E is for Elisabeth
I am a querying novelist and certified proofreader and editor, who also happens to be a professional accountant. I’m a Chicagoland native, which means I talk loud and say the word eggs funny. I love humor and day planners, my dog and my husband (in no particular order), and considering this is my author website, you’ve probably already guessed that I love to write.
How I got here.
I remember dreaming of being a writer. When I was little, I would tuck myself away in the cubbyhole of my bedroom, hiding from my sisters, and write short stories in a yellow legal pad. But— I also remember wanting to be a ballerina.
A decade-some later, I became an accountant—what can I say, I’m good at sorting numbers, and well, it pays the bills—something my late father was pretty adamant on despite his own creative and musical talents in the off hours.
Did that stop me from writing and connecting with other writers? Heck no.
And did I eventually quit my job to start a professional writing and editing career halfway into my thirties? You betcha. But did I go back to accounting because it actually worked way better for me in balancing my writing and professional life? You betcha again.
Life’s funny that way.
childhood legal pads!
“Don’t learn how to write on a big-ticket idea.”
Early in my writing life, I was warned not to “learn how to write on a big-ticket idea.” I ignored that advice and wrote anyway— because what even is a big-ticket idea? My first [big] writing project mattered to me, so I stuck to it —Draft after draft, I learned what worked, what didn’t, and how to revise with intention. Each pass made me a more thoughtful writer and a sharper editor of my own work.
By the time I began my second novel—later accepted into StoryStudio Chicago’s Novel in a Year program—I understood my process: how to build a premise, sharpen stakes, develop character arcs, and shape a story on the page. Years of workshops, critique groups, and craft study have brought me to a place in my career I’m proud of—one grounded in discipline, curiosity, and sustained practice.
For more about my writing life (and general antics), you can find me on social media or through my blog and author substack.
For a more in-depth look at my finished novels and WIPs, visit More About My Novels.