Name? Leigh Stites, writing as Elisabeth Burke.Where are you? Kansas City.
How many years have you been a member of RWAmerica? Three years.
What genre/s do you write? Historical fiction/historical romance.
Who are your favourite authors? From childhood on: Mark Twain.
Two all time favorites for wholly different reasons: Anne LaMott and Stephen King.
General fiction: Stephen Fraser, COLD MOUNTAIN, and Diana Gabaldon, OUTLANDER. I never get tired of reading and rereading those books.
Historical fiction: a couple favorites are David McCullough and Jeff Shaara.
Romance: mainstays on my bookshelf are Susan Wiggs, Amanda Quick, Lisa Kleypas, Madeline Hunter, Lynn Kurland, Julie Garwood, Jill Marie Landis, Christina Dodd.
What inspired you to write romance? I'm a history geek and a sucker for a good love story, so that's what I write.
Who's your dream agent? A dream agent is kind of like a dream spouse. The one you never thought about ends up surprising the heck of you when he turns out to be Mr. Right. That said, my dream agent is someone who believes in me and is passionate about selling my stories, while at the same time has the professional contacts and business acumen needed to successfully negotiate the murky world of publishing.
What's the best thing about going to conference? The people and the energy. I love meeting and getting to know other authors, agents and editors, spending time with people who are as passionate about books as I am.
And lastly, finish these statements...
My greatest strength as a writer is...I write. All the time. Even when I don't feel like it.
A sexy hero needs...some weakness that makes him more human, more lovable.
My latest WIP (work in progress) is about...THE PRODIGAL is a story about betrayal, loss and the power of forgiveness. It's set against the backdrop of a historic railroad race in nineteenth century Kansas and follows the journey of a former Quantrill raider who sets out to salvage his honor but comes face-to-face with the bitter mistakes of his past when he falls for a wealthy widow he must deceive to keep her railroad from ruining his family.
When I write I like to...hole up without distractions and lose myself in the story.
My best writing milestone to date is...being a finalist in last year's Golden Heart®.
Thanks for answering my questions, Elisabeth! To find out more about her, visit her website, Facebook page or blog.
Posts
Hi, Elisabeth! I'm going to be sure to check out your books. You sound like me, being a history geek. I worked as a living history intrepreter and now I write historical novels.
ReplyDeleteI love your description of a dream agent, Elisabeth! What a fresh (and perfect) way to put it. And your current WIP sounds fascinating and looks to have all of components for another Golden Heart success :)
ReplyDeleteTerrific interview and great photo! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIlona, Jacqui & Donnell, thanks for dropping by. Here's to Elisabeth and another GH final!
ReplyDeleteIlona, you sound like my dream reader! LOL. Jacqui, thanks for chiming in. I am expecting to see your name again this year on the GH final list!
ReplyDeleteOne of the most fun things about writing historical fiction is that you have the most wonderful source of stories imaginable. I could never dream up half the stuff I find in my research. It's so fascinating.
Thanks Donnell, for checking in.
Best to all,
EB
Elisabeth, if I were stuck on a desert island with the works of Mark Twain and Diana Gabaldon, I'd be one happy camper, I tell you!
ReplyDeleteWriting historical fiction scares me. Too many details that too many people know if you got wrong. Hee. :)
-Abigail
Hey Abigail, guess I don't have to ask what book/s you'll be taking to that deserted island - LOL.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, I shudder too, when I think of writing an historical.