My guest today is another historical romance author who writes about American history. Please help me welcome author Liz Arnold! We’ll take a quick peek at her bio and then find out more about her writing process and stories.
Liz wrote her first drama around age ten in which a romance figured prominently. Today, Liz’s heroines make their own choices and find strong yet flawed heroes who work to quell their demons. Together they learn that love conquers many problems, and their stories are set in exciting times in American History.
Liz teaches college English and writes historical romance when she can crawl out of the rabbit hole of research (which she loves.) She completed an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction/Historical Fiction in 2019 at Seton Hill University.
Currently, she’s working on book two in a trilogy of historical romances set in the Northwest Territory in the late 1700s before Ohio became a state.
She enjoys walking, yoga, and herb gardening as well as spending time with her family.
Author Social Links: Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter
Betty: What inspired you to write the story you’re sharing with us today?
Liz: I am a lover of history and historical fiction. A Healing Touch was inspired by my research into early Ohio history.
Betty: Did you struggle with any part of this story? What and how?
Liz: One struggle I experienced while writing A Healing Touch was getting all the wonderful tidbits of everyday living into the book. Another struggle was getting the research right about the smallpox vaccine. Its initial development took place in America at this time and was really interesting to read about.
Betty: Which character(s) were the easiest to get to know? Why do you think?
Liz: The character Molly Hilliard was easy to get to know because there’s a bit of sass in her, which flows easily from me in real life. I enjoyed getting to know Romney Applewood the most, however, because I had to dig deep into the stories written by captives of the time period. The challenge for me was writing what it might be like for a young man who has known one way of living to be thrust into another, unfamiliar way of life with the stroke of a pen. The Greeneville Treaty of 1795 ended hostilities in the Northwest Territory and meant that all white captives were free. I had to imagine what Romney would feel, say, and see as he stepped from a natural way of living with the Delaware tribe into the rapidly changing American frontier landscape.
Betty: What kind of research did you need to do to write this story?
Liz: My research for A Healing Touch was intense. I spent hours and hours in the special collections departments of several libraries in Marietta, Ohio and on the internet. I read over twenty eyewitness accounts of captives, and travelled to Pittsburgh, PA, Marietta, and Point Pleasant, WV for research.
Betty: Every author has a tendency to overuse certain words or phrases in drafts, such as just, once, smile, nod, etc. What are yours?
Liz: Just just. My editor was very kind about pointing this out.
Betty: Do you have any role models? If so, why do you look up to them?
Liz: I read and look up to historical romance authors Tessa Dare, Beverly Jenkins, Lisa Kleypas, and Eloisa James.
Betty: Do you have a special place to write? Revise? Read?
Liz: I’ve got a great office that is all my own in my historic home (built in 1897.) My favorite color (any shade) is purple. My office walls, décor, storage, etc. are some hue of purple. I love my purple office.
Betty: Many authors have a day job. Do you? If so, what is it and do you enjoy it?
Liz: My day job is teaching college English online part-time. It’s work. That’s all.
Betty: As an author, what do you feel is your greatest achievement?
Liz: I became an author to get the stories out of my head. I have a constant flow of ideas for stories. My greatest achievement is working with great editors to publish these stories and connect to an audience. Writing and publishing are about connections for me. Connecting creativity to work, stories to print, and books to readers. I adore readers.
Betty: What is your favorite genre to read?
Liz: I love to read historical romance because I truly believe that love has supported all the great adventures, advances, and achievements in history.
Betty: Success looks different to different people. It could be wealth, or fame, or an inner joy at reaching a certain level. How do you define success in terms of your writing career?
Liz: A Healing Touch has received several five-star reviews from a variety of readers for which I’m very grateful. It would be fabulous to be able to write full-time and make a living from it, but publishing is so crowded and getting more so, that getting in front of readers is more and more difficult. Success for me would be regular publications and an energetic reader following. Some money and some connection.
Live, laugh, love, Liz Arnold
In post-revolutionary America, Molly Hilliard wants to be more than an herbal healer, and she answers the lure of adventure on the Ohio river and journeys to the Northwest Territory seeking the freedom to set up a medical practice. Along the way, she tries to hire Romney Applewood as a guide, but he is going the opposite direction. After ten years as a captive of the Delaware Indians, Romney wants to get as far east as possible to forget his past and avoid the bounty on his head for taking part in raids upon settlers’ homes. Something about the way she sacrifices herself to heal others, and something about the way he endures the difficulties he encounters because of his tormented past, links them in more than their individual quests as they blaze new trails in their lives and on America’s frontier.
Buy Links: Amazon | BoroughsPublishing
I love that your write American historicals, Liz. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us today.
Happy reading!
Betty
Award-winning Author of Historical Fiction with Heart, and Haunting, Bewitching Love Stories
Visit www.bettybolte.com for a complete list of my books and appearances.
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