Welcome to the 2023 ARIA Author Showcase and Giveaway Event! 

  

  

How to enter – Comment on the daily showcases to enter the daily giveaway. Comments close one week after the initial Showcase post. GRAND PRIZE drawn on Dec 8th (1 -$250, 1 -$100, or a 1 -$50 Amazon gift card. One grand prize pp) – For every showcase you post on, you automatically gain one entry to the grand prize. 30 Authors = 30 entries.    

Elizabeth B. Splaine will be at the Rhode Island Author Expo   

On to the Showcase! 

 

What name do you like to write under? Elizabeth B. Splaine 

Where do you call home? Bristol, RI 

What genre(s) do you write? Historical fiction, medical thriller, psychological thriller, new YA, picture books 

What genre(s) were you drawn to when you were younger Was there a reason that genre(s) appealed to you the most?  As a kid I loved mysteries because I liked to figure them out as I read. As I got older psychological fiction fascinated me because it allowed me to get inside someone else's head. As an adult, I love historical fiction because I learn about the past and people's roles within it. 

What were some of your favorite books growing up? Why?  Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Wuthering Heights, Crime and Punishment, 1984, Animal Farm 

What are some of your favorite books today? I loved White Fragility because it altered my perception and thinking about what racists look like and how they act. It has literally changed me in a positive way. I also love The Last Hundred Days (anything historical fiction really) and a small book called Although the Day Isn't Mine to Give, I'll Show You the Morning Sun, a poem about childhood from a parent's perspective. I loved it as a child but I have a deeper, more nuanced appreciation for it now as a parent. 

What inspired you to become a writer?  A character popped into my head and wouldn't leave so I wrote his story. After that, I started to appreciate the artistic nature of writing and story-telling. It's filled a creative need that performing never could. With writing, I'm creating something new instead of simply regurgitating what someone else wrote. 

 

Tyrone the Tenor Mouse 

Tyrone the Tenor Mouse has a secret wish- to perform in the opera house where he lives with his animal friends, Stella the precocious Persian cat and Oscar the mangy mutt. Ty learns the music by secretly singing along with a famous tenor named Roland L’Amour. When Roland becomes ill on opening night, Ty sees an opportunity to make his dream come true. With the royal family in attendance, Ty nervously asks if he can play the lead role. With the support of his friends, he finds the courage to take the stage and discovers that hard work and friendship can make any dream come true! 

Tell us a little about how “Tyrone the Tenor Mouse” came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?  As a retired opera singer and a writer, I constantly have rhymes and music in my head. It only made sense to merge music and writing to create Tyrone. He's a mouse because mice are adorable and tiny. Can you imagine a mouse singing on an operatic stage? It's funny, almost unthinkable, thereby making his achievement all the more amazing! 

Which scene, character or plotline changed the most from first draft to published book? Miss Gloria Snow, the operatic diva in the story, underwent several name changes, as did her precocious Persian cat, Stella. 

Which character was the most challenging to create. Why? Again, Miss Gloria Snow. Forgive me, all you sopranos, but there's a reason the stereotype of a diva exists. I wanted to make Miss Snow daunting but, in the end, approachable and begrudgingly kind. A tough balance to walk, especially in such a short story. 

What do you like best about being a writer? I adore creating something from nothing. When an idea pops and the blinking cursor starts moving, I know I'm creating something that never existed before. There's no other feeling like that! I also love the initial creativity, but then the honing, the refining that comes afterwards. I used to see it as a burden, until I realized that I'm not re-writing, I'm still creating on a more specific scale. Balancing teaching voice with writing makes me one happy camper! 

If you could collaborate with any author past or present, who would it be? What would the title of the book be? (If possible) - Give us a one sentence blurb.  It might be kind of fun to collaborate with M. Night on a film or book. I suppose it might be titled The Light Settlers. Gifted children set out on a journey to identify their life purpose and foil a major catastrophe along the way. 

You can follow Elizabeth B. Splaine here - 

https://elizabethsplaineauthor.com/ 

Facebook - @elizabethsplaineauthor 

Instagram - @elizbsplaine 

twitter: @elizabethsplai2 

Elizabeth is giving away a free half hour voice lesson.  To enter comment below -->  What is your favorite song to sing? Car singing, shower singing, karaoke, whatever. It all counts. 

 

(Comments are open for one week)