“The most important thing that I have taken from [my writing challenges] is to please myself with the writing first—that is to love what I’m writing.” —Elizabeth Hobbs
The WLT’s “Crash Course” program is a new series of monthly presentations designed to offer straightforward, quality information on a craft or business topic with minimal impact on wallets and personal schedules. Students will receive concrete takeaways and the opportunity to ask questions live in the room, ultimately obtaining the tools, knowledge, and support they will need for their next trip to the page.
On Wednesday, February 18, Elizabeth Hobbs will present our first ever Crash Course “Lessons from Romance: Putting Believable Relationships on the Page in Any Genre.” During this event, students will learn how to write believable relationships, pulling vital lessons from the most-read and best-selling genre today: romance!
Elizabeth Hobbs is a New Englander born and bred, who spent her childhood roaming the woods and shoreline, making up stories about characters who live far more exciting lives than she. It wasn’t always so—long before she ever set pen to paper, Elizabeth graduated from Hollins College with a B.A. in Classics and Art History, and then earned her M.A. in Nautical Archaeology from Texas A&M University. While she loved the life of an underwater archaeologist, she has found her true calling writing historical mysteries full of wit, wickedness and adventure. Misery Hates Company is the first book in her Marigold Manners Mysteries series. The second, Murder Made Her Wicked, will be released in 2025, with the third, Meridian of Malice, to follow in 2026. Elizabeth also writes as USA Today Bestselling author of romance, Elizabeth Essex. Her critically-acclaimed and award-winning Reckless Brides and Highland Brides historical romance series have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, and RWA’s prestigious RITA Award, and have made Top-Ten lists from Romantic Times, The Romance Reviews, and Affaire de Coeur Magazine. Her fifth book, A Breath Of Scandal, was awarded Best Historical in the Reader’s Crown 2013. Elizabeth loves to travel from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband, the Indispensable Mr. Hobbs, and her darling dogs, Ghillie and Brogue, in an empty nest of an old house filled to the brim with bicycles and books.
Here’s what Elizabeth had to share with us:
Who are your earliest influences? What people and books made you a writer?
I’m sure it’s a cliché to say EVERY book I’ve ever read, because I do think I’m a sum of all the ideas and words and thoughts I’ve read over the years. But to be very specific, the books I read as a younger reader have stayed with me the longest and most strongly: Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series and C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series. And poetry, which I also began reading as a young reader: Robert Frost (I am a New Englander even though I’ve lived in Texas now for 30 years), Emily Dickinson and Mary Oliver. Together these books and writers gave me a love of both words and adventure. I’d also like to add that it was the librarians and teachers, and especially my mother, who put all those books into my hands, who made me into a writer.
What writing challenges have you faced? What have these challenges taught you about your process?
I’ve been “orphaned” (in which my editor at my publishing house has either passed away or otherwise moved on to another publishing position) at least three times. I’ve had to learn to adapt to new styles of working, new editorial expectations and even new genres. And the most important thing that I have taken from that is to please myself with the writing first—that is to love what I’m writing—while also being self-disciplined enough to take editorial criticism and always work to make the manuscript better.
From your perspective, what’s the most rewarding part about being a writer?
Saying what I want to say and having the time and freedom to work on the words until they are exactly how I want them to be. I love editing. First drafts—not so much. But that fourth draft—love honing the manuscript down to as close to perfection as possible.
Who do you write for?
I write for myself in that I write about what interests and excites and amuses me. But after myself, I probably write for my (now dear departed) mother, who was a remarkable woman—and avid reader in multiple languages. My last mystery, MURDER MADE HER WICKED, is a (murdery) love letter to her.
What do you hope writers will learn from your course?
I hope they will feel more confident putting believable relationships between characters on the page, and I hope they also learn that good writing can be found across a variety of literary genres.
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Thanks, Elizabeth!
Click here to learn more about Elizabeth’s upcoming presentation.
