Today I’m pleased to welcome Liz Grace Davis chatting about her latest YA novel Tangi’s Teadrops.
Liz Grace Davis grew up in Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Germany. She now lives with her husband in Vienna, Austria.
Growing up, Liz spent most her days in libraries, diving into the world of books. In her spare time she reads a lot, travels, creates jewelry and designs digital scrapbooks. That’s of course when she’s not weaving stories. She’s in her element whenever she is doing anything that requires creativity.
Liz is the author of a young adult fantasy novel, Tangi’s Teardrops, and a romantic women’s fiction novel, Chocolate Aftertaste.
You can find Liz online on Twitter, Facebook and her blog.
1. Tell a little about yourself, what you do when you’re not writing, what are your aspirations for the future?
I was born in Angola and grew up in Namibia, South Africa, and Germany. I now live in Vienna, Austria with my husband. My mother was a diplomat. That’s why I got to move around so much. On one hand I loved it; getting to know new people, experiencing various cultures, seeing beautiful countries, and learning new languages.
I studied international business consultancy, worked for the United Nations for a while and am now studying towards my master’s degree of International Management.
When I’m not writing I enjoy designing in Photoshop. I love designing covers and digital scrapbooks/elements. You can have a look at my cover designs here.
I also love reading and creating my own jewelry. Sometimes I feel there is just not enough time in a day for me to do all the things I enjoy. If only we could buy time. But wouldn’t it be expensive?
My dream is to work as a full time author one day. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
2. When and why did you start writing?
I can’t tell you for sure when I started writing. I just noticed one day that I was. Writing is as important to me as breathing. Maybe I started to write when I started to read, I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter how, when, or why I started writing. I’m just happy to be doing something that I love so much.
3. If you could only read one book over and over again for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. As a child, this book was one of my best hiding places. I read it until the pages started falling apart. It’s one book that stuck with me through the years.
4. Give us some back story about Tangi’s Teardrops, where and when did you write it?
The novel is based on my childhood. You can read Tangi’s back story here.
I wrote the first draft in 2005 (a 40 page book for children) in Berlin, Germany. When I decided to publish last year (in Vienna, Austria), I realized it wasn’t complete. I sat down in front of my computer and a few weeks later Tangi’s story had turned into a YA novel.
5. What inspired your story?
A year of my childhood spent living with an aunt in the village in which my parents were born.
6. What was your favorite part of Tangi’s Teardrops to write?
Rosevine. It was a lot of fun to create a whole new world.
7. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
Honeysuckle & Jasmine, a women’s fiction novel which is also inspired by a true story. It will be published in late autumn.
The story is about two African Au-Pairs (from different backgrounds) who meet in a fictional town in Germany and embark on a journey that leads them to the true meaning of friendship. Together they laugh, they live, they grow. And then everything changes. Suddenly their carefree days are over and the struggles that come with living in a foreign country begin. The only thing that can hold them together, when everything falls apart, is their friendship.
You can get a sneak peek at the cover I designed for the novel here.
8. Are you a Pantser or Plotter? Why?
I’m a pantser, except when I get stuck. Then I start to plot like a mad woman, until my mind is free again.
9. Do you have any tricks to your trade, bottomless coffee, a magic pen, a special muse?
Cherries, watermelon, and my hubby’s support.
10. If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would it be and why?
Pocahontas because I admire her free spirit and courage. That day would be filled with so much adventure.
Note from the author: Thank you so much, Suzanne, for hosting me today. I enjoyed telling you about myself and my novel. I hope your visitors will enjoy reading Tangi’s Teardrops.
Feel free to leave a comment for the author below and don’t forget to check out Tangi’s Teardrops!
When Tangi’s father dies, he leaves her nothing but three empty bottles. A kind uncle takes the poverty-stricken girl and her stepsisters in, and for a time life gets better on his farm. But Tangi remains a lonely outsider; her stepsisters tease her for her crippled leg, and the housekeepers use her like a servant.
Just before her thirteenth birthday, Tangi learns the truth about her father’s strange legacy: the three bottles aren’t empty any more. They’re filled with all the tears she’s cried since her father died, and her tears are enchanted. She must use them to travel to Rosevine, the world of her dead mother. Tangi not only belongs there but is necessary to keep Rosevine alive.
Tangi’s tears will save Rosevine, and Rosevine will save Tangi from a cruelty-filled life, except for one thing: Tangi’s lost the bottles.
