Liz Tyner--Oklahoma Author Interview

 

 

This month I am happy to feature Liz Tyner on my blog. I have to admit getting this blog together has been a trial because of illness on my part as well as some unfortunate computer issues.

 Having other authors to count among our friends whether we have met or not is one of our greatest gifts as writers. We can call on them for ideas, to complain about this or that, to share good news and bad, and to simply be available. Liz is the author of THE ENGLISH ROGUES and GRECIAN GODDESSES SERIES from Harlequin. Book one SAFE IN THE EARL'S ARMS is available. Book two A CAPTAIN AND A ROGUE will be available in December 2014. An excerpt is below.





Liz can be reached at www.liztyner.com or ltynerwrites@yahoo.com She has a lovely site just waiting for visitors. I asked her a few questions and her answers were interesting, humorous, and filled with wisdom. It is below:

When and why did you start writing? One of my earliest memories is when my mother folded paper into a booklet form and asked me to tell her a story, and said she would print it for me. She took the story we finished and put it “in a safe place”—the cupboard where the important papers were kept. For a child, that was similar to winning a RITA. I was hooked, even though I didn’t know it. During my teen years, I scribbled poems, and started a novel—but disappointed myself greatly because I never made it to Chapter 2.


 

 

Did your first work that you typed 'the end' on sell or did it end up under the bed so to speak? Actually, it might be literally under my bed—at this very moment. I started it when I was 26 years old—easy to remember because my heroine was 26. It is roughly 100,000 words, and I submitted it to publishers. Maybe three total. One editor wrote a personal rejection. This was in the days of white-out, and she covered one of her comments. I removed enough of the white-out to see the original sentence. Basically, it was my first experience with the dreaded sagging middle. I knew she was right. I planned to re-write and re-submit to someone else, but I had no clue how to increase conflict. That ended that. But I started another novel fairly soon.

 

 

Do you have a favorite author, genre, or specific book you'll always love? I particularly like romance and have lots of favorite authors. When I read a novel and fall in love with the hero, I often search out the author’s backlist until I read a half dozen or more of her books. Then another awesome hero comes along and I transfer affections.

 

How do you overcome those moments when the words just won't come? Sometimes I get on the treadmill—which is a drastic measure and a last resort. Fifteen minutes there and I can usually get an idea. Or I even write out my thoughts on the problem. I have also put myself in the chair and said I am not moving until I write another hundred words.

 

Advice for new or first time published authors? Writing is easy. Finishing a story—that can be hard. But I just can’t imagine a surgeon looking into a body cavity and going, “Oh, it’s my lucky day, another ruptured spleen.” It’s about the final product, not the bloody mess you have to go through to get there.

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Excerpt from A Captain and a Rogue:

Capt’n. There’s yer mermaid.’

            At his first mate’s words, Benjamin’s head snapped around and his eyes locked on the form slicing through the Aegean Sea.

            Benjamin took two steps closer to the edge of the craggy rocks overlooking the water. The sea air took some of the rotted-egg smell of the island from his lungs and the shape reaching the shoreline took all thoughts from his head.

            He reached to his side and took the spyglass from the hanging sheath, and peered. His movements must have caught her attention, because as soon as her head appeared in his eyepiece—she treaded water. Her eyes locked on his, capturing him.

            Then she turned, long arms finishing the swim quickly. Everything else in the world disappeared but the vision in his spyglass. His breath caught. He’d truly found a mermaid.

            ‘Ah, she saw us,’ Gidley grumbled. ‘Now she’ll go and turn into a reg’lar woman. Blast the luck. Once a mermaid sees a man, she sprouts legs. Happens every time.’

            The woman stepped on to the sand. Benjamin grunted in disappointment, realising he’d been lost in a fantasy.

            He tipped the end of the glass downward to ascertain she did have legs. She wore a chemise, but the thin, wet garment viewed through a strong imagination left little covered. He braced himself, keeping his knees from giving way, while he leaned forward, trapped in his thoughts.

            Gidley nudged Benjamin. ‘Lend me that glass, Capt’n. Want to see if she be sportin’ a tail.’

            Ben pulled air into his lungs, giving himself time to relearn to speak.

I encourage readers of my blog to visit Liz, check out her books and fall in love with historical romance. Please leave comments and include your own links if you wish.