Author Interview: Liz Grace Davis

Please welcome to A Three Way Tie, my dear friend, Liz Grace Davis.

Author Bio

I was born in Angola, grew up in Namibia, South Africa, and Germany. I now live in Vienna, Austria. My mother was a diplomat. That’s why I got to move around so much. On one hand I loved it, getting to know new people, experience various cultures, and see beautiful countries. On the other hand, I didn’t like it so much. 

Every time I made new friends (which usually took me a while) and got comfortable, I had to leave again. I changed primary schools five or six times and high schools 3 times. I’m finally settled in Austria and am married to my best friend. I studied international business consultancy, worked for the United Nations for a while and am now studying towards my master’s degree. I should graduate next year. That’s my life in a few words.

When and why did you begin writing? 

I really don’t know. I think I started writing when I started reading. I started with writing short stories and poems and wrote my first full length novel in high school. After that, I just wrote one manuscript after the other but I never showed my work to anybody. I wrote because I enjoyed it, I wrote because I had to in order to be myself. When I don’t write for a long while, I start having withdrawal symptoms (seriously). I just feel as if something is missing and a little depressed. As soon as I get back to writing, I just feel so much happier.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? What is the easiest?

Chocolate Aftertaste wasn’t too hard to write. The only problem was that during the time I wrote the first draft I was doing so many other things. I was busy writing my bachelor thesis, doing a full time internship, and organizing my wedding (for over two hundred guests). Another hard part was editing the manuscript. I hate hate hate editing. But like I said, Chocolate Aftertaste as a whole wasn’t too hard to write. I chose the title and found a story to match. But it was a little hard to have to make my main character suffer over and over again. I hope she forgave me in the end.

What music do you listen to while you write? 

Country music. When I was growing up my father passed his love for country music over to me. I love how the songs always tell a story and I’m a writer, we live for stories.

What inspires you? 

Life. There are so many stories around us— interesting people, breathtaking places, dirty dishes, tragedies, pain, miracles, love. The weather is also inspiring. I especially love the rain and thunderstorms. Inspiration is everywhere for me. I don’t really need to go looking for it. Sometimes all it takes is a delicious meal which could end up being prepared by one of my charactersJ. But I try not to wait for inspiration before I write. I just start and often inspiration follows.

Do you have any hidden talents? 

I was actually hoping that writing is my talentJ. Okay, let me think of others. I love creating things with my hands. Half the jewelry that I own was created by me. I also self-taught myself how to create digital scrapbooks and also the supplies and elements needed for them (unfortunately I haven’t had much time to design lately). If you’re interested, you can take a peek at a few of my designs here: www.tangidesigns.blogspot.com. I designed everything on the blog from scratch (including the pearls and the sweet little baby shoes). Okay, enough about me. It’s making me a little uncomfortableJ.

What are your current projects?

Now that Chocolate Aftertaste is published, I’m going to start editing another manuscript that’s collecting dust in the basement. Like Tangi’s Teardrops, it’s also based on a true story, a very bittersweet story about the power of true friendship. The genre is women’s fiction.  

What made you decide on self-publishing?

I had enough of writing synopses and query letters. I also wanted the freedom that came with self-publishing. I love knowing that as soon as I’m done writing a novel, my readers will immediately get to read it. It’s such a great feeling. I might pursue traditional publishing again at some point in the future, but right now I’m happy with how everything is going.

Do you have a professional editor?

I do have a professional editor, Nicholas Ambrose, but I’m so picky and paranoid about errors that I still end up doing quite a lot of editing, once the editor sends back the manuscript. I hate those pesky errors that just pop up from nowhere. I think it’s really important to have someone else look at our manuscript because after a while we become blind to our own mistakes. When we read our own manuscripts our brains automatically correct the errors without us being aware of it.

Do you edit as you write or wait until your book is finished? 

I hate editing so I postpone it as much as possible. I wait until I’ve finished writing and then I have no choice but to edit. I could never edit while I’m writing or else I’ll end up hating my writing and story. I tried doing it with one of my novels and it ended in a disaster. I’m still learning to love that story again.

What book are you reading now? 

Amethyst Eyes by Debbie Brown. It’s  a wonderfully written YA/Middle grade sci-fi novel about a teenage boy who loses his mother too soon and has to start a new life with a father he doesn’t know, a father who lives on another planet. I highly recommend it.

Quick: Vampires or Shapeshifter? Why?

Vampires, only because right now I’m hooked on Vampire Diaries. It took a while for me to start watching it but after so many great reviews I gave it a chance. Thanks to that series (and Pretty Little Liars), I lost a lot of editing and writing timeL.

 
Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Write what you love to read not what everyone says you should write. Readers are very smart people. They will know whether your heart was in it or not.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? 

Dear readers. Thank you so much for making me an author, for making my dreams come true. I promise to watch less Vampire Diaries, Revenge, The Secret Circle and other series that keep whispering, “watch me, watch me, just one more episode” so I can bring out more novels for you. You keep me typing that next sentence. Don’t forget to check my blog for updates on my upcoming novels www.novel-moments.blogspot.com.

Larissa, talented author and my wonderful friend, it has been a pleasure being interviewed by you. Thank you so much for giving me a spot on your blog today. I appreciate it.


Thank you Liz! I'm so glad to have you on my blog and introduce you to my lovely and loyal followers!

At her pre-wedding dinner, Nora Darkin, the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur, discovers her fiancé is not the man she thought he was. As her father hoists his glass to toast them, she makes an announcement: there will be no wedding to her father's right-hand man.

Due to the fresh rift driven between her and her father, Nora escapes to the quaint town of Dreara. Determined to live her life her own way, she makes new friends and pursues her lifelong desire of becoming a chef. Ethan Danes, a neighbour with his own broken heart, helps soothe hers. 

Just as Nora discovers what it means to be happy, and she begins to fall in love with Ethan, a woman from his past re-enters his life…