Welcome, Elizabeth . Tell us how
much of yourself you write into your characters.
I believe most authors will tell you there’s a little piece,
and sometimes a very large piece of themselves, in every character. That’s
certainly the case with my characters in the Imperfect Series.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I once accepted a dare to cross a railroad bridge that
spanned a river in my hometown. As someone who’s afraid of heights, this proved
rather foolhardy on my part. Halfway across, I heard the train whistle,
panicked, and jumped from the trestle into the river. To this day, I refuse to
walk across a bridge and won’t go near train tracks on foot.
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I’ve always been a writer harking back to elementary school
days. I wrote skits and plays, and even won $5 for an essay. Even in the jobs
I’ve held over the years, writing always seemed to become a focal point.
There was a defining moment when I decided to try my hand at
writing a novel. I had just finished reading a book by one of my favorite
authors and was so disappointed with the ending. The book started with a bang
like all his others. He built the tension, had me on the edge of my seat ...
and then let me down. The ending collapsed with mighty crash as though he had a
deadline to meet and couldn’t spare any more time for a proper ending. I came
away thinking, “I can do better than that,” and so the challenge was picked up.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I am an avid reader, usually plowing through 4-5 books each
week. I read across lots of genres—romance, suspense, thrillers, dystopian,
young adult, science fiction, historical fiction (I especially like a good
‘hysterical’ fiction), westerns, and biographies. I do not care for war
stories, tedious espionage, or books riddled with so much technology that it
makes my head hurt.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I consider reading a ready escape and writing as therapy.
Because so many of my characters carry some of my own personality traits, I can
vent my anger, work out problems, and often write my worries away.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
There’s not a single cut and dried method to this madness.
First, I consider the gender, age, personality, ethnicity, and the era.
Occupation and locale play an important part. I often look up census lists for
a particular area, but I also keep a list of names that catch my attention. For
me, some names can carry a negative or positive connotation because of past
experiences, so depending on their good guy/bad guy status, that can come into
play. Name combinations also have to have a certain ring or rhythm. In the end,
the name has to fit the character’s personality—I’ve been known to change a
character’s name two or three times during the course of a first draft as his
personality emerges.
In one of my early
books, I gave a character a name, but when I was writing, I kept typing another
name. Finally, I changed it to what kept coming. I guess he didn’t like the
first one. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
The accomplishment that stands out most in my mind is when I
submitted my first book to a contest. It took me three long years to write Imperfect Wings (I was still working
full time then), and another year to call an end to the endless edits,
tweaking, and polishing. It took a great deal of courage for me to then lay my
baby out there for strangers to read and critique. I was thrilled to receive
the call that it had been awarded second place in the contest.
That’s great. If you
were an animal, which one would you be, and why?
I would be a lion because I can make decisions, am very
goal-oriented and persistent, have strong opinions, and often fall into
leadership roles.
What is your favorite
food?
Ahhhh, pasta. I love the carbs, though they don’t
necessarily love me!
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
When I first received a contract for the book I’d written
plus the other four (as of then unwritten), I also received a deadline. For a
short while, I allowed that deadline to influence my writing, which was not
good. Everything I wrote felt forced, stilted. Pleasure became business, and
some of the joy dissipated. I talked to my publisher about my concerns. She
eased my fears about failing to meet a deadline; gave me great encouragement
and support, which took the burden away.
Tell us about the
featured book.
The Imperfect Series centers around a ranching family in
rural Idaho —the
mother, father, and their five adult children. The initial premise was a story
about the parents, but halfway through one of the sons began to dominate the
story. I set the parents aside and tried to write the interloper out of my head
... and that became the first book in the series. Of course, each of the
siblings all began to clamor for their own story at that point, so I set out to
do just that. And that’s how the series was born.
Imperfect Promises is the fifth and final installment of the
series, and centers around what I consider the most controversial of the siblings.
