On the Writer's Road - We are all Heroes

Hi GLIAS friends, it's Lizbeth again--coming to you from the writer's road, and I have a question. Is meeting your favorite author something that’s on your bucket list?

My super hero: Kristan Higgins

I have a second (even more fun) question. Have you ever actually met your favorite author?

It might surprise readers to know that authors also have favorite authors, and we have fangirl dreams of meeting the people whose books we love to read.

No maybe this is my super hero: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Have you ever wondered why authors, who are people we rarely see except as slightly unrealistic photos on the backs of their books, are elevated to the status of celebrity in some cases? So what if they pick up a pen or sit at a keyboard and type words. They aren’t movie stars or sports figures, right?

With my true tribe: hubby in the back, sis-in-law on the right and absolute super readers turned good friends Shari & Jon Bartholomew

Another thing that might surprise you, is that not only do authors want to meet other authors—we also want to meet readers. In fact, we’re almost as excited to meet them as we would be to meet, say, Nora Roberts.

Why is meeting Nora Roberts such a thrill? Why does a reader feel such satisfaction when an author recognizes her and knows her (or his) name? Why do authors like me absolutely love spending time with readers? Three words:

Networking. Support. Empowerment.

GLIAS' own Angi Morgan (first a fellow writer and now a serious BFF),  me, and the amazing Sharon Sala.

In this time of “me too,” and heightened awareness of women and women’s rights, we need more than ever the amazing circle made up of authors and readers—especially in the romance genre.

Networking is maybe most important to authors. All fellow authors understand each other, and we’ve all got experiences to share, writing processes to compare, and encouragement to give. Those of us in the middle of the pack look to the “A-listers” (think Kristan Higgans, Nora, Barbara Samuel…) for hope and inspiration.

Love this lady:  Barbara O'Neal (aka Barbara Samuel)

 Brand new authors look to people like me for the same. Without writer heroes (for me, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Eloisa James) we can’t survive thosethe times we want to quit (and they happen) and we can’t see the top of the mountain we want to climb.

Readers need to meet other readers to hear about new books and new authors. They need to compare stories and critiques and analyze good books and not-so-good books.

 

Smart, witty, fabulous writer Grace Burrowes

Authors and readers also need to network with each other. Readers need to know what their favorite authors’ lives are like and that they're are no different than non-writers. And authors truly hope to find readers who become friends and who’ll support not only their books but also the ups and downs of life.

Support goes hand in hand with networking. Once you’ve found your author/reader “tribe” you know you have people who’ll always need you and be there for you. For friendship, of course, but also for beta reading, for spreading the word about books, for connecting with book clubs and online groups of people who like the same thing you do. Mostly, though, we find other women (and sometimes men) who know that reading romance isn’t something to hide. That through the years, romance readers are happier, healthier, and have better self-esteem than almost any other readers. And when we forget this—we remind each other. 

My Minnesota Tribe--Fab authors Ellen Lindseth, Kathryn Kohorst and Nan Dixon. The perfect picture of support!

Finally, meeting your favorite author and readers IS empowerment. Romance has come a very very long way since the days of true bodice rippers and Fabio. Today’s heroines are strong, resourceful, bright women who overcome every kind of obstacle and bad situation. They give us the hope that any situation can be better if we work to make it so. And that true love is not just a pipe dream. Even back in the days of Fabio, romance stories were written to defy the “rules” that women were supposed to live by. They were naughty, they were scandalous. They were wonderful.

And meeting our favorite writers lets us meet strong women who write about strong women in person. That's why it doesn't matter that authors aren't sports stars or actors. They are role models and meeting role models is definitely empowering.

The point of all this is that the road to being a writer isn’t really that glamorous—just as the world of every reader is sometimes mundane, even difficult. We need each other. So—if you’re shy about meeting or writing to an author—don’t be. She’ll love hearing from you. If you’re an extrovert, please know how much you’re appreciated. If you’re a writer who doesn’t want to promote or “bother” people (ahem—of course I’m not talking about myself)—stop it. The readers want to hear from you, too.

Revel in your heroes because you’re someone’s hero, too. And we’re in a very cool tribe. We love romance!!

A true writer hero and mentor and a Minnesota "sister"- Eloisa James.

I'd love you to tell me who your favorite author is and if you've ever met her (or him)? If so, was it awesome? I'll tell you what--it always has been for me! 

See you on the road!

Author Ellen Lindseth shines with her debut novel "A Girl Divided"

I can’t tell you how excited I am to introduce you all to my friend, critique partner and debut author, Ellen Lindseth. I’ve been waiting a long time for the world to get to read Ellen’s book A GIRL DIVIDED from Lake Union Publishers. I’m slightly biased because I’ve been reading this book from its beginning stages and pages, but I know you all are going to fall in love with this unique and lovely story. Help me welcome Ellen Lindseth.

A two-time Golden Heart finalist, Ellen writes emotional and romantic WWII women’s fiction. A world-traveler and small plane pilot, she lives in Minnesota with her husband, three rescue cats and an elderly bearded dragon.

A GIRL DIVIDED

Rural China, 1942. Twenty-two-year-old Eugenia Baker exists in a bubble as yet untouched by WWII. Content to help her father with his missionary work, Genie sees her future as a straight, if narrow, road—until an American pilot arrives, warning them of the approaching Japanese army.

Lieutenant Ted Younan is one of the Flying Tigers, volunteer fighters protecting China from aerial attacks. After rescuing Ted from his downed plane, Genie’s father asks the flyboy to get his daughter across the mountains so she can escape to the United States. To leave her beloved home—much less chaperoned by her father’s overbearing assistant, Nathan—is the last thing Genie wants, but she reluctantly agrees.

