Meet C.J. Milacci | Award-Winning Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with C.J. Milacci and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi C.J., what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Focus, persistence, and application of knowledge are habits that have made a huge difference for me in my success. When I was first pursuing a career as an author, I would get overwhelmed by the deluge of information I was taking in. Which would lead to becoming scattered and stressed. There were so many things to do, different projects I could try to tackle, various marketing endeavors to explore—the list was endless.

It became apparent very quickly that I couldn’t keep trying to do everything, and I discovered that a trait many successful authors and entrepreneurs possess is focus. There’s something about determining one’s priorities, buckling down, and doing the job until it’s done—focusing on it—that changes the game. So instead of trying to do everything, I now take time to figure out what my priorities are, and then I focus on those tasks until they’re complete. Which leads to the next habit I mentioned: persistence.

It’s not just about focusing on a task. I also found that I needed to persist and work on those important projects (like writing the next scene in my book, gaining more email subscribers for my newsletter, etc.) until they were completed. There are always points where things can begin to feel monotonous or we want to give up because we can’t see how or if it will ever succeed. But unless we persist and continue to do the important things, we’ll never see the success we want to see.

And finally, I love learning. Whether it’s listening to podcasts, reading books, taking a course, or watching a webinar, I’m always eager to discover more through others who are more advanced than I am. But there comes a time when we need to stop taking in information and start doing the thing. This is a habit that has been transformative for me, because I have discovered that I actually retain the things I’m learning when I apply that knowledge to my work and life. There can’t just be an inflow of information. There must also be an outflow of acting on that information.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m an award-winning author of the Talionis Series, and I write books for teens and young adults with heart-pounding action and hope. My stories are set in a futuristic, dystopian world, which can be very dark. But I don’t want my readers to feel depressed at the end of my books, so I always include hope. No matter how dark things may get, there will be a light in that darkness, and I believe that is something that sets my books apart. We live in a world that can feel scary and overwhelming, and my goal with my stories is to both acknowledge that darkness and demonstrate how hope can pierce through the darkest of times.

My journey as an author began over a decade ago now, and, although it’s been an incredibly rewarding journey, it has not been easy. There have been countless rejections, disappointments, and failings. But, even though it’s still hard at times, it has definitely been worth it. Every “no” has helped me learn and grow and become stronger. I’m thankful now for those who told me no when I was first starting down this path. I thought I was ready to publish my books, but I really wasn’t. I needed to continue to learn and grow and develop—not just as a writer, but as a person. My stories are stronger now and more resonate for readers because there’s a depth to them that wouldn’t have been there if I had been published years ago. And I’m immensely thankful for that reality.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I’ve grown up in the Philadelphia area my whole life, I would be remiss if I didn’t bring my friend into the city for a Philly cheesesteak. After all, any cheesesteak that’s not from Philly isn’t a REAL cheesesteak. Then we’d go see the sites in the city, like Reading Terminal Market, the Art Museum, and the Liberty Bell. Maybe spend some time at the Philadelphia Zoo. But, as much as I love Philly, there are some excellent spots outside the city. Like the charm of Peddler’s Village, biking the trails near Washington’s Crossing, and exploring towns like Bristol and Doylestown. And of course I would have to make sure to buy my friend an Eagles jersey. Because we love our football team here. Fly, Eagles fly!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to give a shout-out to my amazing marketing mastermind group. There’s no way I could accomplish the things I’ve accomplished without having a supportive group of friends to brainstorm with, consult, and collaborate with. Candace Kade, Karyne Norton, and Katherine Briggs are fellow authors who have played an integral role in my author career. It’s easy to think that a career as an author means a solitary journey, but I have found that’s not true at all. And these three ladies (along with many others) have been part of the community of people I needed to grow and shape my journey. We celebrate one another’s successes, learn together from our failures, and encourage one another each step of the way. It’s a joy to be able to do this with these amazing women.

Website: https://cjmilacci.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjmilacci/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjmilacciauthor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLcTAlbZ771oKQQVXmWjo3A

Other: Upcoming Kickstarter Campaign for Book 3 in the Talionis Series: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cjmilacci/enemy-of-talionis-a-young-adult-sci-fi-dystopian-novel Universal Buy Link for Recruit of Talionis: https://books2read.com/recruitoftalionis Universal Buy Link for Fugitive of Talionis: https://books2read.com/fugitiveoftalionis