MEET ELIZABETH SINCLAIR

Elizabeth Sinclair sold her first romance, Jenny’s Castle, in 1993 to Silhouette Intimate Moments. It reached #2 on the Walden Bestseller List and won a Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Award of Excellence. Since then, this multi-published author’s books have sold in ten foreign countries and been translated into seven foreign languages. Welcome, Elizabeth.

1.     You’ve had many novels published. Do you have a favorite and why?

I love all my books, but my favorite is EYE OF THE DREAM.  I always loved the Native American culture, the Navajos in particular, and the paranormal.  This gave me the opportunity to combine romance, paranormal and the Navajo culture into one book.  And I’ve always thought the tewa cover art for this book was stunning.  I was honored by a member of the Navajo Nation by him making a pendant for me that is a replica of the tewa on the cover.  It’s a treasured possession.

2.     Hawk’s Mountain, your latest book published by Belle Books is the first in a series. What made you write this particular story?

A while back, I read a book by David Baldacci called Wish You Well and was captivated by the setting, the people of the Appalachian area and the general feel-good climate of the book. Although Baldacci’s book was set during the 1940’s depression, I decided to set my series in present day. Once I began Book #1, HAWKS MOUNTAIN, which I had intended to be a stand-alone book set in Carson, WV, I fell in love with my characters, especially Granny Jo and Davy (aka Dr Littledo), and wanted to write more about them.  So the series was born and I was lucky enough to find Belle Books was interested in it.

3.     What part of yourself did you include in the characters (hobbies, attitudes, background)?

Nothing that I did intentionally.  That said, however, I guess most writer unconsciously add aspects of themselves in their characters.  I’d like to think that a little of Granny Jo’s kindness, love and wisdom comes from me, and also her snarky wisecracks abut that “horse’s behind” (as Granny Jo calls him, Mayor Collins.

4.     Is there a message in your work?

All my books carry one message . . . with the love and kindness of those around us, we can all find a way to heal the emotional wounds we receive from society and the hurtful events in our lives.  We just have to open our hearts to it and believe.

5.     In your fantasies, who stars in the movie of your book?

Granny Jo – Doris Roberts

6.     Why did you set your book in that part of the world?

As I said above, Baldacci’s book had a lot to do with it.  However, I come from a small town in Upstate NY that’s very much like my fictitious town of Carson and am familiar with the type of people who populate it, the small-town atmosphere and the goings on within the society of the town. So I had a good bases for creating the types of people who live in a small town and how they think.  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I have two critique partners, Dolores Wilson and Vickie King, who come from that area and who were an endless source of information to make sure that I was depicting their home state and its people accurately.

7.     Tell us about your writing schedule and describe your perfect work spot.

I normally get up anywhere between 7AM and 8AM.  I then head for the coffee pot, which is set the night before to start brewing before I’m up (I don’t do well without my morning injection of caffeine), pour my coffee and watch the news for about an hour.  Then it’s off to my office, check my email, check FaceBook (of course) and then down to the work of writing for the day.  That usually brings me to about 10 o’clock. By about 3 or 4 in the afternoon my brain is fried, and I quit. However, if I’m on a roll, it’s not unusual for me to keep writing until supper time around 6. I never write in the evening.  That’s my time with hubby.

My perfect work spot is the beautiful office my husband built for me when we moved into our home about twelve years ago. It’s my haven, complete with a bird feeder right outside the window and my Golden Retriever (Lily) and my Collie (Ripley) laying beside me and keeping me company.

8.     Tell us about your plans for future books, or books you dream of writing one day.

First I have to finish the next two books in the Hawks Mountain series, then I plan to go to my first love, light paranormal romance with a twist of humor, and write a series of books peopled by three witches, Hermione, Arabella and Millicent (think the Golden Girls) and their familiar, a cat named Beryl who needs a serious attitude adjustment. The witches, who will be recurring characters in all the books, run a small curio shop complete with magic artifacts that the hero/heroine purchase and which influences them in finding their soulmates. The her and heroine will change in each book, but the witches and the cat will appear in all of them.

9.     Tell us one thing about yourself that might surprise readers.

Hmm That’s a toughie. Perhaps it’s that I believe we are visited by the spirits of loved ones after they have passed on.  This became a belief for me one day, when I was talking to my friend about an emotional problem I was facing, and an eight-day mantle clock that my dad had given my mother chimed six ties.  Not so unusual?  Well, considering that it hadn’t been wound for 25 years, and its innards were rusted solid and hands that hadn’t moved in years were set at six o’clock, it was very significant for me.  Added to that was that six weeks to the day later, my problem was solved.  It made me a believer.

10.  What was the last book you read?

Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner – an amazing, edge-of-the-seat read with more ups and downs than a roller coaster

11.  What do you like best about writing? What’s your least favorite?

What I like most is when my stories start writing themselves, and I’m sitting in the stands watching the story develop and come to life. Seeing my characters flesh-out and take on lives of their own in which I just follow along putting the thoughts and actions on the page.  Love it!

What I like least is a draw between the business end of publishing and writing the dreaded synopsis.

12.  Please share a favorite quote with us.

My favorite quote personifies the message in all my books . . .

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.  It's about learning to dance in the rain.

-- Anonymous

Elizabeth co-founded and is a member of the Ancient City Romance Authors of St. Augustine, FL and First Coast Romance Writers of Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to having authored the widely-acclaimed instructional books, The Dreaded Synopsis and First Chapters, she has published a total of twenty romances. Her latest release is Hawks Mountain, the first book in a series of the same name for Bell Bridge Books.

Elizabeth and her husband share their Florida home with their two furry children: Ripley, a six-year-old Collie, and Miss Lily, a four-year-old Golden Retriever.  She’s the mother of three children and the grandmother of six with another on the way in October.