E.A. Williams, I know you from Twitter. I follow you there and read your tweets almost every day. You’ve described yourself as “ A writer, wife, mother, artist, teller of stories, and creator of worlds.” I am eager to know a bit about you. What is your first name? How many children do you have? And where do you live?

My name is Elizabeth, I have three children, and we live in Texas.

Are you good at telling stories orally, or do you prefer them to be read?

Yes to a point. I get nervous reading aloud, but I do it. I honestly prefer to read silently to myself.

I am interested to know how many hours a day you spend reading? And what do you read typically?

At least one hour per day. I have to get out of my own head and dive into places I couldn’t otherwise dream of going too. I read a little of everything. From your classic literature to horror and suspense.

E.A. Williams, give me only one reason why you write?

It’s an escape. I can escape the things of this world temporarily and create something new, fresh, untouched, that one-day, others can also escape too.

Do you remember the first book you read as an adult?

Patricia Cornwell Blowfly. Love it, love the whole series. I highly recommend it.

As a writer, do you have an organized mind or a chaotic one?

In everyday life, I have a very organized mindset. With my writing, I can be organized to a point, then the chaos emerges. Sometimes my fingers refuse to keep up with my thoughts, and other times when I am out and about and unable to jot things down, it gets a bit chaotic in my brain.

Will you please tell me about your writing habits?

I wouldn’t call it habitual writing, maybe it is. I sit and think, without my computer opened. Then I re-read the previous few paragraphs. I have to have it quiet, and I need to be comfortable. Once I am going, it is hard to stop. On the occasions that I get stuck like we all do, I play some music that I know helps get me going again. When I am not able to write, I have conversations with my characters and imagine what they are doing. How they move about their home, or wherever they are. Total envisionment of the surroundings.

Who are your most favorite female and male authors?

That is a hard one. Right now I am obsessed with Diana Gabaldon. Her writing speaks to me and transports me in a way that I crave. Lewis Carroll is classic. I love the way he created his adventures in Wonderland, and even as an adult, I enjoy it time and time again.

Which one is more honorable in your opinion? A novelist, or a poet?

They are both honorable. But I think I would have to lean towards the novelist. Poetry is complex in its own right. Not everyone can do it, and not everyone can write a novel. A novelist can bring the two together and that is beautiful. A novelist spends hours, days, sometimes years researching something just to complete a paragraph. So much time and attention go into countless details, when they feel like giving up, they push through. It’s amazing.

What is the title of the book you are working on? What is it about? Love?

My book is titled A Need Within. Yes, there is love, but there is also history, grief, chaos, loss, culture, conflict, horror, and so much more.

Have you ever read a short story or a chapter from a book in front of a group of interested people?

Yes, I have. Every year one of my children’s school has a day that I go and read stories to the class. Then they ask questions. I love doing it. It’s inspiring to see their faces and hear them engage in the story. I hope to have the opportunity to do the same with adults one day.

Have you ever been a member of a writing club?

Through Facebook yes, in person no. I hope after the holidays I am able to join or create one.

How many languages can you speak and write in?

Only English at the moment. I recently started studying Hindi and plan to learn as much as I can.

2018 is almost over. Do you feel you achieved most of your goals in writing this year? What are some of your plans for 2019?

I do feel that I have met and exceeded my goals for the year. In 2019, I plan on beginning my edits on my first draft of my novel, while starting the sequel and a children’s book based off of one of my daughters’ concepts.

Is your focus on writing long or short stories?

Long. Hats off to the writers who write short stories continuously. I find it very challenging to compile all my thoughts into a limited number of words. I have written two and found that my stories don’t fit well in the short category.

Answer this question honestly. If I gave you one million dollars per month, on the condition that you stop writing, wouldn’t you take the chance?

No. Honestly no. Money is nice, but it can be earned. Possessions are replaceable, where my characters are alive and irreplaceable. Writing is like breathing. It is apart of who I am, and I could never give that up for all the money on the planet. Give a man all the riches in the world, but cut off his oxygen supply and what do you have?

Do you force yourself to write when you feel your mind is blank and you have no specific plot or story to write about?

Yes. I write letters to my husband. Just random thoughts that help get me over that hump. He has never seen these letters and doesn’t even know I have written them.

My favorite fictional character is Ebenezer Scrooge. Who is yours?

Another hard question! There are so many characters that are beloved, it is hard to choose. I will say at this moment since I am on a huge Diana Gabaldon kick, I’d say Claire Randall Fraser. The woman is an all-around badass and a force to be reckonded with. She is so many beautiful qualities wrapped up into one person. Thank you Diana!

How do you see our future? Is it as so many stories and films picture, dark and full of disaster, or is it more pleasant than our era?

That too is a tough one. No one knows what the future holds. Unfortunately, I feel it will be dark and full of disaster for sometime before the pleasantries come back. I feel that we are creating that darkness and hope that we all change it before it goes too deep. I hope that is not what happens. That is one thing I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong.

Thank you very much, E.A. Williams, for answering my questions patiently. I hope I’ll have this opportunity again in 2020 to sit and talk with you about your journey and accomplishments in writing.