About Elizabeth Lavine:
Most of my childhood was spent sitting on someone’s lap and being read to, or the reverse, sitting with and reading to a younger sibling. Since there were six younger siblings, this went on without interruption right into an early marriage and having three children by age 21. Lots of lap time! Lots of reading! Tons of storybooks!
Years later, I wrote my first Children’s Picture Book as an after thought, following a three-day story-telling intensive with a young grandchild. Several sequels are in development as well as a Mother Cat series and a Happy Farm Woman series. I am delighted with this new career, as I feel the love, bonding and special intimacy that can occur between a reader and a receiver, is precious and priceless. It all depends on a worthy, touching, heart-opening story! That is my goal: To create and produce the worthy, compelling and unforgettable stories that make those parent-child moments magical.
What inspires you to write?
Childhood memories, my experience as a single mother to my own three children and the precious times spent with my grandchildren; being outdoors in nature or with kids and animals; waking up in the morning with a story idea!
Tell us about your writing process.
My approach to writing is both by the “seat of the pants” and also outlining story ideas. I jot down notes on napkins, scraps of paper, or inside of books. I spend lots of time outdoors with my trusty antique tape recorder and record inspirations and insights on the spot as they occur.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen, and my writing is very much like taking dictation; the tricky thing is, the dictation arrives with no advance notice, so be prepared, if this is your way of writing!
What advice would you give other writers?
Read, read, read! Develop the art of listening. When you read something you like especially, read it out loud, speak it into a tape recorder, play it back and listen. Then see if any inspiration comes to improve the piece you like so much. Or just enjoy it as it is, in its perfection, but let the tone, cadence, pacing and “feel” of it sink into your bones.
Write what you’re passionate about, and the inspiration will come without effort, angst or struggle. Be open to letting the story unfold in its own way and its own time. That’s why I always have several projects in the works, and shift my focus as the inspiration dictates. Also, the choice to self-publish or traditionally publish is the question of the day, in my mind. The “way” you write will be very much influenced by the requirements of each alternative.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
This was a no-brainer in my case. Every publisher-of-choice that I researched said in their submission guidelines, “Not accepting unsolicited children’s book manuscripts.” So I chose to forge ahead with the venue that was accepting submissions.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
No thoughts at all.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Children’s fiction, inspirational poetry, spiritual psychology.
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Elizabeth Lavine Home Page Link
Link To Elizabeth Lavine Page On Amazon
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