Author Interview with Courtney Elliott
I’m hosting an interview today with Courtney Elliott, the author of romantic comedy novel The Chick Flick Project. I’m glad to host Courtney on my blog, and to ask her some questions!
The Interview
1) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing even before I could properly put words together. I can remember trying to write “books” when I was four or five years old, but they were mainly just various scribbled letters and badly drawn pictures. I didn’t actually try and make it a career for me until I was 16 years old.
2. Is “The Chick Flick Project” your first book? If not, can you please tell us a little more about your first book?
Actually, it’s not my first book. My first book I began when I was still in high school. It was a book I named, “Never Forgotten”. It was a period romance revolved around a young woman that is forced into a loveless marriage, but finds her true happiness with an unlikely man.
3. What inspired you to write “The Chick Flick Project”?
I was watching a romantic comedy one day, and I remember thinking, “it would never work out that way.” I decided to write just one romantic comedy that didn’t work out the way it normally does. Then before I knew it, I was writing what I thought might really happen if someone had attempted these ideas in real life.
4. What was the greatest challenge for you while writing “The Chick Flick Project”?
I think the greatest challenge for me was trying to come up with creative ways for all the chick flicks to end badly. I wanted my main character to not necessarily be scarred for life by what might happen, but I still wanted to keep it a learning experience. It was very difficult trying to keep it soft and humorous, while at the same time keeping it realistic.
5. Who was your favorite character to write about and why?
I think I would have to say my favorite character to write was Zack. He was so witty and sarcastic about every situation that he was part of, and I felt a lot of my own personality was in him. I thought it was definitely the most fun getting to put myselfinto the story through him.
6. If you could meet three authors (dead or alive) who would you meet?
That one is a little tough, but I think I would have to say Nicholas Sparks definitely. I love his style of writing so much; the way he can introduce a character and make you feel so emotionally attached is just amazing. Anotherfavorite of mine would have to be Bobbi Smith. She is more of a historical romance author. Her stories continually grip me from beginning to end, and I
love all of them. Then last, but not least is Stephen King. I have always been a long time fan of his stories, and I think he would be an amazing person to get to meet.
7. How long did it take you to write “The Chick Flick Project” from draft to finish?
I wasn’t really keeping a close track on the time that it took. I sat down one day in May, I think, and I began working on it. It only took me a few months before I was done with my first draft. Then the editing, I believe, took another few months on top of that. I think I would have to say from start to finish it took me close to a year before it was final draft ready.
8. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
The best advice that I could give to anyone that wants to be a writer is, to keep at it. Don’t give up just because one person isn’t happy with what you have. Keep working on it, and perfecting your skill. This isn’t something that you can just wake up onemorning and excel at, so definitely don’t give up if it’s your dream. For every one person out there that doesn’t like something you’ve done, there are five that will.
9. Are you working on something right now? If so, can you tell us more about it?
I am actually. It’s called “The Chronicles of the Elite” and I’m hoping to turn it into a series. So far, I’ve only been working on the first book of the series. It’s about a young man named, Jacob Wellsley. After an accident leaves him secluded from everything he used to hold close, he begins to discover that he has special powers. Then he finds out that he has these powers because he is actually a member of an Elite race of human from 35,000 years in the past.
About The Chick Flick Project
Title: The Chick Flick Project
Author: Courtney Elliott
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Ally Nichols is fed up with constantly putting herself out there to only be rejected again and again. After her most recent failure, she comes up with a solution. She decides to start modeling her love life after all of the big screen’s most recognizable love stories. Hilarity, heartbreak, mishaps and mayhem ensue. She hopes that maybe one of them actually figured out the secret to true love. The only problem: no one ever told her that sometimes your Hollywood Happy Ending is where you least expect to find it.
Author Bio
Courtney Elliott lives in a small town in Texas called Cleburne. She has been writing stories since she was eight years old. She’s an easy person to get along with. She loves making jokes, most of which are self deprecating. She’s not ashamed of who she is therefore not afraid to be herself. She may be young, but does not believe age should be a factor, her writing should speak for itself.
Links
Goodreads | Author on Goodreads | Facebook | Courtney’s Blog | Senzuri Books Facebook