,
but it's another opportunityto, to be creative.
(40:04):
Um, and I get a lot of joy out
of just sitting down on likea Sunday, getting into Canva
and just making posts forthe months like that is,
it's almost like, um, meditation for me.
'cause I can almost shut my brain off
and just make pretty things.
And so I, uh, I really enjoy it.
(40:27):
- Well, it's good thatyou're able to enjoy it and
because it is such a necessity
for being self-published
and even sounding like, evenif you're not self-published,
you know, needing to do thatlegwork to find the audience
and, and get people reading the books
that you're putting out there.
(40:48):
- Absolutely.- Now
before I start to wrap things up,
is there anything else you would
like to share with the listeners?
Kind of an open slate for,for you and your journey?
- Ooh, um, I
would love to just kind of say that, um,
(41:09):
I want to use my writing as kind
of a launching point to build a community
around queer issues and identities.
And I'm really looking to kind of fill
that gap in the industry for people who
realize their sexuality andgender kind of later in life
(41:32):
and want people to realize
that they can still find happiness
and love even as they're kindof figuring out who they are.
That's really what I hopeto do with my writing.
And if folks would like tobe a part of my community,
they can definitely find me everywhere.
(41:56):
I'm on every social mediaplatform pretty much, I think.
Um, and it's just my name in most places,
so Arden Coutts, A-R-D-E-N-C-O-U-T-T-S.
Um, and I also have a YouTube,
which is WanderingCreative Life where I kind
of get more into, um, life
(42:19):
as a multi-passionate, creative.
Um, so yeah, I thinkthat's, I think that's it.
- Yeah, I think it's funto hear how, you know, kind
of like this noble purposebehind your authoring, wanting
to create this sense of community
and also, you know, just putting yourself
(42:39):
out there in different ways.
It's, it's just so important.
- Yeah, absolutely.And I think I, I, yeah,
can't stress the importance
of community in whatever form it takes.
So it's, it's so, so important. .
- Definitely. Now at theend of all my episodes,
(42:59):
I do ask my guests a random question.
So my question for you today is,
what is your ideal honeymoon location?
- Ooh, ideal honeymoon.
Um, hmm.
I'm gonna give two becauseI don't think I can choose .
(43:21):
Um, the first would be to go back
to the island of Kauai'cause it was glorious
and it's like, it's got the, what is it?
The National Tropical BotanicalGarden, uh, um, of Hawaii,
I think, um, is on Kauai
(43:41):
and there's Lima Hui Gardens,which is also beautiful.
There's just so many beautiful places
and you can go around theentire island in like one day.
And yeah, it's fantastic.
I would love to go back oneday, uh, and visit again.
And then the second location would have
to be anywhere in Scotland,'cause I love Scotland.
(44:10):
- All right, that bringsthis episode to a close.
So of course if you wouldlike to connect with Arden,
their website and Instagramwill be in the description,
so feel free to connect with them
as their upcoming bookis about to be released
and, you know, just see
what they've got going on in the future
and all of the good thingsthat they will be publishing.
(44:31):
Of course, if you'd like toconnect with the podcast,
our website is in the description as well.
It brings you to all of ourpast episodes, resources,
social media from previous guests.
Um, and of course it bringsyou to our social media.
We are on Instagram,Facebook and LinkedIn.
If you'd like to go follow those pages.
There's also a link in the description
to support the podcast monetarily if
(44:51):
you're interested in doing that.
And my email is in thedescription if you would like
to be a guest on the showor just connect with me.
So thank you so much Arden forspending time with me today
and to my listenersfor taking the time out
of your day to hear new story.
Until next time, bye.
- Bye.
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