Tell us a little about yourself

I co-owner Collective Tales Publishing, and own Editing Mee, and am the author of several stories, two of which were in a podcast and poetry journal. I am is the president of two writing groups. One is part of the LUW (League of Utah Writers). A passion of mine is being a book reviewer and a popular bookstagramer. When I’m not writing or reading, you can find me playing video/board games or making cookies.

Why do you write?

I write because I love it; it’s cathartic and there’s nothing else in the world that takes me quickly to another world. 

What genre do you write and why did you pick this genre?

I write all kinds of genres! I love to experiment, but my absolute favorite are horror, dystopian, and romance (though my favorite romance is mixed with dystopian or another genre). 

Tell us about your book

Currently, I have “Collective Darkness” out. It’s one of many anthologies planned to be published (Collective Fantasy is next, followed by four others: sci-fi, dystopian, romance, and humanity. Yes, I’m a little busy). Collective Darkness is a horror anthology with twelve stories from Utah authors. Each story is a take on darkness, with many being about the mind or how darkness interacts with the character. And we just released the audiobook on Audible! 

How much time do you dedicate to your author career?

Very dedicated! It’s my life. I have two businesses designated to the writing community: Editing Mee, which is one of my companies, is where I help authors bring their books to market by helping them with marketing, editing, formatting, etc. And my second company, Collective Tales Publishing, which I co-own, is all about publishing authors in our anthologies (Collective Fantasy, Collective Chaos, Collective Visions, Collective Darkness, and Collective Humanity). I am also working towards my Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Swansea University. 

How long on average does it take you to write your books?

It depends. For the short stories, it can take me anywhere from a half-hour to several weeks. For novels, it usually takes a year to write it up make edits. 

What is the best money you have spent on your author career?

Probably the money I spent on Meetup. I created a writing group on there, which opened me up to the writing community, gave me the opportunity to start a second group, the LUW Romance, and I made great connections and friends along the way. 

What is the toughest part of being an author?

The most valuable and the toughest is marketing. It can make or break a person’s career, and it’s difficult to get going, but it gets easier. Your attitude will affect your success and happiness. 

What is the best piece of advice you have for other authors?

Always try to be open to feedback. Even though it’s easy to shut yourself off from critiques, It’s important to understand WHY people are saying what they’re saying. If you can’t listen and understand, you can’t grow as a writer. 

What is your favorite book?

That’s a tough one. Maybe Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss? The writing is beautiful. I could read that book a million times and never be sick of it. 

Follow Elizabeth:

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https://www.editingmee.com/

https://www.ctpfiction.com/