The Five-Year Milestone Only a tiny fraction of people who dream of writing a book actually see it through to completion, but Christy Hughes is currently celebrating five years of her book, Strong Roots, Wayward Soul, being out in the world. While she didn’t necessarily grow up dreaming of being a professional author, she was always a storyteller at heart, winning honorable mentions for her poetry as a child. However, as she puts it, “practical life” eventually got in the way, and her literary aspirations were shelved for years.

The Catalyst for Change The journey back to the page began in 2018, sparked by a “sober curious” phase and a weekly blog on WordPress. The real catalyst, however, was the passing of her grandmother, Polly Campbell, at nearly 100 years old. Originally intending to write a simple biography of Polly’s life, Christy soon realized that their stories were inextricably intertwined. The resulting book became a powerful narrative of sobriety, dysfunctional love relationships, and the profound influence of her two very different grandmothers.

The Empowerment of Self-Publishing When it came time to publish, Christy initially assumed traditional publishing was the only valid route. However, after immersing herself in the “Women in Publishing” community and a Hay House boot camp, she realized that self-publishing offered the creative control she craved.

This autonomy allowed her to make deeply personal choices that a traditional house might have rejected, such as featuring her great-grandparents’ farmhouse on the cover. By “bootstrapping” her way through the process—hiring editors via Reedsy and learning the technicalities of KDP—Christy was able to launch a product that was both sentimental and professionally marketable.

Navigating the Inner Landscape Writing a memoir is rarely just a technical challenge; it is an emotional one. Christy candidly shares that she had to pause her writing to work with a somatic experiencing coach to help process the raw memories and trauma that surfaced during the drafting process.

Furthermore, as someone with a degree in marketing rather than an MFA, she frequently battled imposter syndrome. She had to learn that not having formal training didn’t mean she lacked a gift; it simply meant she needed to seek out the right community to help her “elevate” her craft.

The Next Horizon: Historical Fiction Five years after her debut, Christy is starting over as a “beginner” in a new genre. Her next project focuses on her other grandmother, who served as a Rosie the Riveter during World War II. While the self-doubt of writing fiction has crept back in, she is leaning on the foundation she built during her first launch. She is now focusing less on the logistics of KDP and more on honing her craft to meet the evolving styles of modern readers.

The Power of Small Steps Christy’s final advice for any woman “on the fence” about her creative journey is to embrace the power of the incremental. She argues that the ability to tell a story is not reserved for a select few; it is a right belonging to everyone. By starting with small stories and leaning on a supportive community, anyone can bridge the gap between a dream and a published reality.