When did you start writing?

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. That manuscript is now in a drawer, but it taught me a lot about how to write a book.

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 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 @elizabeth.illig for the most recent updates.

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.