Author’s Bio: I am a stay at home wife (to Dan – the other Dan Brown) and mom of one girl (Lizzie), two cats (Max and
Ruby), and two dachshunds (Nikita and Reggie).
My daughter has special needs and it’s much easier to get her to and
from multiple appointments when I can be home.
I live in Massillon, Ohio and enjoy spending time with my daughter. I enjoy listening to classic rock and going
geocaching with Lizzie when we have the time.
I’m also a huge Cleveland Cavaliers fan.
What inspired you to write your book?
I was inspired by my own
imagination and for my love of the sport of basketball. I continued to revisit this story in my mind
and one day just decided to put it down.
Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any
way either growing up or as an adult?
As a child my favorite
books were Shel Silverstein’s books of poems.
I loved the humor of the drawings and the stories. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I
realized the genius of the man. I’ve
also spent a lot of time in the comfort of Dean Koontz and his stories.
Is this your first book? How long did it take to start and finish
your book?
This is the first book
I’ve written for publication. I wrote
when I was in high school for fun. It
took me about six months to write this book.
Do you write with an outline, or just let it flow organically?
I have a mental
outline. I know where I want the story
to go but have never written down a physical outline. In editing the second book I am regretting
that plan. But since this is my first
time I guess I must live by the mantra of ‘live and learn.’
Do you listen to music when you write? If yes, is there a theme
song for this book?
I don’t listen to music as
I write. However, I find the sound of
the TV show “How It’s Made” to be just enough of a background ‘sound’ to not
distract me – but still let me know there are other humans in the world as I
write. Also, when I lift my gaze to look
around me I learn about things like how tents and chocolate pudding are
made. Pretty much a win-win for all.
What are the keys to success in getting your book out to the
public?
Since I’m new to this
whole thing I don’t know if I know what the actual keys are. I do find myself reading a lot about the
subject. I have also learned I need to
get more than one point of view for most theories.
Also, talking to other
authors who have gone before me has helped.
Most people have been so willing to share their knowledge and I am very
grateful for that.
Listening to everyone at Intrigue Publishing has been helpful too, as I know they’re making suggestions based on their own background knowledge and on the fact that they are depending on my book doing well as much for their livelihood as mine.
What advice would you give to new authors?
I still consider myself to
be a new author but if I were to suggest anything I would say to just
write. Do it when and where you
can. Take your notebook/tablet/laptop
with you wherever you can to take notes or just flat out write. Write!
Don’t let anyone derail your imagination. Don’t let anyone say you can’t.
Listen to critics but also, don’t be afraid to say NO! I’m going to do it my way because that’s the way I want it. Stand up for your work. Be proud of your work.
How about sharing an excerpt from Center Courtship?
I looked up at him and saw
that he had tomato sauce from his sandwich on the corner of his mouth. Without asking, I reached up and wiped it
away. His skin was soft and warm. We didn’t
have napkins with us and I now had a big glob of sauce on my thumb that I didn’t know what to do with. Elsu guided my hand to his mouth and put my
thumb to his lips to lick the sauce off.
Electricity shot straight through me as I felt his wet tongue rub across
the pad of my thumb. I smiled and pulled
my hand away quickly.
“So, Mae.
Tell me something about you.” He must have felt my discomfort because he
was changing the subject.
“What do you want to know?” I asked as I turned and faced him, crossing my
legs between us.
“Why isn’t
a pretty girl like you dating anyone?”
he asked.
I laughed openly. “A
pretty girl like me?”
“What did I say that was so funny?”
“Girls like me don’t get married.
Or date for that matter,” I said.
“What do you mean ‘like you’?”
“Homely, unattractive girls. Our job is to wait for the pretty girls to
sweep up all the eligible, virile young men to make babies with. We get the leftovers if we’re lucky when we’re forty and shouldn’t be having kids anymore.”
“What the f kind of nonsense is that?” he seemed angry. “Who
fed you that crap?”
“My mom,”
I said.
“I don’t
much care for your mom,” he said.
I
rolled my eyes. “She doesn’t
much care for me.”
What’s next for you?
Book 2 (Point Guardian) is in the works and Book
3 is yet unnamed but partially written.
I look forward to continuing with these characters for as long as I
can. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them
and introducing them to the world.
Where can readers find out more about you and your
book(s)?
·
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Liza-Brown
·
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lizabrownauthor
·
Twitter: @LizaBrownAuthor
·
Book buy Links: www.tinyurl.com/centercourtship
It’s been a pleasure
having you here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you
and your work.
great article, I am sure everyone is going to want to get this novel for their library
ReplyDeleteFor sure! Thanks for stopping by Sandra!
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