June Indie Author Feature: Liz Leiby
Jessie Matthews is well on her way to being the first person in her family to graduate from college. She follows all the rules, completes her work-study hours, and avoids parties. (Well, except for that one Halloween party with the masked stranger...) But when she loses half her funding for senior year, Jessie faces the daunting task of finding a way to cover the remaining tuition costs.
Determined to stay in school, Jessie sets her sights on winning the coveted Walden Senior Scholarship. The only problem is her academic rival, Mackenzie Baldwin, is gunning for the scholarship too.
As the youngest of four exceptional brothers, Mac has something to prove, and winning the Walden Senior Scholarship will finally show his family he’s worthy of the family name. But when Mac starts to see his life through a different lens, he’ll need to decide between his family’s expectations and what he truly wants.
Though Jessie is eager to avoid Mac, fate seems to thrust them together at every opportunity. And soon their initial animosity begins to morph into something more like flirtation—with just one problem: the masked stranger from that Halloween party. Fueled by the chemistry she shared with the stranger, Jessie can’t seem to see what’s right in front of her. But Mac has a secret that may just destroy all of Jessie's carefully laid plans…
This month’s feature is romantic comedy author Liz Leiby. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Liz in March for the podcast I co-host with Kristina Carmela, The Indie Scribble Circle. She’s a joy to chat with, and I have no doubt that the same bubbly positive energy transfers directly into her writing. I have her book on my TBR and can’t wait to dive in for a fun summer read. For now, please enjoy my interview with Liz!
How do you find time to write?
I generally carve out time in the evenings, a couple hours 3-5 weeknights and a few hours each day on the weekends. Some months I do less writing, some months I do less socializing to write more, just depends on where I am in the book writing process!
What is the best time of day for you to write?
Ideally I love the 10am to 2pm stretch, but I can only manage that on the weekends. In the evenings, from 7-9 works but it’s not my favorite!
How long does it take you to write a book?
The drafting is 30-60 days. I spend about 3-4 months on the first revision and 6-8 weeks on the second revision. If you include the 3 times I read the book in between revisions, it’s probably a total of 8 months or so.
Does writing energize you or exhaust you?
A little of both? I get a lot of purpose and sense of fulfillment from writing and in a way that’s energy. It’s energy that keeps me going in the big picture, but creatively, writing exhausts me and I always have to find ways to restore that creative energy. Usually reading, video games, puzzles, or even just watching a movie/some TV helps.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Sort of. I believe that if someone is ‘blocked’ or finds they can’t write, they might just be burned out. I know this is true for me. If I’ve been revising all day and my brain just… hits a wall- I’m done for the day. I also usually reach a point in revisions, close to when the book is due to my beta readers or my editor that I just… hate everything. I hate the book, I hate writing, I hate revising and that’s a good indicator that I’m feeling creatively empty and need to refill the wells!
Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
Yep haha I just call it a ‘slump’ - I’m a mood reader and it’s like nothing sounds good at all. I try a handful of books and I can’t get into anything. It’s the worst.
What’s your favorite under- appreciated novel?
I’m going to name two books that I’ve literally never seen anyone talk about. One is Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan. To my knowledge this is the only book they’ve ever written and I LOVE it. I read it ages ago, I’d like to reread it. But I remember absolutely loving it when I read it.
The second book is A Circus of Ink by Lauren Palphreyman. I found this on KU a couple years ago and LOVED it. Was totally sucked in by it, told everyone about it. It’s so unique. I’ve never read anything like it. It was one of the first indie authors I’d read and I was so enchanted by it.
What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?
I think I already give things up to become a better writer! I think I give up the most precious thing of all and that’s time. We only have so much of it, it’s a finite resource, and I spend time working to become a better writer. I read books on the craft, I seek feedback for my writing, I’ve taken some courses on writing. I don’t think there’s anything more I could do!
If you could tell your younger writer self anything, what would it be?
As odd as this is… I wouldn’t tell her anything. I wouldn’t interfere. Every experience I had as a younger writer shaped me into the writer I am today. If I told myself something, some piece of advice, some encouragement, I don’t know if I would have stayed the same path.
Where you can find Liz Leiby & her books!
The link to purchase her books!
Instagram: @lizleibyauthor
TikTok: @lizleibyauthor