How long have you been writing?

10 million hours. No, not really but sometimes it feels like it!

In elementary school, my fourth grade teacher entered me into a local contest. I submitted a short story and got to attend a writing “conference” at one of the universities in town. I was hooked.

Then in college I majored in English (Go Heels!) and landed a few publishing internships. But it wasn’t until the end of 2015 while I worked as a career coach at a small liberal arts university that I began trying to write a novel. I would wake up at 5:30am to write. Yes, there was A LOT of coffee involved. No, I am NOT a morning person.

Now, I split my time between career coaching and writing, focusing on steamy rom-coms that hit all their key performance indicators.

Where can I find your books?

I will keep you posted! Right now I’m pitching a rom-com EVERY SUMMER HAS A STORY to literary agents.

What are some books about writing that have helped you?

So many. I’m grateful for the writers, editors, and agents who have written these gems:

The Business of Writing by Jane Friedman

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

On Writing by Stephen King

Nathan Bransford’s Blog

Where can I find you online?

Follow me on Instagram @ewalk_illig for the most recent updates.

Where do you get your ideas?

Man, everywhere. My first novel (which is now in a drawer) came from the idea of American expansionism. The beginnings of SKULL AND KEY, a YA fantasy, popped into my head while watching the Social Network on Netflix. I kept thinking about a society that became divided because of “made-up” stories, one side believing one thing, the other believing another. To me, storytelling is magic. It can unite, persuade, divide, and inspire. So, I thought what if it actually were a magical talent? And that’s where SKULL AND KEY came from.

How do you come up with character names?

This is really tough for me. I scour baby name sites. I Google last names. Sometimes I put names together that I like from other stories, books, or TV shows.