Guest Post: The Soundtrack of Our Lives by Elizabeth Ann West

Today is my final stop in my virtual ebook signing tour. There's been obstacles, triumphs, and mostly an amazing response. When I started this tour, I figured maybe 30 readers would want a signed ebook of CANCELLED (To see what CANCELLED is all about, check out the book trailer here.) Instead, I have 150! 


One hundred and fifty readers essentially lined up at my table to get an ebook signed by me! This takes time, as I write a hand-written note for each reader, scan it in, then compile the ebook. Each file is 100% unique. I am currently up to book 80 on the list.

Like many authors, I have children. My oldest played a big part in the writing of CANCELLED. You see, he saved the ending. He's eleven-years-old and patiently listened to my ideas for months as I was writing. When it came to the ending, he burst my bubble. He looked right at me as he was heading out the door to school and said “Someone has to be the Mommy at the end.”

Ah, the sage wisdom our children give us. I was dumbstruck. If he could see a problem with the ending, then chances were pretty good my original ending would have ticked readers off. Don't worry, I run all of my plot sketches past him now for approval!

My youngest, who was eighteen-months-old when I began writing CANCELLED, also played a big role in my writing. I wrote in 24 minute bursts around her children's shows. Sometimes I had music to listen to if my husband was home to watch the kids, but usually I was writing to Dora the Explorer, Mickey's Mouse Clubhouse, and Shaun the Sheep. I'm working on my next book, a novella titled STONE and now the soundtrack includes Little Einsteins, which is great since it at least features good music.

I have days where I lose sight of how lucky I am to have a healthy and happy family. 


I'm human. 

After days of rushing to the potty, picking up jackets, making lunches, cleaning the house, and checking homework, sometimes I get frustrated that I can't get more writing done. Then, bless their hearts, they'll do something cute, like grabbing two pan lids and shouting “CYMBAL!” or thank me for helping with a science project that received an A+.

My daughter is now two-and-a-half, and loves to type on Mommy's computer. She can't write her name yet, but she can type C-A-T-E. We're working on adding the L-Y-N-N. My oldest and I have a few story series planned out to work on once he's a little older. In the meantime, he gets to help proofread.

And who knows, maybe one of them will be a writer just like Mommy and I'll get the phone calls I make to my own mother today. And then I'll say, “I didn't write around you kids, I wrote with you kids.”





Thank you so much for having me on Bless Their Hearts, Mom. It was a joy to end this tour on a high note and share the positive role my children play in my writing career.

I am on tour this month and signing ebooks for readers who register for my newsletter. In addition, each week end there is a drawing for a signed and annotated paperback copy. It's been one very busy January! Each reader receives a hand written note from me nestled into their ebook file, so each ebook file is completely unique. This does take time, so I am asking for patience, but the file you get is yours, and only yours.


About the Author: Elizabeth Ann West is a Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none! After writing non-fiction professionally for three years, she made the jump to fiction in 2011 with her debut novel, CANCELLED. A chicklit/romance from the male POV, Elizabeth's novel challenges the conventions of modern romance. CANCELLED is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as both an ebook and paperback. Elizabeth also writes regular posts about technology subjects on Mark Williams international, and her sites eawestwriting.com and eawestwriting.blogspot.com.