Elizabeth spends much of her free time writing because she truthfully doesn’t know how to stop. She loves spending time with her family and pets. She doubts any of them have ever fully read anything she’s written, except for maybe her cat, Dr. Seuss, given his pedigree.
--interview by Marcia Peterson
WOW: Congratulations on winning first place in our Q3 2025 Creative Nonfiction essay competition! What prompted you to enter the contest?
WOW: Congratulations on winning first place in our Q3 2025 Creative Nonfiction essay competition! What prompted you to enter the contest?
Elizabeth: Thank you so much. It is such an honor to have won. I read many of the other stories posted and they are all amazing, so special congratulations to the short-listed and long-listed writers.
There aren’t many contests strictly for women writers. Although my story is steeped in a “military world,” YOU is a story about love and friendship - women supporting women. I believed WOW’s creative nonfiction contest would be the perfect audience for my story.
WOW: Your entry, “You” is powerful and poetic from the first to the last line. What inspired you to write this particular story?
Elizabeth: My husband was killed in action while we were still in our early 20s. I was a writer ever since I could hold a crayon, but at that point in my life, newly single with two babies, and all that went along with being a young widow, there was no room for writing but it was always a nagging desire.
I eventually began as a weekly newspaper columnist and magazine contributor, writing humorous anecdotal stories about my rambunctious boys. My grieving had been very disjointed, but I knew someday I’d tell Jimmy’s story, if for nothing else, closure. YOU was a tough piece to write. I found that the least painful way, was from the POV of just the two women. It may have been a story I wrote over the course of a few weeks, but it was living in my head for decades.
WOW: Are you working on any writing projects right now? What’s next for you?
Elizabeth: Over the past several years, I have been very fortunate to have three traditionally published books: The Final Mission, a Boy, a Pilot, and a World at War, The Secrets That Save Us, and The Cheech Room. I’m currently finishing/editing (ugh) a suspense novel titled Glass Frogs. Only in the past couple of years have I attempted short stories. It may be the most difficult form of writing. The idea that every single word must count and have meaning, I honestly found writing novels less intimidating.
YOU has won four separate writing awards this past year and I am so humbled by the attention. I am considering writing my memoir. I was born a military brat, married military, and after becoming a military widow, I have been through so much in the aftermath, always afraid of the rug being ripped out from under me again. With writing fiction, I could escape, but sharing my own personal truths didn’t seem possible.
I never imagined I’d be sitting here being interviewed for this short story. I find myself with a reason to finally tell my story in total. Readers are interested and want to know more, even already knowing how it ends, they ask, “So, then what happened?” I realize now, in so many ways, it was not an ending all those years ago, but rather a ‘slow-burn’ beginning. No one else can tell this story but me. And if not now, when?
WOW: Yes, tell us more of your story! What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it?
Elizabeth: I love this question because I am such an avid reader! I was raised in a household where we were read to every night as kids, as teens we could stay up as late as we wanted as long as we were reading, and we could never see the latest movie unless we read the book first. I have yet to find a movie that is better than the book. As a result, my own family won’t watch movies with me because I ruin their “viewing” experience.
I am currently reading James by Percival Everett. It’s excellent and a real stretch from my typical fare – Jodi Picoult, Harlen Coben, and B.A. Paris, to name a few. Suspense/thrillers are my go-to. I will admit that as much as I love the smell of a new book, dogearing, and notes in margins, I found I was using stacks of books as end-tables because I’d probably never get around to reading them. Yes, I am a bookaholic, and adore visiting little bookshops wherever I go, but I realized I was supporting other writer’s work at the risk of not seriously pursuing that same dream for myself. So, discovering audiobooks was the perfect solution. For years, I have a 2 hour/day commute and this is where I do most of my reading/listening. It’s not the same, however, it’s the only way I could set myself up for three hours of writing after work every evening without feeling guilty. I don’t watch television for that same reason. Guilt – because I should be writing instead.
WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Elizabeth. Before you go, do you have a favorite writing tip or piece of advice you can share?
Elizabeth: Everyone has a story to tell, whether real or fictitious. I have heard people say that they are going to quit their job for a year to write a bestseller. I would never recommend this. Life being what it is with kids and jobs, it took me about ten years to write The Cheech Room, and it wasn’t until I wrote my second book, The Final Mission, that I found a publisher.
In believe the written word is the most difficult art to get recognition. Singers, dancers, physical artists get instant opinions, people like it or leave it. With the written word, you need undivided attention for at least several pages, and that’s very hard to find. I don’t believe my own family has read much of my work – it takes 100% attention – a rarity these days. I suggest finding writers who will give their honest and constructive critique. Then, enter contests. You need tough skin; I could wallpaper my house with all the rejections I’ve received over the years.
The best advice I can think of came from Stephen King’s book On Writing where he writes about his son who wanted to play lacrosse, so King (being King) built and bought him the very best of everything to succeed, but in a few weeks, his son lost interest. King found himself offering to pay his son to play the sport. You have to really want it.
