Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisabeth Rhoads.
Elisabeth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m an author, and I started writing at a very early age. We had a Commodore 64 computer and a lot of floppy disks with educational programs. One I remember in particular was a disk with quizzes on basic math operations, like addition and subtraction.
Before you even got started on the quiz though, there was a place to enter your name. I realized pretty quickly, that there was no character limit for the name portion, so I would use that space to write stories.
When I had completed a story, I would zip through the quiz—not caring if I got the answers right or wrong, because once you were finished, you could print it. So that way, I was able to save my stories.
Since then, my methods have evolved a bit. I discovered this magical thing called Microsoft Word, so I don’t have to suffer through math quizzes to print my stories out. I’ve also evolved beyond short stories to novels. I’ve written three of them, and one is even published!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
All roads are fraught with struggle, and mine has been no different. As mentioned, I’ve written three novels, but I’ve also written two, full-length screenplays, and numerous short stories.
Writing and editing itself is not easy, but even once that part is completed, if you have any interest in putting your work out into the world, you’ll bump up against the endless difficulties of trying to get published. I pitched two of my novels to literary agents for years. One, in particular, I pitched to over two hundred agents—nothing.
That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was very interested in publishing something of a high-quality standard. I wanted my book to be no different than something you could pick up from a major publisher.
This was another challenge. I set up my own publishing company, had a logo designed, hired editors, hired a cover art designer, contracted with a producer for my audiobook, and countless more tasks, big and small.
None of it was easy. What would have been easy, especially when things were not going well, was to quit. But I didn’t want to quit. I believed in this particular novel so much, that I was willing to do whatever it took to get it out into the world.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Speaking of that novel, the title is Haggard House, and it’s a dark, psychological suspense, set in the mid-1800s, in a rural village in Michigan. It’s about a young man with a reclusive childhood who begins a forbidden relationship that sets in motion the unveiling of family secrets, forcing him to face the inner world he has built—one that has been steadily deteriorating.
Completing and publishing this novel is my proudest accomplishment to date. It took four years to write and another year and a half to produce. And after all that, I was incredibly lucky for the novel to be selected as an Editor’s Pick by Foreword Reviews.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I always loved writing. But I also loved the outdoors. I grew up in a rural area, and I spent the majority of my time outside.
This really shaped, not only me as a person, but also my writing. I love to explore setting and play with how that affects characters.
I was also quite introverted, which made me observational. Once again, I think this has played into my writing.
Pricing:
- Hardcover: $28.99
- Paperback: $18.99
- eBook: $14.99
- Audiobook: $24.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elisabethrhoads.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisabeth_rhoads_author/
- Other: https://www.bodgerbooks.com/shop
