Colleen:
Hi! Today we are sitting down with one of Passion In Print’s debut authors,
Elizabeth Haysmont. Welcome Elizabeth! Do you recall the very first book you
read that turned you on to romance/erotic romance books?
Elizabeth:
Absolutely! Jane Eyre in AP English in high school.
I was so mad when Jane left Rochester and felt she really should have stayed.
Even in high school I thought, “He’s rich enough; they could move to Fiji and
no one would know the difference!”
Colleen:
Why do you write?
Elizabeth:
The easy hours and the high salary (insert wink
here.)
To be honest, I couldn’t think of a
better answer than the one that trips off the tongue of most writers. I write
because of the stories in my head. I write because I need an alternative to the
world. I write because I can’t help it.
Colleen:
Plotter or plantser?
Elizabeth:
Plantser. I start out with a basic plot and I
often deviate from it when a better idea hits me before the “official” editing
process starts.
Colleen:
Listen to music while you write? If so who?
Elizabeth:
I like to have music on to drown out the
distractions of background life, such as noise from outside or the two cats
playing or the dog ‘woofing’ to let me know something is going on outside. I
usually listen to classical and medieval, but sometimes rock and blues. I love
The Beatles and Rory Gallagher. Whatever I listen to, I have to create a short
playlist and loop it, so it plays ad nauseum so I tune it out. To be honest, I
could probably use white noise from an untuned radio and have the same benefit.
Colleen:
When you first start writing do you write from beginning, middle or end?
Elizabeth:
I’ve never tried to start a first draft from anyplace
but the beginning of the story (although I’ve added and subtracted beginnings).
I’m told it can be liberating to just write whatever scene occurs to you at the
time.
Colleen:
Do your stories require research? Do you travel or just go to the library/web
to gather your information?
Elizabeth:
My stories do require research but I’m a
history buff so sometimes research inspires the story. I’ll create stuff based
on what I already know and do additional research to expand my imagination.
Colleen:
What inspires you?
Elizabeth:
My sources of inspiration are too numerous to
list here, but when I try to narrow it down, I’d say I’m mostly inspired by the
need to share little known lives and locations, like I’ve discovered something
special I’m so sure more people would enjoy if they only knew more about it.
The irony of course is that I then proceed to change it all so it suits my
story.
Colleen:
What is your current story?
I’m working on a sequel to The High
Bridge which was released May 19th via Passion in Print Press. The
working title is The Far Bridge, another adventure story, this time involving a
young Anglo-Egyptian doctor on a mountaineering trip in the Rocky Mountains. He
gets lost and as he and his climbing partner Seth Montclair are route-finding,
he witnesses through his binoculars a group of women on another mountain peak
surrounded by dancing blue light, like a St Elmo’s fire. He realizes that they
are performing some sort of ceremony. Later he meets one of the women when she
shows up at his free clinic bringing her grandmother (who he recognizes from
the mountain peak) when the old woman is ill. Not only is he intrigued by what
was happening on the mountain, he’s infatuated by the young woman. This sets
them up for love, romance, and adventure, once again in the wilderness of the
Rocky Mountains near Winter Park, Colorado (known in the story as Seasons Park,
CO.)
Colleen:
What do you have coming out next with Passion In Print Press?
Elizabeth:
My current novel The High Bridge was just
released through PIP on May 19th and should be out soon (if not
already) on Amazon. It’s the story of cynical but determined investigative
reporter who originally traveled to Colorado to debunk the story of a haunted
hotel but ends up uncovering a ghost train that is haunting the mountain road
nearby. After crashing her motorcycle to avoid being struck by lightning, she’s
found by the man she’d hired as a guide the day before. There’s more to him
than she ever thought, and while he’s trying to get her off the mountain and to
a hospital, they discover a new way to deal with the strong attraction they
feel for one another. They also uncover a secret 65 soul-wrenching years in the
making.
Colleen:
What groups or social media networks can readers frequently find you posting
and chatting in?
Elizabeth:
I love making new friends. Find me on Twitter
@Eliz_Haysmont or Facebook at facebook.com/Elizabeth.Haysmont.Author
It seems
Elizabeth Haysmont’s entire life has been dedicated to research. At least
that’s the spin she’s putting on it when she tries to explain why so many of
her real life experiences end up in her books. Motorcyclist, photographer,
graphic artist, traveler, caver, history buff, rail buff, hiker, off-roader,
musician, actor – Life has dragged her (with her husband of twenty-two years)
through 35 states and six foreign countries. She and her husband even chose an
adventurous way to wed: in a cave near St. Louis, 50 feet underground. Visit her website at http://elizabethhaysmont.com/
