Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Alterman.

Hi Liz, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I wanted to be a writer from the time I could hold a pencil. Though I spent years as a journalist telling other people’s stories, I hesitated to sit down and write one of my own. When my husband and I lost our jobs within weeks of each other in 2013-2014, I found myself reeling and at a loss for what to do next.

One freelance assignment led me to interview the co-founder of a local writing school. I asked her which was her most popular course and she said, “Memoir writing! Everyone has a story to tell.”

It really got me thinking about what type of story I’d tell. I considered our strange circumstances: a well-educated couple with three children and a mortgage who were laid off simultaneously. I signed up for that memoir class as a way to keep my creative fires burning and challenge myself to write beyond the usual 1,000-2,000 word pieces I turned in for work. Having the opportunity to workshop early drafts with my peers kept me going and provided so much valuable feedback. I’d recommend finding a group or taking a class to anyone considering pursuing an artistic endeavor. It motivated me and made me accountable.

After I completed that memoir (Sad Sacked), I was desperate to step away from real life and try my hand at fiction. It pains me to say it, but my children are reluctant readers (despite my best efforts). So I asked them, “If I attempt to write a book for your age group, will you read it and give me feedback.”

After a bit of moaning and sighing, they agreed. Once I began the manuscript (He’ll Be Waiting) and gave a few chapters to my middle son, he asked for more so I kept going. From there, I’ve written two adult suspense novels (The Perfect Neighborhood and The House on Cold Creek Lane) and am continually amazed by what your mind serves up if you give it the time and space to create.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Unfortunately, sometimes I find that I’m my biggest obstacle. I should write in the morning when I’m freshest but instead, I respond to email or read newsletters and I let a lot of valuable time slip through my hands.

Self-doubt is another homegrown obstacle. It’s challenging to routinely psych yourself up to write — especially if you’re working on a lengthy project that’s not under contract and you don’t have a strict deadline. Also, as you draft and revise, it’s nearly impossible not to ask yourself, “Is any of this even halfway decent? Does anyone care? Would this time be better spent learning to play the guitar or running?”

Other challenges are out of my control. You can think you’re turning in a wonderful manuscript and it may not be that agent or editor’s taste. Timing can also have a lot to do with it. You may hear that there’s a project very similar to yours and so yours doesn’t find a home.

Those sort of things take a toll. I find it’s important to celebrate every single win in this business and to make friends with others who are doing similar work and can relate to the struggles and cheer you on when you’re flagging.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a journalist and the author of the memoir, Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, and the domestic suspense novels, The Perfect Neighborhood and The House on Cold Creek Lane. My essays and humor pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, Parents, and other outlets. I’ve discovered over the years that I’m happiest when I’m writing anything that has humor in it so I hope to gravitate toward that style more in the future. I think I’m proud of not giving up in the face of countless rejections.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
One of my earliest memories is of my mom reading to me in the afternoons on our living room couch. My parents were avid readers and they really encouraged a lifelong love of words.

While other kids loved soccer fields or trips to the mall (am I dating myself?), the library was and has always been one of my favorite places. I can recall finishing Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and discovering that she had other novels and the joy I felt was akin to Christmas morning. Adding to my at-home Nancy Drew collection was one of my favorite pastimes.

I also loved music and my parents had a lot of record albums and we’d play those all the time. It’s funny, my mom would often refer to the Beatles by the first names so for a while I thought she knew them personally. (I wish!) I remember our grocery store sold 45 rpms, and each week my mom would let us pick a new one. For days, my brothers and I would debate which one we’d choose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lizalterman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizalterman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizAltermanAuthor
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethalterman/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LizAlterman

Image Credits
Headshot: Joanie Schwarz Photography Covers: Sad Sacked courtesy of Vine Leaves Press The House on Cold Creek Lane courtesy of Severn House The Perfect Neighborhood courtesy of Crooked Lane He’ll Be Waiting courtesy of Between the Lines