Elizabeth Jensen

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I have bred horses for fourteen years and I compete primarily on the Arabian breed circuit in numerous disciplines. In addition to horses I am also create fused glass art and have recently gotten into epoxy art as well. I have an active family with three boys and we enjoy spending time outside. The beach is my favorite place to vacation.

When and why did you start writing books?

I took a poetry class in elementary school for three years and ever since then have dabbled in writing, primarily poetry, but I have several unfinished books from elementary and middle school as well. A friend told me about the November writing challenge back in 2020 and I decided to give it a whirl. When I sent the book to another friend to read when it was done I was surprised when she said it was actually good! I decided at that point to try self-publishing and see where it led me.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

When I got the first reviews back on The Wolf's Den: Book One of the Three Brothers trilogy, I realized that it wasn't just my friend who liked my writing, other people who have no obligation to me, enjoyed the book too. I slowly eased myself into writing deciding well maybe it was a fluke that people liked my first book. But all four of my books published to date have won awards and have been read by and enjoyed by a wide selection of readers.

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

The Wolf, aka: Burchard Wolfensberger. He made his first appearance in The Wolf's Den and has been in all four of the books that I have published to date. I started asking myself, who was the Wolf before he became a legend? Which is how I started my upcoming YA Fantasy, Chronicles of Sword and Fang. Which is about the Wolf when he was a fourteen-year-old squire.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

Hoodwinked in Hotlanta. I completely changed gears and went from writing middle grade fantasy in a made up world with medieval knights, to an urban fantasy set in Atlanta, Georgia in the future. I wanted the book to pull on things that people who live in Atlanta now are familiar with, so I could not just make everything up. The book is also for an adult audience, which meant I had more wiggle room with the themes, but it was also an adjustment to make sure I was actually writing a book an adult reader would enjoy.

Who is your favourite author and book?

Anne Bishop and the Black Jewels Trilogy is still one of my all time favorites.

What book are you reading right now?

I just finished Scatter of Light by Diana Pharoah Francis, and before that I tried a new to me author and read Marked by Monsters by Dagmar Avery & Aurora Maris.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

My children, where I live, the people around me. For example, the idea for the Three Brothers Trilogy came from watching my three boys interact and how overall they get along but sometimes they don't. In the new YA Fantasy, Chronicles of Sword and Fang there is a scene where a character's ankle gets stomped on. That was inspired by witnessing a close friend getting injured in a soccer game and asking permission to use it in a book.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Reading, spending time with my horses, and traveling.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Hoodwinked in Hotlanta (April 2024) and Chronicles of Sword and Fang (June 2024) are already confirmed and definitely happening. Beyond those I am shooting to have a sequel to Hoodwinked in Hotlanta early 2025. The rest is up in the air as far as what will come first.