Elizabeth
John writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Her debut novel, Judging Joey, recently released. Learn
more about Elizabeth at her website.
When did you realize you wanted to write
novels?
I’m going to date myself, but many years ago
I had seen an article on Candlelight Ecstasy Romances. My mom cheered me on by
saying, “You’ve been reading those kinds of books for years. You could write
those, too.” At that time I had recently married, moved to a different state, and
had started a new job, so I took that article with me and kept it folded in my
nightstand. Every so often I would pull it out, and one day, I just started
writing. You see, I had a degree in Economics and worked in investment banking,
so the whole idea was foreign to me. I wrote for enjoyment until I was pregnant
with my son and worked part-time. Then I saw another full color spread on
Romance Writers and this organization called Romance Writers of America. I had
no idea such a group existed. The phone number of the local chapter president
was in the article, and she was encouraging people to join the group. I
couldn’t believe an actual famous author would give out her phone number! I was
nervous but determine. This was a chance of a lifetime for me, so I called. She
was pleasant and easy to talk to. I joined my local chapter right away. Those
were fascinating times. I met some of my best friends because of that article.
How long did it take you to realize your
dream of publication?
Everyone’s journey is different and some take
longer than others. Like mine. I left the banking industry after my second
child. Really, it left me because there was a bank merger and my department
moved out of state. By then, I was a board member of my local chapter. My first
manuscript won an award. Editors requested my work. I was on my way! Or so I
thought.
My husband and I bought a house that took
forever to be built, so we moved out of state again and in with my parents. Eight
people using one bathroom. Need I say more? I threw myself into my writing. It
was therapeutic. I sold my first essay to the newspaper, and then another. I
had to make some money, so I started writing and selling articles for small
magazines. When we moved to our new house, I wrote a weekly ‘Spotlight’ article
with a local paper, and through networking with my writer’s group, I connected
with an editor of a large newspaper. For a few years, I became a freelance
correspondent, and I wrote what the editor assigned. I landed a job working
part-time with my state as a ceremonial resolutions writer. I really loved that
job. Unfortunately, the commute was a challenge for a mom with small children. It
took me a while to realize even though I was making some money as a writer, I
wasn’t writing what I desired--fiction. So I regrouped.
I had always thought of being a teacher too
and hoped its flexible schedule would enable me to be there for my family and
write books. I couldn’t write for a few years while I went for another degree
at night and worked as a teacher during the day. Then several years later, I
threw myself back into the fiction world. I went to conferences, got on the
board of my local chapter again and have been writing ever since. My first
full-length novel was recently released. Sweet!
Are you traditionally published, indie
published, or a hybrid author?
I’m traditionally published with Soul Mate
Publishing.
Where do you write?
All over the place. I have carved out a spot
for myself in the basement. Right now, the basement looks like we’re hoarders,
and I find it a challenge to work with clutter. Organizing my office is on a
very long ‘To Do’ list. I get up an hour early each morning to write before I
have to leave for my day job, so I write at the kitchen table at that time
while my coffee’s brewing. Presently, I’m on a much needed vacation and am
writing this on the deck of our hotel in beautiful, sunny Florida while my
husband is doing laps in the pool. I have learned to write anywhere. That’s one
habit I picked up as a freelance correspondent. Many phone interviews were
conducted with toddlers crawling around my feet.
Is silence golden, or do you need music to
write by? What kind?
I prefer silence. However, that’s not always
possible. Sometimes I put in my earbuds and listen to Karen Carpenter music on
Pandora. I also have a collection of yoga and nature sounds types of music.
How much of your plots and characters are
drawn from real life? From your life in particular?
My stories are about normal people living
normal lives who are faced with something out of the ordinary. In my book, Judging
Joey, Madeline has to deal with working alongside the man who broke her
heart in high school. So my plots start with, ‘What if…?’ As a writer, I’m
always observing others. Characters in my books are purely fictional, but they
may say something I’ve heard someone say or do something I’ve seen someone do. I
take bits of my observations and form them into my characters. I think most
writers do that.
Describe your process for naming your
character?
The first names of my main characters always
pop into my head. I can’t explain it. They tell me their names and show me what
they look like. Secondary character names are different. I’m conscious of
ethnicity, geographic locations, age, and things like that. I have books on
baby names and a writer’s book on character names to help. Once I come up with
a name, taking care that I haven’t used too many names that start with the same
initial, I search the Internet for any infamous connections.
Real settings or fictional towns?