Ted is unlike any man Genie has known, and he opens her eyes to the idea of determining her own fate and chasing her dreams. But Genie has her doubts when tragedy thrusts responsibility upon her and the war creates unexpected opportunities, challenges…and temptations. Now, a world away from the woman she was, Genie must discover the woman she wants to be.

STORY EXCERPT

Ted held her gaze for a long moment after the dance ended. She felt as though she could fall into the mahogany depths, never to resurface. “We should probably go back to the table. Our drinks have arrived.”

Genie leaped back, mortified by her behavior. It’s embarrassing how you throw yourself at him. Nathan’s words sank like a dagger into her chest.

“It looks like Joe ordered us some food, too.” Ted gestured for her to lead the way. “Good man!”

She started for the table when she caught sight of George by the bar. He was chatting with a dark-haired woman in a green dress that left little to the imagination. Unexpectedly, his hand slid down the woman’s back to rest familiarly on her buttocks.

Actually, he was doing more than resting his hand on the silk-clad cheek; he was actively massaging it, the emerald fabric bunching under his fingers.

Genie slowed. “Ted . . . um . . . does George know that woman?”

Ted turned to follow her gaze. After what sounded like a muffled expletive, he immediately redirected her movements, cutting off her view. “Forget you saw that.”

“But he was . . .” A curious tension curled deep in her body as she sought the words to describe the scene, her mind’s eye caught by the sensual ripple of silk as it caught between his fingers, the displacement of the woman’s soft flesh beneath the fabric. Heat climbed up her neck, leaving her flushed, shaky.

“Doing nothing you needed to see. I guess they’ve lowered their standards since the last time I was through.”

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind. They’ll be leaving soon enough.”

Joe stood politely as she reached the table. “You kids have fun?”

“When did they start letting birds in?” Ted asked angrily before she could say a word.

Joe looked around the club. His eyebrows rose when he reached the bar area. “Well, well . . . so that’s why he sent a waiter back with the drinks.”

“Warn me if he starts to bring her this direction,” Ted growled as he pulled out her chair.

“No worries about that,” Joe said, resuming his own seat. “They’re heading toward the door.”

“What . . .” she began, and then the pieces began to fit: Ted’s discomfort, George’s hand so low, the tight dress, “birds” . . . birds of paradise, her father had once called them. “That woman was selling herself? She was a prostitute?”

She knew about prostitution, of course. The world’s oldest profession was mentioned several times in the Bible, and missionaries everywhere worked to stop the trade. She just hadn’t seen a fallen woman in the flesh before.

Her gaze flicked to the bar again. George and the girl were indeed gone. Her stomach clenched, but not with disgust as she had expected. Her emotions weren’t nearly that uncomplicated. To her shame, beneath her discomfort also lurked a certain fascination.

Picking up her fork, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering what would happen next. Where would the two conduct their business? In a room with a bed? An alley? Would they both disrobe? Or only the girl?

Would she, the girl, like it?

At that thought, she forgot to swallow and breathe separately, and choked.

Ted smacked her on the back. “You all right?”

She managed a smile over her glass. “Fine.”

FIND A GIRL DIVIDED ON AMAZON

Q&A WITH ELLEN:

LIZ: What was your favorite book as a child?

ELLEN: Wow, that’s a tough one! I would say the one that has stuck in my imagination the longest is The Island Stallion by Walter Farley. A wanna-be archaeologist on a pristine Caribbean Island with gorgeous wild horses … who wouldn’t be swept away? There was even a kind of HEA plot: would the hero win the stallion’s love and trust?

LIZ: How did you come up with the idea for this book? 

ELLEN: I’ve always been fascinated by the nooks and crannies of history, the things that get overlooked or overshadowed. In this case, it was China’s experience of WWII and the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) here in the United States. I also have to thank my childhood friend, Heather, for having a grandfather who was a missionary that traveled through China, and inspired the creation of my heroine’s father in the novel.

LIZ: If you described your book in three words, which would you choose?

ELLEN: Adventure, self-discovery, independence, I guess. Oh, and plot-twists, but that would be four, so never mind.

LIZ: You’ve been granted one superpower for one week. Which power would you choose, and what would you do with it?

ELLEN: I suppose it would come as no surprise to anyone who also knows I’m a pilot, but I would love to have Supergirl’s ability to fly. I’ve had more dreams than I could count about jumping into the air and then just floating there, completely defying gravity. It’s such a rush, even in my dreams.

LIZ: Name three things on your desk right now.

ELLEN: Two beanie baby cats (different colors) and a cross-stitch project I’ve been working on for nearly 20 years, but don’t tell anyone, or they’ll think I’m a procrastinator.

LIZ HAS GOTTA ASK: What’s the most personal thing you’ve ever put in one of your books?

ELLEN: The most personal thing in A GIRL DIVIDED is the terror Genie feels when she botches her first solo landing attempt. I’ve had my own hair-raising close calls, as has any pilot. We just rarely mention them to anyone other than other pilots, who would nod their heads in sympathy.

ELLEN’S QUESTION FOR YOU:

In A GIRL DIVIDED, Genie lets her friend talk her into swim lessons even though she’s terrified of water. When I turned 50, I challenged myself to earn my private pilot’s license, even though I was terrified. What’s the most challenging thing you have every done?

I have a $10 Amazon gift card for one lucky commenter today!

WHAT’S NEXT?

My next book is Violet Exposed (tentative title), to be released October 2019.

CONTACT ELLEN:

E-mail:   authorellenlindseth@gmail.com                  

Website:          www. Ellenlindseth.com

Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/EllenLindsethAuthor

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/EllenLindseth

Goodreads:     https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15289905.Ellen_Lindseth