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