Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Liz Alterman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Liz , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Whatever you’re pursuing, it’s so important to practice your craft and hone your skill. While we might often hear “overnight success” stories, chances are if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that the successful person worked incredibly hard, usually for years, to achieve that level. I also believe perseverance is every bit as important as talent. When it comes to writing, it’s such a subjective field and, with that, there’s plenty of rejection. It can be difficult to not give up before reaching your goal. Believing in yourself and your work makes all the difference. Though it’s hard to put yourself out there, finding a group of likeminded artists and asking for feedback helps you grow and improve. I’m a big proponent of the phrase, “You make your own luck,” so I think the key to success is to keep going.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a longtime journalist and the author of the memoir, Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, and the suspense novel, The Perfect Neighborhood.

One of my earliest memories is of my mom reading to me. She instilled a lifelong love of words and stories, and I’m so grateful for that. Throughout my life, I’ve turned to books for wisdom, commiseration, and a sweet escape from the day-to-day. As a writer, I strive to provide that for readers.

I’m proud of the fact that while this is a challenging industry where rejection is rampant and patience (which I often lack) is a prerequisite, I haven’t given up on my dream. I had three books come out within a 15-month period but what people don’t know is that I actually started working on my memoir in 2014 and it was a long road littered with disappointment before finding great homes for each of these stories.

So to any writers or artists out there, I know it’s cliché, but I’d say never give up!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

After my husband and I lost our jobs within six weeks of one another, I decided to start a blog that I jokingly said would serve as an online journal chronicling my descent into madness while we attempted to reinvent ourselves at midlife.

I received a nice response to the posts mainly because I was writing about a lot of the unspoken components of unemployment. So often we see resume and cover letter tips and advice, but not as much is written about the way job loss impacts your self-esteem and your dignity. I tried to tackle those topics with humor, and seeing that there wasn’t much like it on the market, I decided to write a memoir.

After two years of taking writing workshops, drafting, revising, and query agents, I signed with a wonderful agent and she submitted it to publishers. Unfortunately, we received a lot of rejections. We were told that I wasn’t famous (which I was well aware of-ha!) and that my platform wasn’t large enough. Editors said they enjoyed the writing but didn’t know how to market it. This was in 2018 and we were told that anyone who wanted a job could get a job so people didn’t want to read or talk about unemployment. It was discouraging to say the least.

I didn’t want to give up on the story, especially because I believed it might help someone in a similar situation. About a year later, a friend mentioned that Audible had a pitch portal where you could submit your ideas or manuscripts. I polished up my memoir and submitted it. One month later, I received an email that an editor had read it and wanted to talk with me about acquiring it. After being told “no” repeatedly, I had to re-read that email a dozen times before it sunk in.

This reinforced my belief that you have to knock on a ton of doors before you find one that will open for you.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of the writing life has been receiving emails or comments from readers who say that something I wrote resonated with them. Whether it’s my memoir, Sad Sacked, or a personal essay, knowing that there’s that shared experience with a reader is so fulfilling.

I also write thrillers because that’s another genre I enjoy reading and when someone reaches out to say that my novels provided them with an escape from “real life” for a few hours that makes it all worthwhile.

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
• Other: http://www.ontheballsofourassets.com

Image Credits
Headshot: Gracemarie Photography The Perfect Neighborhood: Courtesy of Crooked Lane He’ll Be Waiting: Courtesy of Between the Lines Sad Sacked: Courtesy of Audible