Today, today, today…. Traveling With T has author Elizabeth Maxwell, author of HAPPILY EVER AFTER, hanging out at the blog! I recently read (and pretty much devoured) my review copy of HAPPILY EVER AFTER (note: Do not read in the dentist office if you are prone to laughing out loud #truestory) and I enjoyed it so much, so I was excited to get to chat with Elizabeth. And then…. when I found out there could be a giveaway (well you know how I feel about that! ♥♥♥♥ ) Even better… TWO COPIES to be given away! Two! Count them, two! Twins! Doubles! 2 times the happiness!

But, enough about that. Let’s get this party (interview) started, read on about the coolness of Elizabeth Maxwell, and then we can bookishly dance around all happy at the bottom of the page as YOU click that Rafflecopter link!

Interview with Elizabeth Maxwell

How long did HAPPILY EVER AFTER take to write? 

All in, it took about eight months to finish.

                     

What was the inspiration for Sadie, who lives an ordinary day life, but at night writes steamy books? Did the success of 50 SHADES OF GREY make you curious about the life of a writer of erotic books?

Absolutely!  I read an interview with a well known erotica  writer who lives in the southern United States and works under a pseudonym. What I found so fascinating was how little her neighbors and friends knew of her profession. Imagine living that sort of dual existence! Once I started thinking about it, I couldn’t let go.

 

Elizabeth, do you have a writing space or a writing routine?

I do. I work in a co-working space with a number of other people, none of whom do the same things. It’s a great way to be alone but not be alone. I sit down at my desk around 8:30 with a cup of coffee and stare out the window for at least a half hour before even attempting to do anything productive. Hopefully before I leave, I’ve accomplished something other than thoroughly over caffeinating myself.

 

When writing HAPPILY EVER AFTER, did you know how the ending would happen? Or did the ending reveal itself as you began the writing process?

I wish I could say I knew what was coming! I’m really very terrible at outlining so I just go along and hope the pieces all fit at the end. Sometimes they do and sometimes I’m in for a lot of rewriting. Sadie’s story went through a handful of overhauls before I felt the ending really worked.

 

The cover for HAPPILY EVER AFTER- how involved were you in the process of choosing the cover? (PS: I adore the cover- such a fun cover!)

I’d love to take credit for the cover but that all goes to my publisher, Touchstone. It’s a great cover; my kindergarten aged daughter says it looks like the ‘lady fell into the dress up box’.

 

When Sadie is looking for character inspiration, she people-watches (and even follows them a bit!) Elizabeth- are you like Sadie? Or do you get inspiration from people you know for the characters in books?

I’ve never actually followed anybody but I’ve been tempted.  Certain mannerisms or a way of speaking can really help open up a character for me. And I’m definitely guilty of stealing from friends, whether it’s personality traits or stories they share. Although I make sure it’s never obvious that I’ve been mining their lives.

 

Have we heard the last from Sadie? Or might she have another story to tell?

As of now, this is all from Sadie. But you never know – things can change 🙂

*Special thanks to Elizabeth Maxwell for agreeing to be interviewed!

And now… THE GIVEAWAY!

Traveling With T (thanks to the generous folks at Touchstone Publishing!) I have 2 copies of HAPPILY EVER AFTER to give away! The details: US ONLY giveaway, begins March 18th and ends March 25th. Just check out the Rafflecopter link and follow the directions!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Psst… Here is my review of HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T