A Thousand Lives Reviews: Interview: Elizabeth James

Author Interview of the Week

Meet Elizabeth James, author of the Design Series.

What made you want to be an author?

I’ve always loved books and reading and when I was 15 years old, I lived in Spain for a couple of years and was pretty isolated from everything so I decided to try to write a book. My book was a romance/mystery set in Spain and I almost finished it before we came back to the US but when we did, I abandoned it after facing the reality that nobody would publish a teenagers book. All these years later, I got a nook for Christmas and my love of books was revived and I volunteered to beta read for a very popular author. During that process, I realized my love for writing was still there and I started Love by Design but in secret. I didn’t want anyone to know until I had most of the book written and then I’d show it to someone and see if it was any good. When I did share it, I got really great feedback and so I finished it and subsequently published it myself.

Who has inspired you the most?

Honestly, the Indie Authors I met on Facebook were the inspiration for me. The list includes: Stephanie Rowe, Gina Maxwell, Laura Kaye, Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, all of whom are amazing people as well as stellar authors. They were very helpful to me when I was trying to figure out what to do with my book and have been so supportive and amazing to me ever since. I consider them to be my friends now.

Can you tell us about some of your earlier days of writing?

Well, when I first started writing, I used a notebook and a pen. This was pre-computer days and was very tedious but I managed to fill two notebooks with my book. Now, I use my computer and it is so much easier to correct things and make revisions. I’m really glad I waited to write my books now rather than then. I may still pull out my old book and finish it but update it and make it a little more adult.

How has your life considerably changed since you've been published?

I have met some amazing people. I think how small my world was until I wrote my books and now I have friends all over the planet. As far as changing my life, that’s foremost. Otherwise, I’ve been to Orlando to meet some of my favorite authors and will be getting a taste of a huge book signing hopefully by the end of this year. I’ve already got four scheduled for next year so I see myself meeting more amazing people and seeing places I’ve never seen.

What sparked the idea for The Design trilogy?

My real-life job is a professional one requiring continuing education hours annually. My thought for the book was “what if someone went to their dreaded education seminar and met the man of their dreams there”. This was the beginning of Love by Design and the rest of the books flowed from there. I didn’t have a plan, I write chronologically so I just let the story unfold in front of me. I didn’t know there would be three books at the beginning of the process but the story was too big for just one.

What can readers expect from the series?

Well, I guess I can say the most important thing people can expect is that the characters are real. They have jobs, they have bills, they have kids…but in all that, you can still have romance to sweep you off your feet.

What has been the best experience so far on your journey as an author?

Meeting the fans. I did a book signing a couple of months ago and was just as excited to meet them as they were to meet me. I love hearing how my books touched them and their favorite parts of the books. Everyone loves a different character and everyone takes something different away from them.

Can you give us some insight on any upcoming projects?

I’m actually writing my next book “Secrets of a Hart” right now. It is based on a character from the Design series who moves to a different place and finds love. It’s based at the beaches of North Carolina where the Design series was set in the NC mountains and Asheville/Charlotte. It’s a different story with some intrigue, romance and some humor. I try to balance all of those things in my books. The proposed second book in this series will follow two of the characters from this book but either could be a stand-alone book.

What advice can you give to any upcoming authors?

Do it, write it. I would have been personally satisfied just to publish my book but to find people who also loved my characters and my story put the icing on the cake. Talk to authors, we’re real people. We are always willing to encourage new authors to try this and I love helping if I can.