Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who loves a good happily ever after.

When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity.

She lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s be a little less formal.

You say you read voraciously, what, precisely, does that mean?

I tend to read between 110 and 140 books a year. I’m not a genre snob at all, my only real requirement is a happily ever after at the end, and even then I’m not too picky. There just has to be some hope, some sliver of redemption. I like realistic (to a point) as well. But, if I’m reading romance, all that’s off the table. Happily ever after or bust.

Favorite color?

Purple. But it’s not that I want to be covered in it from head to toe.

Why do you write what you write?

I honestly try to write stories that I would want to read. And one thing that I’ve always wanted were stories of real Christians living in the world and struggling not to be of that world. The Christian walk is hard, and I love that my characters are like you and me – they mess up, they don’t always keep the faith, they struggle with what they believe and why they should believe it, but at the end of the day they come back home to God’s grace. And sure, there’s a happily ever after in my romances (see above for how non-negotiable that is!), but it’s hard won and sometimes tainted with just the lingering hint of consequences for sins committed. I had a friend tell me the other day that the people in my books were her friends – it was the best compliment I’ve ever received – it’s exactly what I hope people feel when they step between the pages of something I wrote.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

The publishing world is a fluid place. So my advice is to learn to write the best story you can write. Study your craft. Then, if you get to a point where you think about publication, study your options. The traditional route of agent and then publishing house is just one route these days. Smaller presses will often work directly with the author. And self-publishing is something to consider as well. There are pros and cons to each option out there – figure out what they are, weigh them, pray about where God would have your stories go, and then go that route.

Anything else you want to add?

Just to say that I’m so grateful to God for giving me the life that I have – being home with my boys, homeschooling, and getting to see my stories in print – it’s amazing. And I’m so grateful to everyone who spends some of their time with the words I’ve written – I know how precious time is in today’s world.