Name Elizabeth Seckman

Age 43

Where are you from West Virginia, US

A little about your self `ie your education Family life ect

 I’m a Mom. I have four boys- Caleb, Cole, Carter, and Conner. I have a BA in counselling and use to work in social work before deciding to write.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

 I have two books published, Past Due and Healing Summer. These books chronicle the love pursuits of the handsome, and dare I brag? Filthy rich Coulter men. The third book, Fate Intended is in edits and will be available for sale soon.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I don’t remember not writing. It’s just something I have always done. A few years ago I decided to seek publication. The changes in the publishing world and the rise of the small presses gave me hope.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I don’t know if I feel like a writer yet. I feel like I am getting rewarded for having a very cool hobby.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

My sister requested a story set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and being a beach junkie myself, it wasn’t hard to start daydreaming about a story on the island.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I think I am logic driven more than some. Not a real pantster. I plot things out in a very uncreative fashion and then I try to place myself in that story as each character and “see” from their POV. Then I use that info to flesh out the bones.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

 Titles just come to me. Though I won’t brag that they are all that impressive. Some titles are total works of genius, like Atlas Shrugged and the Devil Wears Prada…now those are catchy!

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

 I want my books to entertain. Life can be rough, we sometimes need to escape into a happily ever after. If the reader learns something, or gains something more profound…then that’s just icing on the cake.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?

 I’d say seventy/ thirty. I like to think my characters are above average (in looks, cash, experience, etc), but they all have a few very normal flaws.

Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

 No. I have always been a day dreamer and writing is just putting those meanderings on paper.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most?

That’s tough. I have so many favorite books, so many that have moved me. But, if I had to pick just one…I’d have to say Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. As a concentration camp survivor, Frankl understood hardship, but still turned those ashes to roses. Very inspiring read.

Fiona: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I was lucky enough to get some writing advice from Dixie Browning. She is a prolific writer with numerous wonderful stories under her belt.

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

Friday Night Alibi by Cassie Mae.                 

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Too many to list! That’s one of the awesome things about being a writer…lots of writer friends with wonderful books!

Fiona: What are your current projects?

 Polishing up Fate Intended…then onto a historical I’ve been working on.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

 Like God? Yep, I feel Him. I’d be lost without Him.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

I need to. But to be honest, I allow myself to get distracted by life.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I don’t really like Healing Summer’s cover. I liked it at first, but the more I look at it, it really doesn’t fit the story.

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I remember watching soap operas and there was a writer character and I wanted to be her when I grew up!

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

 Fate Intended is the story of the youngest Coulter brother. In an attempt to spice up his life, he joins a team of black ops, dumps his old girlfriend, and starts a relationship with the cute cleaning lady. Little does he know, she’s the daughter of a Russian mob boss and life is about to get tricky!

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Finding the time to write. I can spend hours on a paragraph…when you move as slowly as I do, time becomes an issue!

Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

John Steinbeck. He is just a master. There is so much thought into every story…not even the setting is ever by chance!

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

 No, but I should. I have a big family (all those boys!), so I do most of my networking online.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

 Karen Fuller did the first too. Lindsay Anne Kendall did the third.

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

 Edits. It takes literally hundreds of read throughs, and still mistakes get left in the stories. Very aggravating.

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

There are no antelope on the US western plains. So, the song…Home on the Range…is a big, fat liar. There are no deer and antelope playing on the range. They are pronghorns.

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

 Never give up. And accept that it is work. Lots of work.

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you. For each and every person who has spent their valuable time and money on my books…I am in your debt  and I pray that the next story is always better than the last.

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies

I do like to play the video game, The Sims. It’s so much easier to have a clean house in the virtual world!

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching

comedies and romances…a good romantic comedy is awesome!!

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

 chocolate, pink, and rock

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done ?

I’d definitely go back to social work. I enjoyed my job and miss it often.

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? if so what is it? www.eseckman.blogspot.com

www.elizabethseckman.com