This book includes many of the recurring characters the readers have come to
know, and also tons of edgy action, but in this story the main protagonist
reveals a vulnerable side not seen before. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and
heart-pounding action, but (hopefully) also provides a satisfactory conclusion
to the series.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
He’d landed in hell—a place of eternal waiting, fiery heat,
despair, regret, and weariness.
And bugs. Lots of bugs. Both the flying kind and the
creepers. Mosquitoes, ants, sandflies, roaches, no-see-ums, and tarantulas so
scary-looking and lightning-fast they made nightmares seem like sweet dreams.
Jonas swiped at the perspiration pooling in the hollows
under his eyes. His beard had grown long and thick over the past few months.
Now, after parboiling in his own sweat for days on end, he itched like a
flea-bitten mongrel and stank to high heaven. No wonder the old timers called
August the dog days of summer.
What would the prim and proper Miss Townsend say if she
could see him now? Worse, if she could smell him. Knowing Shea, she’d pinch her
nose, make a face, and laugh.
A rough expletive erupted over the headset.
“Problem?” Jonas asked.
“Nasty little biters are eating me alive,” John Archer, his
friend and long-time partner in these two-man missions growled and swore again.
Jonas couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “You’re getting soft in
your old age, Arch.”
“I’m two months older than you, Ghost-man. Tougher, too.
“Riiiight.”
“Our target is way past late.” Archer changed the subject.
“We’re losing daylight.”
Jonas shot a quick glance skyward where the fierce sun had
passed its zenith. With each tick of the clock their hope of getting out of
this accursed land tonight faded. “Patience, grasshopper. Toure will come. If
not today, then tomorrow. His ego demands it.”
They’d both learned the art of patience long ago, but
Sebastian Toure had proven more unpredictable than anticipated. The man never
took the same route, never rode in the same vehicle, and never went anywhere
without his baker’s dozen—twelve armed-to-the-teeth bodyguards plus a driver.
Jonas and Archer had spent the last nine weeks tracking
Toure. Two long months they’d waited in the sweltering heat, taking notes and
making plans until three days ago their patience paid off. Toure’s very
randomness had yielded a pattern in his movements. It seemed even the wiliest
of men remained creatures of habit.
“What makes you think that narcissist has an ego?” Archer
asked.
“Because according to all the dots you connected,
celebrating his successes feeds his sense of self-worth. Adulation is oxygen to
him.”
“I hope I connected those dots the right way.”
“I hope so, too.”
Oh, I want to know
what happens next. How can readers find you on the Internet?
I adore hearing from my readers and will readily respond. I
can be reached online:
Instagram www.Instagram.com/ENoyes5246
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/ENoyes5246
Amazon Author Page https://amzn.to/2NmtiqC
Thank you, Elizabeth , for sharing
this new book with my blog readers and me. When my copy arrives, it will go to
the top of my to-be-read pile.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Imperfect Promises (Volume 5) - PaperbackImperfect Promises (Imperfect Series Book 5) - Kindle
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12 comments:
Sounds like a great read would love to read you are new to me Thank you for the chance to win!
These books are can't put em down books. Can't wait to read the 5th one !
Would enjoy reading this book and the whole series. Vivian Furbay of CO
Sarah Taylor, Vivian Furbay - If you should win, let Lena know which book you'd like to receive. While I consider each book in the series to be a standalone, many of the characters appear throughout the stories. Starting with book 1, Imperfect Wings, will allow you a deeper glimpse into their personalities.
Gloria Rowley - thank you so much for your kind comments. My characters are very real to me, and I'm thrilled you enjoy their adventures, tribulations, and emotions!
I haven't heard of these books before, but they sound intriguing. One of the families in my "In Texas" contemporary Christian fiction books has a horse ranch, in Texas of course!
Your books sound intriguing. I would love to win the first one to find out about the characters.
Connie in Texas
I am intrigued. Melanie Backus, TX
sounds interesting! Shelia from MS
I would love for you (and all the others) to win one of my books!
Interesting title!
Connie from Kentucky
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
Connie Porter Saunders, Sharon Bryant - I wish everyone could win! If you do, please be sure to let me know how you liked it!
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