Being an author isn’t easy – it requires working hard, self-motivation and the ability to decide to do what you love, even if some aren't supportive. Jenna Moreci, self-published author, definitely knows these things to be true. With a successful first published book, a sci-fi titled “Eve: The Awakening” and over 50 thousand subscribers on YouTube, it’s safe to say that Moreci knows what she’s doing. But that doesn’t mean it was easy.

Being a fan of Moreci, I was thrilled when she agreed to an interview. Because we live so far away from each other, and because of her busy schedule, we couldn't speak in person or on video chat. Still, she was kind enough to find time for us to talk. Specifically, we chatted via Facebook messanger.

When the day and time came, I have to admit, I was nervous. Understandably though, considering most would be at least slightly anxious about speaking with someone they admire. It didn’t take long, however, once the interview began, for me to feel totally at ease. Moreci has a way of speaking, or in this case, writing, that makes you feel like you’re talking to a friend. And of course, her responses were well written – something that shouldn’t surprise anyone considering how successful she is.

Moreci’s love of writing began at an early age – six to be exact. But she didn’t just love writing as a hobby, she knew even then that she wanted to be an author. But not everyone thought that was a good plan. “My family wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea, so they were pretty vehement about trying to get me to change my mind. There were a lot of other people - all big, smart adult types - along the way who agreed with them. Writing would be a massive failure,” Moreci said.

So just as many aspiring authors do, she chose to peruse what she thought would be a more realistic career. Although writers tend to not be the best at math, Moreci is an exception - she went to college for business and finance. That’s what led her to getting a good finance job, something that made her parents proud.

But as many know, having a “good” job and people who are proud of you will not guarantee you happiness. That was definitely not the case for her – she was miserable. But finally, one day, it hit her that this was what she was going to do for the rest of her life, and that was not something she wanted. Instead of being complacent, however, she chose to do something about it. “I knew I couldn't just up and quit my job,” Moreci said, “but there was no way I was going to spend my entire life in that field.”

It’s not common for first time authors to do well enough to quit their main job, but with the success of “EVE” and Moreci’s YouTube channel, she has done just that. Some may find her success especially rare due to her being a self-published author, but in reality, being a self-sustaining author both traditionally and self-published is not an easy task. According to Moreci, being an author is like owning your own business – even if you are traditionally published.

Moreci said that some make the mistake of looking at successful authors like JK Rowling and John Green and thinking that publishers will work hard to make them just as successful. Most of the time, that does not happen. Publishers have a lot of authors and their main priority won’t be you. Their attention will be mainly focused on those who are already quite successful.

“And a lot of big authors out there are big because they hustled – they hauled ass and they put in the work. And that's when publishers took notice and gave them special treatment – after they proved themselves to be a profitable investment,” Moreci said. So although it may seem like they’re getting unfair special treatment, they had to work hard to get to where they are, just like most authors.

Another important aspect of being an author is realizing the importance of marketing. Moreci said that although books are art, they are also products that the author is trying to sell. And to do that well, you need to create a brand (which is your author name) and market it properly. All of these things Moreci was well prepared for because of her degree.

All of these things are important to keep in mind when pursuing a career in writing, but I believe that none of that really matters unless you are passionate about it. And Moreci clearly is. When I asked what she loves most about writing, or at least a few of her favorite things, she gave me a few – all of them were written in long paragraphs.

The first she mentioned was the control that writers have. “I grew up such a voracious reader, but I was also incredibly picky about everything I read,” Moreci said. “I'd sit there picking apart the story, saying how I would've done it differently. Even the books that I absolutely loved. It wasn't enough. I'm still like that to this day.” But when you’re the author, she said, you can decide everything – details of a character, what they do and even the world they live in. “I love orchestrating the events to occur in the exact way I want. No other opinions, no compromises. You have complete freedom to do whatever you want. It's kind of a rush.”

Another aspect she loves is the creativity that comes along with it. Writers get to use their imagination – just like we’ve been doing since we were kids, Moreci pointed out. But one part that is easily her favorite is creating characters. She’s been interested in psychology since she was around 12, so it’s no wonder that the important, and for some, difficult, task of creating characters who actually feel real is something she loves.

And of course, she mentioned her readers. Moreci said that being a writer is hard and unlike what some think, it’s not glamorous either. She works nonstop, doesn’t go on vacation and even said that she forgets to eat sometimes. And obviously, this type of career is one that comes with a lot of criticism – especially when you’re in a position like her. That’s why she said it means so much when she receives kind words from fans like, "I love your book" or "It's my favorite book" or "You're my favorite author."

Moreci said that a lot of people don’t realize how much more meaningful those types of comments are compared to those regarding appearance - her face, she said for example, she didn’t work on herself. But writing is something that she works very hard on, so when someone takes the time to let her know they love what she does, that means something.

“It's fuel for the days when you're not feeling great about your content. It reminds you of the impact you're making. People write to me telling me my book inspired them, or it got them through their depression,” Moreci said. “That matters to me. I write these stories because I love to write and it's my passion, but I share them because I want to positively affect other people. So to have confirmation that that's actually happening is extremely rewarding.”

I said that Moreci’s answer to that question was long, but really, basically all of the replies she gave were pretty lengthy. And I don’t mean that in a negative way. All of her answers were detailed, well written and so interesting. It’s no wonder that her blog where she answered questions from writers as well as helped them personally with their writing got so popular that people began to ask her to make a YouTube channel – something she did not want to do. At all.

But after about a year of people asking her, Cliff, her fiancé, broke his spine. That’s when she stopped blogging and doing critiques for a while. But when she was able to start again, she had a different mindset. “Watching the love of your life almost die will do that to you,” Moreci said.

So she started her YouTube channel – but she didn’t pay attention to how many subscribers or views she was getting. “I didn't think of it as something that would ever be serious, something that would make me money or anything like that. It was just an experiment, a decision made because people nagged me into submission,” Moreci said. “Then I released ‘Writing a Book is Hard’ and ‘The Nine Weird Habits of Writers’ and my channel suddenly exploded, and I was getting all this attention.”

And to anyone who’s watched Moreci’s videos, that comes as no surprise. She gives insightful advice and tips in her funny, clever and blunt way – just like in our interview. So although you can’t read all of the awesome and helpful things she told me, you can and should check out her self-titled YouTube channel for more helpful tips and insights (just a heads-up: she’s not shy about strong language).

If you want a sample of her writing, you can read the first three chapters of “Eve: The Awakening” at jennamoreci.com. That’s also where you can find the links to buy the book – you can even get a signed copy. You should also watch out for her second novel, a fantasy adventure titled “The Savior’s Champion,” which will be released this year.