Chastity Spelunk, who grew up in Bell County, Texas, a small town about 100 miles from Austin, has never enjoyed academic studies. She ended up dropping out of high school, and a few years afterward, she tried her luck in academia again — this time in college — only to shortly drop out of that, too. “It just wasn’t for me,” she says.
But the truth is that Chastity has always been a natural writer. Even as a teenager who dropped out of high school, she still made a name for herself by penning down steamy fanfiction stories.
“That was the start,” Chastity says. Later on in her career, Chastity eventually took up ghostwriting. “There’s nothing I can openly claim. I have helped with many pieces of published writing, though, from children’s books to videogame dialogues,” she adds.
For someone who identified her calling at 13, writing is not a job. Instead, she describes it as “soul work.” Naturally, Chastity just pours her heart into her work when putting pen to page (or fingertip to keyboard) — be it ghostwriting, children’s books, or a captivating audio series.
“I haven’t taken courses or training,” Chastity says, “but I did pay attention to advice from famous authors. Things like writing naturally rather than formally for fiction, or not using language that would become too dated too quickly.”
Pocket FM: Chastity Spelunk’s New Playground
Chastity’s latest obsession, however, is writing audio series for Pocket FM, an Indian startup that has skyrocketed to international fame by reinventing the classic audio drama format — made famous during the early-to-mid-20th Century — into the modern audio series. She was introduced to Pocket FM by her husband, who she says is a private person operating his own business in the creative field.
“It seemed so fun, so I decided to give it a try,” Chastity says. “Back when I was a teenager writing fanfiction, I uploaded chapters daily or semi-daily, so I felt comfortable with the pacing of things at Pocket FM. It really feels like getting back to my roots. I created a new story just for the platform to test it out.”
Over the next few months, Chastity found Pocket FM more interesting and engaging. “While ghostwriting can bring in some money, it isn’t satisfying like writing a good piece of fiction for myself and my readers,” she adds. “This whole experience has been incredibly reinvigorating, so much fun, and the pay is a nice touch, too. It’s also given me the confidence to follow my heart in creating the stories I actually want to write.”
Chastity’s debut audio series for Pocket FM, “I Adopted the Runaway Werewolf,” is already a hit with listeners on the startup’s app. She says she chose to focus on writing fiction because she wanted to explore the question of “what if” since she believes everyone already understands the real world and knows what it’s like.
“‘What if’ becomes a question in my day-to-day life,” says Chastity, who is currently planning her next audio series for Pocket FM. “It’s a question I can’t escape and one that I’m happy to indulge in, at least on paper. I love dreaming up new worlds, new people, and sharing those creations with others.”
Chastity believes written words are magical and can change the future. Today, Chastity is happily writing her own future with Pocket FM — one chapter at a time.
