Interview With Author Elizabeth Snyder Reed (Liz)

  

1. What inspired you to write this book? My love of and appreciation of art and other cultures. My contemplation of spiritual matters and soul progression. My on-going search into what creates ones’ vital essence.  

2. What exactly is it about and who was it written for? It was written for the reader who may be inquisitive about the mysteries of life and who enjoys a good story. In Ancient Echoes there are multiple stories, you could say there are stories within the story. I think at some point in our lives we ask ourselves, why am I here? Ancient Echoes explores the previous lives of the protagonist, Skylar, and considers the possibilities we accumulate qualities, skills, and characteristics over eons of time. In her present life, she is a museum director and an authority on native America art, who accepts an opportunity to teach at a Tokyo university. Recent coincidences and déjà vu experiences in her life have presented questions; Japan provides the ideal location for discovery and answers.  

4. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?  Enjoyment. Discovery.               
5. How did you decide on your book title and cover design? This was the easy part. Skylar’s previous lives reverberate through ancient days with most chapters revealing another of her lifetimes. As in the chapter, entitled Lavender Jade. The story chronicles a life time in which she is kidnapped in 650 AD China and her struggle to survive and thrive. As for the cover design, I have a large photo library from years of travel. The cover uses a photograph I took when I visited the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. It is a photograph of a splendid ceramic tile mural of apsaras, ladies of fragrance and music. I love it and found this to be a good opportunity to share it.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Maybe a word for the would-be writer. If you have been thinking about it, don’t delay any longer; start now! Carry a notebook with you. Have a tablet on the bedside table. When you wake in the morning immediately note your thoughts there. Prepare for writing the next day, the night before. As you lie in bed, relax and think about your writing and, as you fall asleep, what you need for the next day. Send your thoughts and needs into the Universe.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see – where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  I think the trend will continue to be toward electronic books ie Amazon and Goodreads. I also feel self-publishing will continue to impact the publishing industry.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Absolutely. My career gave me the opportunity to travel in Asia, Europe and the United States. I lived and worked in Alaska, Japan, South Korea, and Germany. This gave me the opportunity to develop close and lasting relationships with diverse people from all walks of life. That, combined with my education and experience ie teaching and administration of crafts and fine arts, impacts my writing. As I reflect on this question, I draw on a minor, almost insignificant event. In college I took an elective, the Sociology of Religion. Years later, I think that gaining that perspective of religion was no coincidence and was clearly meant to be. I considered this once while in the Duomo in Florence, Italy, watching people cross themselves or genuflect beneath the cross, and also as I observed people in a Shinto Shrine in Japan clap and ring the bell. Ancient Echoes is about the evolution of one’s soul through eons of time.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is you writing similar to?  What comes to mind are books that inspired the series, The Highlanders and the movie, A Wrinkle in Time. Both give consideration to immortality and what role the Universe may have in our lives.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in writing of this book? This was the first book I wrote. It took me several years – just to get started. I found that once I did start, I developed some good writing habits and I gained some confidence, it started to flow. I now have three published books. The third book of the Ancient Echoes trilogy is unfinished but it’s been much easier to write than the first. I had to learn that putting your fingers on the key board or pen to the paper every day is important.  Keep a notebook with you, you may need it on a plane, a train, the bus or in the doctor’s office, when you need to capture a thought. Be prepared to get it down (you can edit or rewrite later); particularly true with your first morning thoughts. With a little experience comes the realization that when you are in the moment and the story is flowing – stay in the moment.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? I’d say for the content. However, if you are an extremely busy, on-the-go-person, this is a book that can be read over time. You can read a complete (story) chapter on your commute or to relax before bedtime. Skylar’s journey, career, love life, and previous lives begins with Ancient Echoes, it follows this format through, Slipping the Grid: A Novel, and the last book, The Mist of Time. www.ancient-echoes.com 

About The Author: Retired Art Director. Graduated The Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Art Education with advanced studies at Georgia State University. A retired Department of Defense civilian, who worked in soldier and family arts and recreation programs in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Founding Executive Director of the Visual Art Center of Alaska, a cross-cultural program for professional Native American artists and sculptors. Author of Tinker, Ancient Echoes, and Slipping the Grid: A Novel. For more info, please see: www.ancient-echoes.com

 

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Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.