A Whole New Level of Crazy

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What’s new? Ask most people, and they’ll say, “Not much, what’s new with you?” Sometimes of course, we’ll be able to say—new job, new baby, new love, new book, new recipe, new weather, new—whatever. But um, do you know Elizabeth Heiter? I can’t remember where I met her—do you Elizabeth? Oh, right, I devoured her thriller called HUNTED and it was so great! And then she--and her darling mom—came to my book signing in Ann Arbor. (How lovely is that?)

And when you meet Elizabeth, she looks very, well, like a reasonable, intelligent, charming, attractive woman. When you read her books--like her brand new VANISHED (from MIRA), you realized she’s talented.  But in truth? As she admits, she’s:

A Whole New Level of Crazy

                          By Elizabeth Heiter

1 year.  2 genres.  5 books.  And a whole lot of crazy.

Writers already have a reputation as being a little … shall we say, eccentric.  As adults, we spend our time playing make believe, creating characters, dreaming up ways to get them in and out of trouble, and then sometimes talking about the whole thing as if these are real people, and these dramatic events are actually happening.  

But if you want to make people really think writers are crazy, tell them you’re going to have five books on the shelf in one year, in two separate genres.  And, oh yeah, that you’re also going to be writing the next one while you’re at it.

In the past three weeks, my second suspense novel and my first romantic suspense book hit the shelves.  In between, I turned in the third book in my suspense series. 

While marketing those second and third books just released, I’m beginning the proposal for the seventh book (yes, that’s right, seventh…because there will be a second and third romantic suspense coming out in the next couple of months, too).  Oh, and did I mention I have a day job?  And some semblance of a personal life?

When someone new asks me about my writing, and they hear about the schedule, they look at me like I’m crazy.  Completely, utterly, lost-my-mind, fell-off-my-rocker-and-can’t-get-back-on, nuts.

They’re probably right.

This year alone, I’ll have five books in two separate genres hitting the shelves.  I’ve been dreaming of this – and working toward it – most of my life.  I wouldn’t trade it, no matter how crazy it gets.

Still, there have been (many) nights where I got by on three hours of sleep, and a whole lot of mocha lattes.  There have been (many) days where I finished my day job, ate my dinner in front of my computer doing promo for the books, immediately turned to writing the next book, went to bed for a few hours, then did it all again.

In those three hours of sleep, I still wake up, wondering if I remembered to put a book event on my calendar.  And then I wake up again, with a better idea about how to get my FBI profiler in my suspense series out of the latest mess I’ve tossed her into – quite often with a lot of glee, I might add.

And yet, what happens when I have a tiny little break?  Well, first I flop dramatically on the couch and binge watch some TV.  But after that?  When I get my energy back, instead of trying to figure out a way to calm things down just a tad, I start thinking of all the plots bouncing around in my mind.  I start thinking about the next book, and the one after that…

And then I’m off writing again.  In fact, I’m going to have to go

now, because there’s this story brewing in the back of my mind…

How about you?  Do you have a “crazy” passion?  (If it’s reading, I have some book recommendations for you! )

HANK: Ah, uh huh. Kind of feeling like a slacker....But Elizabeth, how do you organize your brain? How do you keep the stories separate? Slacker minds want to know...   What would you like to ask Elizabeth, Reds?

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ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists, and a little bit (or a lot!) of romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range.

Elizabeth graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature. Her manuscripts have been finalists in the Golden Heart®, Marlene, Daphne Du Maurier, and Golden Gateway contests and she won Suzanne Brockmann’s 2010 Haiku Contest. She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America and has volunteered for several chapters, including serving as the Greater Detroit area president.

In 2012, Elizabeth fulfilled a lifelong goal when she sold her first five novels.

www.elizabethheiter.com

www.facebook.com/elizabeth.heiter.author

 www.twitter.com/ElizabethHeiter

 VANISHED (Book 2 in The Profiler series from MIRA Books):

Sometimes, the past can haunt you...

Eighteen years ago, FBI profiler Evelyn Baine's best friend, Cassie Byers, disappeared, the third in a series of unsolved abductions. Only a macabre nursery rhyme was left at the scene, a nursery rhyme that claimed Evelyn was also an intended victim. Now, after all these years of silence, another girl has gone missing in South Carolina, and the Nursery Rhyme Killer is taking credit. But is Cassie's abductor really back, or is there a copycat at work?

Sometimes, the past is best forgotten...

Evelyn has waited eighteen years for a chance to investigate, but when she returns to Rose Bay, she finds a dark side to the seemingly idyllic town. As the place erupts in violence and the kidnapper strikes again, Evelyn knows this is her last chance. If she doesn't figure out what happened to Cassie eighteen years ago, it may be Evelyn's turn to vanish without a trace.

 DISARMING DETECTIVE (Book 1 in The Lawmen series from Harlequin Intrigue):

The case that's haunted one FBI profiler for years may have finally met its match in a sexy—and dedicated—detective… 

When FBI profiler Isabella Cortez finds a stranger outside her office, she's in trouble. Because even though Detective Logan Greer is one of the good guys, their instant attraction is a serious distraction. Ella's got one mission: to find the criminal who hurt her friend and drove her to become a profiler. But Logan's appeal isn't just chemistry. He has a case that bears an eerie resemblance to the crime Ella's been trying to solve for years. Together, they're racing to stop a killer, but the closer they get, the more dangerous the search becomes. Falling in love could be deadly…or it could be the only way to survive.