I’ve written both, but now I’m steering
toward fictional. There’s usually a villain in my books, and I think it’s just
easier to stick to fictional locations. Of course, in my mind, these fictitious
towns are based on a real town somewhere that I’ve been.
What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your
characters has?
In Judging Joey, Madeline quotes her
uncle’s expressions. For example, he says, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree.” I think it’s so endearing and shows how much she cares for him.
What’s your quirkiest quirk?
That’s an interesting question. Give me a
minute to think about that. Okay, I have a few, but here’s one. When I read a
print book, I always use a bookmark, and when I hold my place, the bookmark has
to be right side up. Never upside down. Is that quirky?
If you could have written any book (one that
someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I
think it’s a story that people continue to love throughout the generations.
Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over.
What’s yours?
Ah, I think everything happens for a reason,
so no do-overs. That being said, I wish I had believed in myself more and kept
writing novels and not gotten distracted from my goals. However, this was my
journey, and I’m finally in a position in which I have a steady income and a
day job I enjoy. I raised two incredible children who are now wonderful adults,
and I am free to pursue writing fiction.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
I don’t like waste, so it bugs me when people
leave the lights, TV, and radios on when no one is in the room. Let’s conserve
energy. Every day is Earth Day!
You’re stranded on a deserted island. What
are your three must-haves?
Do people count? Then it would have to be my
family. Next would be my two dogs and unlimited paper and writing implements. How
else can I record all my stories?
What was the worst job you’ve ever held?
That would have to be a paper route in the
old days when kids delivered the newspapers. The boy who had the coveted route
split it up and gifted me with one of the less desirable pieces. I was twelve,
naïve, and grateful for the opportunity to make some money. He got the money
and I got the tips. Sometimes people were unfriendly, and if I got a nickel for
a whole week’s work, I was happy. It took me a long time to figure out that the
boy was getting paid from the newspaper for the work I did. But that’s how it
was, and if you were lucky enough to get one of the pieces, you kept it or
transferred it to your little brother.
What’s the best book you’ve ever read?
Pick only one? I can’t do it. I loved The
Help by Kathryn Stockett, because of her characterization, Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn, for her plotting, and The Winter Sea by Susanna
Kearsley. That book was a pure gem of a find. She had won a Rita at the last
RWA conference. I immediately recognized the cover background and knew I
already had one of her books. Turns out, I had two. Talk about cover branding. Anyway,
I didn’t have any expectations, but when I was drawn into her world, I didn’t
want to leave. It was a beautifully written book.
Ocean or mountains?
I’m all about the beach, sand, shells, and
crashing waves.
City girl/guy or country girl/guy?
I love to live in the suburbs, but be near a
city. Museums, shows, great restaurants, these are places I love to visit. I
worked in Manhattan for years and miss the hustle and bustle sometimes. On the
flip side, I enjoy quiet, so I need to be able to escape the crowds and find
peace.
What’s on the horizon for you?
Right now, I’m working on a romantic suspense
novel that involves three sisters who own a family wedding dress shop. Each
sister will have her own story and the three books are connected but can stand
alone.
Anything else you’d like to tell us about
yourself and/or your books?
My contemporary romances tend to have a bit
of mystery or suspense, and I think that’s what makes them different. Judging Joey is a sweet, contemporary
romance with a bit of a mystery. I think readers are looking for sweet romances
and they’re becoming harder to find. The book I’m working on now is a sweet
romantic suspense. It’s not going to be too gritty. I’d like to call my books
Sweet and Cozy Romantic Suspense. My dream is to be on the beach one day and
see people around me in their chairs or on their towels reading my book. Wouldn’t
that be cool?
Judging Joey
Madeline White must return to her hometown to
help her uncle, her only family. She gets a job teaching and sees the man who
broke her heart back in high school. Then she discovers he’s the school’s
Safety Officer and his nephew is her student! Madeline’s determined to clear
the air with him and hopes they can be civil to one another. When she builds up
the courage for a painful reunion, she is shocked that he doesn’t remember her.
Officer Joey O’Neill is committed to his job,
so after the beautiful redhead accuses him of the contrary, he takes offense.
When Madeline informs him they’ve met before, he insists she’s mistaken.
Although his family wants him to settle down and judges his carefree
bachelorhood lifestyle, it doesn’t mean he forgets the people in his life. Past
or present.
Like years before, people begin to whisper
about her when things go missing in the school. Joey starts to wonder if what
they say is true. As the past comes back to haunt Madeline, she struggles with
a secret that jeopardizes her job and hopes she can trust Joey. Has he finally
outgrown being a wise-cracking jock?
