Elizabeth Ludwig

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

Janelle: I grew up a country girl in Minnesota, the seventh of eight kids, and moved to Houston, TX after I graduated. Eight years later I met my husband and became a country girl again, thank goodness. I started writing in 2001 and signed my first contract in 2006. Writing is almost as much a part of me as breathing and loving my family.

Elizabeth: Well, let’s see?I graduated from a tiny little high school in
Michigan in 1985. I received a scholarship to Michigan State University in 1986 and went on to study English and
Journalism. I love music and theater arts, and I’ve performed in numerous community projects. I also teach Sunday School and sing on the praise team at my church, where I serve as part-time youth minister.

In 2001, I joined the American Christian Fiction Writers and started attending their annual conference. I also joined a critique group which helped hone my writing skills. In my spare time (grins) I contribute to the popular blog Novel Journey, recently named one of Writer’s Digest 101 most useful websites for writers.

Currently, my husband and I live in Texas with our two children.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break and how you heard about the sale of your first book?

Elizabeth: Writing break?it really wasn’t one big break, it was a series of little breaks-things like editors requesting full manuscripts, agents calling me at home to talk about my work, that kind of thing. I knew I was getting closer simply because I wasn’t getting the standard rejection letters anymore. After that, it’s kind of funny. My “call” didn’t come from my editor, it came from my co-author, Janelle. She knew I was at work, so she contacted me at the office to tell me she’d just gotten off the phone with Susan Downs. For several seconds, I wasn’t sure I’d heard her right. Once the realization sunk in, I really did squeal-so loudly, in fact, that my coworkers came running. I was crying, laughing, jumping up and down?I didn’t even have to say it. They all knew by my reaction I’d sold my book.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release, Where the Truth Lies?

Elizabeth: Like Janelle said, we hope to turn this into a three book series. The third book hasn’t been contracted yet. In fact, we have just now started brainstorming ideas for it. All three books are set in Massachusetts and feature a young web designer and a librarian.

The idea for these books started with a conversation I was having with my brother-in-law. We were discussing Jacob and Esau and their difficult, often turbulent relationship. Later that evening, I couldn’t get their story out of my head. I called Janelle, and we started brainstorming possibilities for turning this into a mystery. While it isn’t exactly like the biblical account, it is loosely based on scripture.

Q: If your readers could take away only one message from Where the Truth Lies, what would that be?

Elizabeth: I agree with Janelle. Trust God-at least that’s the message I hope reader’s get from this story. Trust Him isn’t always easy, especially during the difficult times in life’s journey, but I’ve learned that He is always present, even in the darkest days. Casey Alexander, the main character in Where the Truth Lies, walks that same road to discovering a deeper understanding of what it means to trust in God.

Q: The plot for Where the Truth Lies is filled with great twists, turns and surprises. How did you go about plotting this story?

Elizabeth: That’s right, but let me add, turning it back to the main plot wasn’t always easy. Janelle and I wrote a detailed timeline BEFORE we even started chapter one. We knew exactly where the story was going to go from start to finish. We had all the clues and red herrings, a list of suspects, and character sketches handy. We even (shudder) wrote our synopsis before we started the actual story. That way, we were able to spot any potential plot problems before they get too far out of hand.

Q: Where do you find inspirations for your plots?

Elizabeth: I agree. Plots come from pretty much anywhere! LOL! There have been times a name struck me, and I started twisting stories together based on the lead character’s name. Other times, it was a title, or newspaper article, or even (laughing) my family, though I’d never tell them that.

Q: Would you name three great fiction books you read in 2007 and tell us why you think they were great?

Elizabeth: I just finished Allie Pleiter’s book, The Perfect Blend. I loved it because she did such a good job of weaving in humor. I was entertained from start to finish, and I still walked away with a great lesson about relying upon God. Stefanie Meyers also wrote a great series called Twilight. This is not your typical Christian fiction, so be warned, it may not be for everybody. Still, she did a fantastic job of creating tension and moving the story forward.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?
Elizabeth: It’s hard work!! LOL! Truly, though, there is way more marketing involved than I expected. It’s not easy finding time to do all the things necessary to get my name ‘out there,’ but I know it’s a must if I want my book to be successful. That’s why I try to update my website and blog regularly. I also contract as many speaking engagements as I can manage, and I schedule blog tours, interviews, and appearances whenever possible. I’ve created a book trailer to help generate excitement for my upcoming release, and I mailed out postcards, bookmarks, and newsletters informing people how they can get their hands on my book. It’s definitely work, but let’s face it, writing is a business. To make it successful, I have to invest a certain amount of time getting it off the ground.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

Elizabeth: On top of working on Died in the Wool, I’m waiting to hear back on a cozy I wrote on my own called The Trouble With Mary. My current wip, however, has nothing whatsoever to do with mysteries. It’s a contemporary romance I’m considering pitching to Heartsong that I’ve tentatively titled Missing Abby. It’s kind of fun to be writing something a little different than what I’ve been doing over the past two years. Keeps it all fresh.

Q: What advice do you have for an unpublished writer?

Elizabeth: Take the time to learn the craft before you start submitting. Rejections are hard, and they hurt! I learned so much more from entering contests and getting feedback than I ever did from a form letter rejection. If you’re going to spend your money, use it for contest entry fees instead of postage. You’ll get a much higher return.

Q: I can’t imagine writing a book with another person. What kind of process did you use to co-write a book?

Elizabeth: Janelle and I have been critique partners for a long time. On top of that, we’ve become close friends over the years. I think both are requirements to anyone considering co-authoring. You have to know the person you are writing with pretty well in order to overcome the obstacles you encounter along the way, and you have to be able to converse honestly with one another if you want to make it past chapter one. If you can’t squabble with the person you’re considering co-authoring with, don’t even attempt it. Your friendship will never survive. Luckily, Janelle is more like a sister to me than a critique partner, so I can pretty much tell her anything.

Q: What challenges and advantages are there in co-writing?

Elizabeth: Working with Janelle has really spoiled me! I LOVED having somebody to brainstorm with 100 percent of the time. Any time I got stuck, I dialed her number and vice versa. Because she knew the story as intimately as I did, there was never any question about whether or not something would work or if a character would behave a certain way.

We are also very careful when making changes to run the edits past one another first. This really stretches the time involved in editing, but it’s a choice I think made us both happy. Of course, as we neared the end of line edits, content edits, and galleys, that became almost impossible because of time constraints. When you trust your co-author, however, that really isn’t a problem. I knew if something needed to be changed, I could trust her to do it, and vice versa.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?
Elizabeth: “Don’t be so focused on the goal that you miss the journey.” (Paraphrased)

I heard these words at a conference I attended. Suddenly, I realized that was exactly what I’d been doing. My goal was publication. Only that. Not the knowledge to be gained along the way, or the friendships forged in adversity. I missed the fleeting opportunities God had prepared to comfort me, and for me to give comfort. Like a darkened landscape exposed by a shaft of lightening, my life suddenly became visible, and I became determined to ENJOY the writing journey God had set me on.