Liz Lipperman

Interview with Liz Lipperman

Hello to super author Liz Lipperman

Lizbeth is AdC Magazine’s July Calendar Girl!



Where are you from? Where do you call home now?

I grew up in the Midwest but I've lived in Texas so long, I now call myself a Texan.

Do you like to travel? Are there any favorite memories you can share?

I used to travel a lot, having lived in Saudi Arabia and Taiwan, but as I've gotten older, I just like short trips.

Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. How intriguing. What brought you there?

Hubby's first tour in the Air Force was in Taichung, a tiny city in Taiwan. It was considered a remote tour but if the spouse got there, the AF took care of her despite the fact there were no female facilities on the base. We had to go on a 4-hour train ride to the Navy base in Taipei. I went over there a few months after him when I was seven months pregnant and with two dogs. I remember when I called the base and told them I was 7 months pregnant. They nearly flipped out. I relive the exciting birth of my daughter every Labor Day on my blog.

Check it out. http://www.mysteriesandmargaritasblogspot.com/2011/09/lizs-lair-encore-what-labor-day-means.html I loved Taiwan and the wonderful Taiwanese people. I had a maid who came every day except Sunday and cleaned and cooked all day and even babysat at night for $25/week, which was more than her husband made as an officer in the Taiwanese army.


Saudi Arabia was a whole different story. When hubby got out of the Air Force there were no jobs to be had in the US, so he went to work for Saudia, the national airlines, and he was trained at TWA. I followed him there a few months later with a 3 year old and an 18 month old. It was just at the time that gasoline prices here were rising every day. I always laugh because gas over there was $.18/gallon, but drinking water was a high dollar item!! He was gone a lot and since women are not allowed to drive cars or be out alone at night by themselves, I didn't last long there. He came home shortly after that. 

Married? Children? Pets? Day job?

Married to my HS sweetheart. Two grown kids (girl and a boy) and 4 fantastic grandchildren. I'm a dog lover, but we just recently had to say goodbye to a four-legged family member, and my heart is still not ready to move on. I am a retired nurse, and now I write full time.

Favorite foods?                        

Anything Mexican. I grew up one of nine children, so I love casseroles and comfort foods.

Name a few of your favorite things to do when you are getting away from it all? 

I love being with my grandchildren. As the saying goes, had I known they would be so much fun, I would have skipped the parenting part and jumped right to grand-parenting. I also am a rabid sports fan, so I'm always watching games on TV. I even run an NFL fantasy football league.

Do you have a social/political cause you are passionate about? 

I support a local dog rescue operation and I am currently reading my book, LIVER LET DIE for the blind. I usually vote for the person I feel is best qualified for the job.

Something silly you have done …

I have a huge family. When someone is sick or dies back home, my sisters usually send flowers and put my name on it since I live so far away. Then they tell me how much I owe. At my niece's wedding many years ago, we were all sitting around, and I asked a very elderly aunt how her brother was. He lived in New York and we never really knew him. Anyway, she got this weird look on her face and told me he'd died. The whole room got quiet and she said, "You sent flowers." Like a dork, I replied, "I knew that. I meant how was he before he died." I thought my hubby and brother-in-law were going to lose it. I still get teased about that.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you? 

Never give up your dream.

Tell us your latest news? Current projects?

BEEF STOLEN-OFF, the second book in my Clueless Cook series came out in July, and the third one, MURDER FOR THE HALIBUT, releases in January and is already available for pre order. My romantic thriller, MORTAL DECEPTION, will be released in print on August 15th. I've recently sold a paranormal mainstream mystery series to Midnight Ink I, in a two-book deal. HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE, the first book of A Dead Sister Talking Mystery will come out in May of 2013 to be followed by the second (as yet untitled) book in May of 2014. SHATTERED DREAMS, a romantic thriller will be available in October of this year and DIE ONCE MORE, the first book of SWEEPERS, my special ops romantic suspense series will release in the spring of next year. All the books except the cozies are written under the pseudonym of Lizbeth Lipperman. 

Easiest and hardest thing about writing? 

For me, writing dialogue is the easiest. Consequently, my books are dialogue heavy. I also love lots of subplots and action. When I'm reading a book and it gets slow, I want to scream, "Kill somebody!" The hardest thing for me is descriptive writing. As a reader, I skim over those parts trying to get to the action, so I have to force myself to add a little. Also, I am so easily distracted by the Internet and Facebook that I've had to take my writing completely away from the computer. Since I write longhand, it works.

Wow, longhand. You are among a very few elite group who still write longhand. Are you uncomfortable with a typewriter or just prefer the stroke of the pen/pencil?

As a nurse, I never needed typing as a skill. I did take a 6-week course in HS but that was it. I have just never mastered it and make lots of mistakes. In addition, I stare at the blinking curser on the computer and nothing happens. So, I write on a notepad sometimes so fast I can't even read my own writing. That's why I stop after every scene or chapter and dictate it (Dragon Naturally Speaking) onto my computer. I talk--it types. It makes mistakes but not nearly as many as I do. Since I am an OCD editor, it allows me to edit while I correct it. And here’s a quirk of mine. I HAVE to use a notebook with the spiral ring on top and I HAVE to write with a BLUE pilot point pen!! Weird, huh?

What inspired you to write your first book?

I always knew I could express something better on paper than actually saying it. When I had teenage children, I decided to get another degree in professional arts. I took a Creative Writing class as an elective, and the instructor mentioned that I should consider a career in fiction writing. That's when I began writing SHATTERED DREAMS, which is still the book of my heart.

What ignites your creativity? 

I get my best story ideas horizontally. So, when I find myself in a block, I take a nap! In those few minutes before I fall asleep, I'm brilliant!!

Any life experiences tangled in the storylines. 

SHATTERED DREAMS is about a nurse who gets caught up in a botched kidnapping attempt at the Costa Rican airport and then smuggled into Colombia. I relied on my nursing skills for that one. The Clueless Cook shares my love of comfort foods and my utter distaste for gourmet foods and red meat, even though unlike my heroine, I am a great casserole cook. Matter of face, most of the recipes in the back of my books are from my own personal collection. A Dead Sister Talking is about 5 sisters, one of whom dies and comes back to help the others solve her murder. I have 4 sisters, one of whom died way too young. I relied on the great relationship I have with my sisters to write that one. One of my sisters is mad because she said I made her character too boring. LOL

What books do you have on your favorites shelf? 

Unfortunately, when I signed on with deadlines, I had to give up reading for pleasure except on vacations. I find I get too invested in someone else's characters when I need to be concentrating on my own. Consequently, I have a huge TBR file, mostly of suspense novels and the books of my friends.

What book are you reading now? 

I just started Corpse in the Crystal Ball by Kari Lee Townsend (a friend) and so far, I'm loving it. 

Any new authors who have caught your interest? 

Too many to name here without leaving someone out. With the emergence of Amazon, it’s a great time for a debut author.

If you could say one thing to the next generation of authors, what would it be? 

Learn the rules so you can break them. Be original.

What would you like to say to your readers? 

I am forever grateful that you took a chance on me. I wish I could thank every one of you personally. I invite you all to friend me on Facebook and/or like my two author pages. I love meeting new friends especially ones who know my characters and love them the way I do.

 
Visit Liz's Website

See Liz's AdC's Review of Liver Let Die

Purchase Liz's Beef Stolen-Off at the AdC Bookstore