Saturday, December 22, 2012

Author Spotlight: Interview with Elizabeth Marx

Welcome back! Tonight is night #9 of the 12 Nights of Christmas and Neyra and I are happy to welcome Elizabeth Marx, author of contemporary romance novels, Cutters Vs. Jocks & Binding Arbitration :)

Ana: *singing EXTRA loud* TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME, TAKE ME OUT WITH THE CROWD. BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKERJACKS! I DON’T CARE IF I NEVER GET BACK! *nudges Neyra* Think we should take this interview down to the sports pub?

Neyra: *chuckles* I doubt you need to take it to the pub to make it a party. But I’m sure Elizabeth would love to sit and relax, sooo lee’goo!


*20 minutes later* 

Ana:
*buys a round of beer for the table* Thanks for joining us today, Elizabeth!
Neyra: We’re so glad you could make it! The holidays are always hectic for all of us, so thank you.

Elizabeth: Thanks so much for inviting me out for a drink, I think I’ll have a Cranberry Sangria, sounds festive right?

Ana: *eyeing Elizabeth’s drink and calls back waitress* uhmm.. yeah, so festive ;) *to the waitress* yeah, let me get one of those *pointing to Elizabeth's drink*

To kick off this interview, why don’t you tell our fellow followers all about yourself :) P.S. Anything goes ;)

Elizabeth: Well I grew up in Chicago,  but I’ve lived in Texas and Florida. I’ve always loved books and world building, so I became a writer. Right now I’m counting down to Christmas and I’m totally obsessed with decorating and wrapping and creating my own winter wonderland. You can stop by my blog and see what I’ve been up to and how many trees I have in my house. http://elizabethmarxbooks.blogspot.com/  
Ana: Let me just say that I absolutely loved Aidan and Libbys’ story! How did you come up with the whole storyline?

Elizabeth: My husband went to IU which is where the story was set and he was a baseball player there. Once I visited there and I ran into a couple by a fountain and they just looked like they came from different worlds. So I decided I wanted to write a story about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who fell in love for Mr. Perfect.

Neyra: Were they characters based on real people in your life? Or perhaps your own experiences?

Elizabeth: Writers are a composite of all their experiences and characters are a composite of everyone we meet and know. Aidan’s arrogance was based on a professional football player who I don’t care for at all, and then I formed his sweeter, truer self, based on several people. So be careful or you’ll end up a villain in my next novel.

Ana: *Takes a sip of drink* I love that CvsJ & BA are contemp romance novels that have baseball thrown in! I loved reading all the baseball references, are you a baseball junkie or did you do some much needed research? (And by research, I mean stalk and hound hawt baseball players *winks*)

Neyra: *Lifts up glass* I wouldn’t mind stal-- I mean interviewing those hunks myself. I love baseball ;)

Elizabeth: Honestly, I’m not a big sports fan, at all, well except for the hawt baseball players in tight pants, but as I said my husband was a big ten athlete and learning about sports came with the territory. Also one of his friends made it to the majors so I did have an inkling of the behind the scenes of professional baseball. What I didn’t know I researched or my husband helped me out with.

Ana: I couldn’t help but notice that your main character’s name is Elizabeth, did the inspiration for her character stem from you?

Elizabeth: Actually I wanted to name her Libby, I’ve always loved that nickname but I needed a more formal name and it just happened that Libby is short for Elizabeth. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it! Plus, I’m way snarkier than Libby!

Neyra: lol! 

Ana: haha. And Libby is pretty snarky too!
Neyra: I also noticed you have a paranormal urban fantasy book, All’s Fair in Vanity’s War. It’s about a young girl who dies and is reborn on Halloween night to become what is known as a Seer. Where did inspiration for this book come from?

Elizabeth: I wanted to write a paranormal about witches, but I thought it was over done so I went to druids, which led me to Celtic mythology and that led me to Boston where the largest concentration of Irish Americans live and that drew me right back to Salem. I visited two summers ago for research, it’s an awesome place.

Neyra: All’s fair in Vanity’s War takes place in Salem, a city notorious to us all for it’s Witch trials of 1692. How much research went into this book, if any about the trials, the city, the history?


