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F. Elizabeth Hauser
Hello, readers! I'm delighted that you've come to my author page. Let me tell you a little about myself. Before I do, let me say, I hope you'll download a sample of my books and like them so much y...view moreHello, readers! I'm delighted that you've come to my author page. Let me tell you a little about myself. Before I do, let me say, I hope you'll download a sample of my books and like them so much you want to buy them. You can see that they're priced to be accessible to just about everyone. I write for the love of it, not to get rich.I grew up in Lakewood, WA, majored in English at what is now BYU-Idaho, formerly Ricks College. After counseling with a close friend, I changed my major to nursing, with a minor in English when I entered BYU in Provo, UT. I had always wanted to teach high school or Freshman college composition. I was fortunate to have some very influential English teachers in both high school and college that helped to develop that desire to teach young people to appreciate literature of all kinds and learn to communicate well with the written word, in all the various literary forms, from poetry to essays, short stories to novels.After a twenty-five year career in nursing, a vocation I came to understand that I was meant to pursue, I retired and began writing in a way I had never done, or even considered, when I studied literature and composition in college. Once I turned in the direction of nursing and all of the education necessary to achieve that goal, my reading was strictly non-fiction.When I married and began raising a family of five children, I seldom found time to read for pleasure.It was when I joined a book club of a dozen women in our very tiny community in Arizona that I discovered the pure joy of reading fiction. I thrilled to the realization that stories, like movies, transported me into another world. I wanted to enjoy creating those stories and "other world", and I wanted to provide that reading experience for other readers. By the time I began writing fiction, I had plenty of life experience to draw on for my characters, stories, and settings. In each of my books, a smaller part of the setting, if not a major part, takes place in areas that I've actually lived. Describing places where story takes place becomes a pleasant journey into my memories, rich with details that color my stories. In The Homesteaders: Following a Dream, my husband and I owned land on the Siuslaw River in Swisshome, and I saw in my mind the exact place where Caleb was fishing when...oh, I can't spoil the story. Just know that I have seen the rocks, the river, the cliffs, the eagles and ospreys that are part of the setting in the latter part of that first volume. And yes, the blackberries that can only be tamed with goats.I was introduced to the practice of writing a first draft of at least 50,000 words, which now seems like just warming up, in thirty days by the wonderful world-wide-organization for writers, Nanowrimo. Their name is taken from National Novel Writers Month, which is celebrated by thousands of participating writers, including young writers, world-wide every November. For those who just can't wait for November, they sponsor Camp Nanowrimo in June every year. What a supportive community of writers and for writers!I discovered Smashwords when a classmate in a small novel writing community class told me about this wonderful free platform to electronically publish my books. I consider that a true gift. I had used other platforms before, but found Mark Coker's organization, as well as all of his valuable tools and informational help, the easiest and most enjoyable way to accomplish publishing. I hope to keep writing for many years to come, and my goal is to complete at least one each year for the foreseeable future. Twelve months to write a book...easy, huh? For all of those reading this that are fellow writers, you know that bringing that manuscript to a point, after revisions, edits, and more of the same, to a point where you are satisfied that it's ready to make its debut to the world is a lot of work. That's the other thing I LOVE about Smashwords, though. If you later decide that you want to make changes, you can upload a revised edition as many times as you want...FREE. Thank you!I have other interests that make my life a lot of fun, besides writing. Family history research has been very rewarding. I'm an outdoor person at heart, and love camping, fishing, and backpacking when I have time. I'm a confirmed animal lover and my dog and cat are much-loved family members. And speaking of family, there's nothing more rewarding to me than spending time with my grown kids and grandkids. I lost my husband, best friend, and biggest supporter last year, but he will always be an inspiration for my writing.view less