If you follow my other blog, Therabidwriter.blogspot.com, you may have already read about my friend Elizabeth and her new book, Past Due. If not, check it out!
I am SOOOOO excited to have Elizabeth Seckman with us today. And because she's such a good friend, I'm going to put her on BOTH of my blogs. I met Elizabeth online through a mutual writing friend. She's been a wonderful encouragement in my own writing and today, I get to celebrate with her. You see, she just released her debut novel, PAST DUE. Today, she's answering a few questions for us so we can get to know her a little better.
Here's a little about PAST DUE:
The Blurb
Jenna Austin is a young, widowed artist raising a teenage son on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As the costs of living in paradise rise, she struggles to make ends meet. Life isn't easy, but she manages.
When her car breaks down, she trudges on. She assumes life can't get any more complicated than it is. But it can...
Chance brings her nose to well-formed chest with Tres Coulter, the handsome, affluent aid to Governor Hunt. Jenna and Tres share a history; they also share a love they thought long lost. Their lives are about to be altered forever as the deceptions of the past transform the very foundation of the present.
The price of happily ever after may be too steep to pay once the past comes due.
THE INTERVIEW:
1. What do you do when you are not writing?
--Laundry. And make food. What is it about kids thinking they have to be fed?
2. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
--I started my first book in 2001. Wrote four more, then in 2010 decided I better start querying...my husband threatened to make me get a real job if I didn't start trying to sell.
3. Do you work with an outline, or just write?
--Outline. Sort of. I keep a notebook on each story. I keep all the story details in it. The synopsis, a timeline, character sketches, plot ideas, and research information.
4. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
--Getting someone to take a chance on me. I got several requests, but the general consensus was...the book was good; but maybe not break-out novel worthy.
5. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
--They really moved the lighthouse. And Jenna is patterned after my sister, Cathy. This book was requested by her as a gift for her 25th wedding anniversary. She wanted a love story centered around the moving of the Cape Hatteras light in 1999. "Past Due" was the result.
6. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
-- The epilogue. I like to wrap things up completely. I guess I'm a writer with controlling tendencies.
7. What project are you working on now?
--I have several. I like to work on a few books at a time. It helps me not to be too close to a work. Setting it aside and working on something else gives me better perspective.
8. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
--Honestly...everyone has been really professional. I'm expecting my first heart break to come from a reviewer. What has been the best compliment? Any time a reader says they like it, that's what I'm writing for. If the reader is pleased, I'm a happy girl.
9. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
--Write. If at first you don't succeed, write, write again.
10. You write romance...Are there any love scenes? If so, what did your husband say when he read them?
--LOL. First one he read he complained that it was lame and reflected poorly on him. Geesh...the pressure!
11. What's your writing environment like... couch/desk, dog at feet, handwrite/type?
--Office chair and a desk. One dog at my feet, one behind the chair, and the cat keeps watch from the printer. Such loyal fans.
12. What sort of Starbuck’s coffee would your characters order? Simple coffee, complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-deal?
--Simple coffee.
And the bonus question...Milky Way or Snickers?
--Snicker bars over Milky Ways. I even named a dog Snickers. She was a good dog. RIP sweet little mutt.
Be sure to check out Elizabeth's book here:
amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
All Romance E-Books
Smashwords
World Castle
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