Every Wednesday, I'll be featuring a writer, hopefully introducing you
to some new authors and books that I know you'll love. Today, we welcome Elizabeth Isaacs, author of The Light of Asteria: Kailmeyra's Last Hope and the upcoming sequel, The Secret of the Keepers: Kailmeyra's Strength. Welcome, Elizabeth!
A bit about Elizabeth:
If Nora Johnson hadn't been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed.Nora tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin's source, his strength.
Her newfound joy is shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity has allowed all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive?
A gripping tale of unbounded love and ancient power, The Light of Asteria will take you on an epic adventure filled with war, treachery, and demons, as well as unimaginable delights.
KC: Tell us about you in 10 words.
EI: *Big breath* I’m a
dog-loving-music-teaching-arts-camp-coordinating-author-mom.
KC: Whew! Here's another mouthful: If you tweeted about your latest release, what would it say (140
characters or less)?
EI: The most adventurous book I've
ever written. The Secret of the Keepers is the sequel to Asteria. Full of
fantasy, intrigue, and romance.
KC: Ooohh! I can't wait! (BTW, lovelies, Asteria is awesome, if you haven't read it yet.) If you could spend the day with any of your characters, who would it be
and what would you do?
EI: I’d spend the day with Rena. She
could teach me how to sculpt and paint and then we’d hit up the latest bookstore. She’s
honestly one of my favorite characters. She loves to laugh so we’d get along
great.
KC: Aw, she's so great. What a fab day you would have together. So what’s your favorite part of being a writer?
EI: As Ray Bradbury once said “your
intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” That’s my favorite part
of writing. I love creating worlds where people can escape, where after the
last page is turned they feel better.
KC: What’s the hardest part of being a writer?
EI: Making time for the craft. I bet I haven’t watched three TV shows
this year, and I haven’t slept late in I couldn’t tell you when. My writing day
starts at 4 a.m. I write until 6:15, get
ready to teach, and then start writing again
from 9 until midnight. I rarely take a day off.
KC: Wow. I thought I knew what being a sleepless writer meant, but even I get more sleep than that. So besides the fact that you'd never sleep again, what else do you wish you would have known before you became a writer?
EI: I wish I would have been better prepared for the feeling of
vulnerability that comes with people reading your story. The first few months
The Light of Asteria was live I was a basket case. It’s gotten better, but I’ve
often said sharing your writing is a lot like walking naked. It’s that same
feeling of complete exposure.
KC: Yes! So true. Now, what made you decide to go indie?
EI: Honestly, I stumbled into the
publishing industry. The Light of Asteria was originally written for my
daughter as an example of what true love is supposed to be and the power of
forgiveness. I never really intended to share it with the world. But then her
friends wanted a copy, people got wind that I had written a book, and I started
looking into publishing. When I researched the idea of going traditional, I
soon understood the sheer amount of time needed to pursue an agent, publishing
house, etc. Kate was a junior at that point, and I wanted her friends to have a
copy before they headed off to college, so I went indie.
KC: What do you like most about being indie?
EI: I love everything about being an indie writer. The freedom
to choose your critique partners, your beta group, your editors, and book
designers. It’s all decisions that you make. No one is going to slap a cover on
your book for the sake of “trends”. No one is going to make you change that
plot point to something that an analyst says is more marketable. It’s your
baby.
KC: Agree! If a writer came to
you asking advice about going indie, what’s the most important thing you would
tell them?
EI: Do your homework. Be aware that the self-publishing industry
is a huge market. The bigger companies don’t have a business plan designed to
make money selling books. They have a
business plan designed to make money off your dreams.
Also, take time. Let your words steep. Find a critique
partner and beta group to share your work with. Whatever you do, realize that
you cannot edit your own work. You’re too close to it. Your brain automatically
puts in those missing words, or overlooked homonyms. We need editors, and there are plenty out
there who are reasonably priced. Avid readers don’t care if there is a typo
every now and then, but everyone gets frustrated when bad grammar pulls the
reader out of the storyline.
KC: What’s the last book you read and what’s next?
EI: The last book I read was Hope
Collier’s The Willows: Haven. It just came out this week and I enjoyed it
immensely. The next book I’m planning on reading is Lisa Kleypas’s newest book
entitled Because Your Mine. I’m a sucker for historical romances. I read them
occasionally during down times, and the reason I picked this one is because
it’s not out until October, and I’m still in the throes of getting Keepers
ready for publication. Reading time is scarce these days.
KC: I'm right there with you with Genesis. No time to read for fun, but we'll make up for it, right? Ha! Okay, now, what book or author can you read over and over again?
EI: There are so many. I’m a chronic re-reader, and so anything
I read once I read at least ten times.
It allows me the freedom to jump into a story and not have to worry if
I’ve missed something.
My favorite books though would come from authors like: JK
Rowling, Ray Bradbury, Tolkien, Maya Angelou, Stephen R. Donaldson, and
recently I’ve been re-reading Lisa Kleypas’s Hathaway series. I know. I’m all over the board, but I love
diversity!
KC: Diversity is always good, especially for authors' reading choices. And hello, fellow-chronic-re-reader! Glad to know I'm not alone. Now one more - Ebooks or Dead Tree Books? Why?
EI: Selfishly, It would have to be dead
tree books. I love to smell them, the way they feel in my hand. I love to break
the spine and lay them flat. But I can
no longer deny that we are wasting precious resources, and so I’ve recently gone
the ebook route.
I do still go to our local indie
bookstore when I simply need a soft cover, and I shop the local consignment
bookstore as well.
KC: Where can we connect with you?
EI: You can find me:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kailmeyra
Website: http://elizabethisaacs.com
Personal blog: http://www.thelightofasteria.blogspot.com
Writing group blog: http://www.chirenjenzie.blogspot.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Isaacs/e/B003NAYLBS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1316390275&sr=8-1
Love ya Chi. Great interview!
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