Ardain Isma
CSMS Magazine
You are talking about prolific? Chicago-based writer Alice Liddell, at age 32, has already published 7 poetry collections, several novels from across genres, countless of art books and more. In 2018, Alice published her first novel titled Love of The Sea, a mermaid fantasy, which was critically acclaimed. Since then, the rest is history.
So, last week I had the opportunity to welcome her to The Conversation. It was a lengthy interview in which we talked about many issues pertinent to the book industry.
Alice graduated from Columbia College of Chicago with a degree in fiction writing. As she said in the interview, her parents were incredibly supportive of her passion to become a writer. She was fortunate enough to be born in a family of writers. Her mother was writer as well as other family members. When one has the support of her mother, no barrier seems impossible to break through.
Alice has also found great support in the Chicago writing community. Although she was born in suburban Chicago, she said she was lucky enough to enjoy the city life, for her mother worked in the city and regularly commuted with her.
She has written a dark vampire fantasy novel based on the French revolution. I am not revealing the name—for now. According to the author, part of the novel is in French, the language of Voltaire. She is also well-versed in French. According to the author, to learn the language, her parents hired a private tutor when she was young. I cannot wait to lay my hands on that novel. As soon as it is published, I will grab a copy.
We talked about the painful process of finding a publisher, especially if you are a no-name writer. Alice shared her experiences going through the process. She also shared some great tips for romance writers, and she said she has a target goal of 10 romance novels. Why? Because she said once a romance novelist reaches that “sweet” number 10, that is when he/she begins to make big money.
Of course, no one can be an impeccable writer without being an avid reader. Alice is always reading. “Reading for fun and reading for research are two very different processes for me; but sometimes they overlap. Typically, when I’m reading a book for research, I read slowly, make notes with heaps of sticky notes, and have Google pulled up to supplement details of what I’ve read. When I read for pleasure, I’m just enjoying the story itself,” she writes in one of her pieces on her author’s website.
Alice is also a performance artist. So, between writing, reading, going to writers’ conferences, and performing, there’s little time left for sleeping. “How do you do all these?” This was one of the questions I asked her. She admitted that her doctor told her there are two ways to see longevity. “You can go 90 miles an hour and live to be 40. Or you can go 40 miles an hour and live to be 90.” So, the choice was hers. Understandably, she has chosen the later. She has slowed down since that reality check. But the heavy load persists—still.
Alice Liddell may very well someday enter the pantheon of prolific and impeccable writers. Time will tell. For now, I MUST say she is an extraordinary writer with the talent and devotion to reach the height of her golden means.
To learn more about Alice’s works, you can check out her links below.
[email protected]
http://cloudorchidmagazine.com/
You can watch the video below, as well as on our You Tube channel.
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