Granted, there are times I find any excuse not to write. Writing is extremely challenging, solitary, time-consuming and often a disappointing business. I don’t subscribe to the idea of writer’s block – if you have that muse nagging you no matter what you do or where you go, you’ll feel guilt and eventually write. When you finally and earnestly commit, I promise it will flow out of you. I write because I simply do not know how to stop. Winning WOW unwittingly challenged me to write my memoir. There is no way I can stop that train of thought now- not a chance on earth. I am so grateful to Women on Writing for that final vote of confidence.
There aren’t many contests strictly for women writers. Although my story is steeped in a “military world,” YOU is a story about love and friendship - women supporting women. I believed WOW’s creative nonfiction contest would be the perfect audience for my story.
WOW: Your entry, “You” is powerful and poetic from the first to the last line. What inspired you to write this particular story?
Elizabeth: My husband was killed in action while we were still in our early 20s. I was a writer ever since I could hold a crayon, but at that point in my life, newly single with two babies, and all that went along with being a young widow, there was no room for writing but it was always a nagging desire.
I eventually began as a weekly newspaper columnist and magazine contributor, writing humorous anecdotal stories about my rambunctious boys. My grieving had been very disjointed, but I knew someday I’d tell Jimmy’s story, if for nothing else, closure. YOU was a tough piece to write. I found that the least painful way, was from the POV of just the two women. It may have been a story I wrote over the course of a few weeks, but it was living in my head for decades.
WOW: Are you working on any writing projects right now? What’s next for you?
Elizabeth: Over the past several years, I have been very fortunate to have three traditionally published books: The Final Mission, a Boy, a Pilot, and a World at War, The Secrets That Save Us, and The Cheech Room. I’m currently finishing/editing (ugh) a suspense novel titled Glass Frogs. Only in the past couple of years have I attempted short stories. It may be the most difficult form of writing. The idea that every single word must count and have meaning, I honestly found writing novels less intimidating.
YOU has won four separate writing awards this past year and I am so humbled by the attention. I am considering writing my memoir. I was born a military brat, married military, and after becoming a military widow, I have been through so much in the aftermath, always afraid of the rug being ripped out from under me again. With writing fiction, I could escape, but sharing my own personal truths didn’t seem possible.
I never imagined I’d be sitting here being interviewed for this short story. I find myself with a reason to finally tell my story in total. Readers are interested and want to know more, even already knowing how it ends, they ask, “So, then what happened?” I realize now, in so many ways, it was not an ending all those years ago, but rather a ‘slow-burn’ beginning. No one else can tell this story but me. And if not now, when?
WOW: Yes, tell us more of your story! What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it?
Elizabeth: I love this question because I am such an avid reader! I was raised in a household where we were read to every night as kids, as teens we could stay up as late as we wanted as long as we were reading, and we could never see the latest movie unless we read the book first. I have yet to find a movie that is better than the book. As a result, my own family won’t watch movies with me because I ruin their “viewing” experience.
I am currently reading James by Percival Everett. It’s excellent and a real stretch from my typical fare – Jodi Picoult, Harlen Coben, and B.A. Paris, to name a few. Suspense/thrillers are my go-to. I will admit that as much as I love the smell of a new book, dogearing, and notes in margins, I found I was using stacks of books as end-tables because I’d probably never get around to reading them. Yes, I am a bookaholic, and adore visiting little bookshops wherever I go, but I realized I was supporting other writer’s work at the risk of not seriously pursuing that same dream for myself. So, discovering audiobooks was the perfect solution. For years, I have a 2 hour/day commute and this is where I do most of my reading/listening. It’s not the same, however, it’s the only way I could set myself up for three hours of writing after work every evening without feeling guilty. I don’t watch television for that same reason. Guilt – because I should be writing instead.
WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Elizabeth. Before you go, do you have a favorite writing tip or piece of advice you can share?
Elizabeth: Everyone has a story to tell, whether real or fictitious. I have heard people say that they are going to quit their job for a year to write a bestseller. I would never recommend this. Life being what it is with kids and jobs, it took me about ten years to write The Cheech Room, and it wasn’t until I wrote my second book, The Final Mission, that I found a publisher.
In believe the written word is the most difficult art to get recognition. Singers, dancers, physical artists get instant opinions, people like it or leave it. With the written word, you need undivided attention for at least several pages, and that’s very hard to find. I don’t believe my own family has read much of my work – it takes 100% attention – a rarity these days. I suggest finding writers who will give their honest and constructive critique. Then, enter contests. You need tough skin; I could wallpaper my house with all the rejections I’ve received over the years.
The best advice I can think of came from Stephen King’s book On Writing where he writes about his son who wanted to play lacrosse, so King (being King) built and bought him the very best of everything to succeed, but in a few weeks, his son lost interest. King found himself offering to pay his son to play the sport. You have to really want it.
Granted, there are times I find any excuse not to write. Writing is extremely challenging, solitary, time-consuming and often a disappointing business. I don’t subscribe to the idea of writer’s block – if you have that muse nagging you no matter what you do or where you go, you’ll feel guilt and eventually write. When you finally and earnestly commit, I promise it will flow out of you. I write because I simply do not know how to stop. Winning WOW unwittingly challenged me to write my memoir. There is no way I can stop that train of thought now- not a chance on earth. I am so grateful to Women on Writing for that final vote of confidence.
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