Elizabeth: A lot of research went into All’s Fair, as I said I went to Salem and did the whole tourist thing so I could place my characters in their real environment. I had to research Celtic mythology and Celtic Gods and Goddesses, Celtic prayers and rituals, then I did a lot of research on the druids and then had to tie that all back together with an explanation about the witch trials and how they relate to my story.


Ana: Which was easier for you to write Contemp. Romance or Paranormal?

Elizabeth: Contemporary is the easiest to write for me because the research is minimal and since my series is set in Chicago I am very familiar with the ins and outs of Chi Town. I know the architecture, people, places and way in which people interact intimately.

Neyra: Any books currently in the works?

Elizabeth: I just released two Gothic Paranormal Romances.
Ana: I heard you released these, congrats! I'm definitely intrigued ^_^ *pulls up GR on phone and adds books to TBR Pile* 

Did you have a certain playlist of songs that you listened to while writing CvJ & BA ?  

Elizabeth: I don’t listen to music while I write, it’s too distracting for me but I do have songs that I hear while I’m writing a book and I think, wow that’s really a good song for this or that part of the book. These are some of the songs I like for BA/CVJ Jar of Hearts, At Last by Ella James, Left Hand by Pink, Rolling in the Deep by Adele.


Ana: Oooh. Jar of Hearts is really good. Christina Perri has an amazing voice!

Neyra: If you could live in any of your book worlds, which would it be? :)

Elizabeth: I would have to say BA/CVJ. I love Chicago, it is one of the greatest cities in the world and I've traveled enough to know it’s true. It’s clean, it’s safe, the people are nice and friendly, we have some of the greatest museums and theaters and some of the tallest buildings in the world!

Ana:
Thanks so much for taking the time out to chat with us :) We’ve really enjoyed your company :)

Neyra: We loved having you here Elizabeth, and we wish you luck and look forward to reading more from you! Thank you for stopping by :D

Elizabeth: thanks again Ana and Neyra for having me over and make sure all your followers know that CUTTERS VS JOCKS is still FREE for almost all reading devices. Happy reading and reviewing to all!

Ana: You heard the lady, CUTTERS VS JOCKS is STILL FREE!! Click HERE to take you to Amazon. The book is Amazing and the follow up, Binding Arbitration, is even BETTER!
Wrapping up our interview with Ms. Marx, Neyra and I will be giving away ONE eBook copy of any of Elizabeth Marx' books AND if you want BINDING ARBITRATION you can pick that one and get it in paperback :) Also, I've got a signed BA bookmark from Ms. Marx, so one lucky winner will get that as well :) Cutters Vs. Jocks & The Seer's 7 Deadly Fairy Tales are currently free on Amazon. If the prices chance and you would like one of those two, then we would more than happy to get them for you :)


How to enter:
Fill out the rafflecopter below to enter.
MUST be BOTH a follower of Beach Bum Reads and Darkest Addictions to be eligible to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck to all who enter!

Windy city writer, Elizabeth Marx, brings cosmopolitan life alive in her fiction—a blend of romance, fast-paced Chicago living, and a sprinkle of magical realism. In her past incarnation she was an interior designer, not a decorator, a designer, which basically means she has a piece of paper to prove that she knows how to match things, measure things and miraculously make mundane pieces of furniture appear to be masterpieces. Elizabeth says being an interior designer is one part shrink, one part marriage counselor and one part artist, skills eerily similar to those employed in writing.   

Elizabeth grew up in Illinois, but has also lived in Texas and Florida. If she’s not pounding her head against the wall trying to get the words just right, you can find her at a softball field out in the boonies somewhere or sitting in the bleachers by a basketball court. Elizabeth resides with her husband, girls, and two cats who’ve spelled everyone into believing they’re really dogs.  

Elizabeth has traveled extensively, but still says there’s no town like Chi Town.


5 comments:

  1. Oooo your tree is gorgeous Elizabeth!! Loving the living room color too. I'm off to check out your winter wonderland next :) Didn't realize you'd done some pnr books. I'll definitely be checking those out. I loved Libby and Aidan's story :)


    Hope you have a wonderful Christmas with the family!!

    ~Anna

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  2. Isn't it! I love her tree! on her blog she has moreee. lol.


    Ana♥

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  3. Oh I know! I went and checked them all out. Gorgeous house and decorations. Definitely a winter wonderland :)

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  4. Definitely :) ^_^ Merry Christmas, Anna <3


    Ana♥

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