Welcome back to SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT!! This is the day of the week where I have the honor of talking with an author who might be new to you. I get to tell you a bit about them, their social media sites and their book(s). That isn’t the best part though…the best part is interviewing them or having them do a guest post. This allows potential readers to get to know a little bit about the author behind their amazing covers.
My goal with these posts is to introduce you to a new author or book. Take a chance, maybe you’ll find something you fall in love with. There are so many amazing authors in the world that go unnoticed because they are not in the spotlight. I want to change that. If you are an indie or lesser known author, get in touch with me. I would like to help share your work. I do this all free of charge, publishing a book is expensive enough. I promote authors because I love what they do. I will never charge for promoting a book or author on my Saturday Spotlight posts.
I’m booking for August and September now so if you are an author or know one who would like some free exposure, get in touch with me. I would love to help support you.
Today I am really excited because I am talking with Elizabeth Lim!! I’m sure you’ve seen the cover of her beautiful book Spin the Dawn online. It has been on my list to read for 2019 for a while now. So, let’s get to it!
Interview
The Bibliophagist: Spin the Dawn will be in the hands of readers around the world very soon. That must be exciting and frightening at the same time! Can you talk a little about how it feels to have your debut novel be such a highly anticipated one?
Elizabeth: I try not to think about whether or not my book is anticipated (I haven’t googled myself or my book in over a year and I avoid review sites at all costs) so I think I’ve been relatively calm! But I am incredibly excited as well as nervous. July 9 can’t come soon enough!
The Bibliophagist: I agree…I can’t wait but we are almost there! I think it takes a lot of strength to avoid looking at reviews of your book but it saves you a lot of stress at the same time. Stories are something everyone loves, some more than others. I’ve learned that you grew up on fairy tales and myths, just as many other children have. Can you tell readers a few of your favorites and why? Did you incorporate any of these into Spin the Dawn?
Elizabeth: I’ve always loved fairy-tales, and much of Spin the Dawn drew from ones my father used to tell me as a child, such as Perrault’s Donkeyskin, the Norweigian fairytale, East of the Sun, and the Chinese legend, The Cowherd and the Weaver.
The Bibliophagist: *Looks those up to add to the collection to tell my kids* I think having people read to me as a child was my favorite past time. I loved fairy-tales. I used to dream of wearing beautiful gowns and having people cherish me as their princess. Maia creates gowns that I could never even dream of, weaving them of magical things. What would your ideal gown if Maia created it? What magic materials would be used? What color would it be?
Elizabeth: I’d love a gown created of my favorite memories – very abstract, I know, but if anyone could make it work, it’d be Maia! She could use film, maybe, and bring it to life in a way that’d be absolutely stunning and meaningful.
The Bibliophagist: I actually love that idea! Memories are some of the most precious things and a gown made of the most treasured ones would truly be stunning. I know that after reading your book, readers will remember how much they enjoyed it! What is in store for fans in the future? Is there anything you are working on that you can tell us a little about?
Elizabeth: Unravel the Dusk, Book II of the Blood of Stars duology, will be out next year! So if you’ve been wondering what happens to Maia…that will be your best bet. I’m also working on a couple projects that I am hoping to announce soon!
The Bibliophagist: I will be on the lookout for that for sure! Your novel is one among many diverse new releases this year. Can you tell us why you feel diverse novels are so important?
Elizabeth: Diversity in books helps broaden our imaginations and see new worlds. It also gives us courage, as it did for me when I was a child looking for books featuring characters who had a background like mine, to have our own voice and show us that we are not alone.
The Bibliophagist: I couldn’t agree more with you! I love finding diverse books. I’ve had a love of Asian culture almost all of my life and this past year has been amazing with the large influx of Asian themed releases, yours being one of them! I think it is so important for everyone to be able to find a book they relate to. Books are powerful and we all need to see the magic between the pages, see the possibilities. Thank you again so much for talking with me. Before you go, from someone who has explored many different career paths and finally landed on the one that felt right…an author, what advice can you give those who are still searching? Some are not sure writing is the right choice for them? What would you say to them?
Elizabeth: I think I’m still discovering the answer for myself! But what I will say is that there’s so much pressure to put a timeline on becoming an author. Like, all over Twitter you’ll hear people saying they want to publish a book before graduating college/turning 20/30/40/etc. Just ignore all that. Take time to write your best book and hone your craft. And if you aren’t sure if becoming a writer is what you want to do, then it’s totally fine to call it quits or take a break. The first time I tried to get a book published was right after I graduated from college. I was in grad school and wasn’t sure whether I wanted to pursue writing, so I took several years off. During that time, I found I still missed it…so I gave it another try. If things don’t feel right, there’s absolutely no rush. You do you!
About Elizabeth Lim
Over the years, Elizabeth became a film and video game composer, and even went so far as to get a doctorate in music composition. But she always missed writing, and turned to penning stories when she needed a breather from grad school. One day, she decided to write and finish a novel — for kicks, at first, then things became serious — and she hasn’t looked back since.
Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She lives in New York City with her husband.
Thank you again, Elizabeth, for taking the time from her crazy busy schedule. I hope that you all check out Spin the Dawn when it releases July 9th! You won’t regret it.
**Again, If you are an author interested in being hosted on Saturday Spotlight contact me! I would love to help support you and your work.**
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This is one of my most anticipated books of 2019. Thanks for the interview!
I knew I needed to read it as soon as I read the summary