Elizabeth Ward's first novel, City Boots, has just been released. It tells the story of Rae, a woman in her 20s who is using a trip to New Mexico to make a much-needed fresh, clean start. While she is there for a friend's wedding she is forced by a cast of characters to re-assess her life and maybe change her ways. She wants love, she wants the sexy Quinn, she wants the perfect pair of cowboy boots. Read it to find out if she gets all three! It took Ward about a year to write the book, but that was six years ago. She submitted it to numerous publishers and most were encouraging, but none were ready to take a chance on this new author. So earlier this year she decided she would do it herself. Using the online resources at www.iuniverse.com, she produced a hardback and a paperback edition, both of which can be ordered through major booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Some independents like Women and Children First and Unabridged are stocking a small number of copies.
While writing and publishing one's own first novel is a considerable achievement in and of itself, it is not all that Ward has been up to. She trained for eight months at the Chicago Police Academy before becoming a cop two years ago. She is also the mother of two sons (with partner Shauna Raye, owner of Karma hair salon) and her second novel, 9-TENTHS, is already finished.
We spoke before her recent reading/signing at Women and Children First. She admitted to being slightly nervous at the thought of reading some of the passages in front of an audience, especially with her parents in attendance. As it turned out, the place was packed with supportive family members and (lots of!) friends. The private party atmosphere must have calmed her nerves a little as she gave a very compelling performance.
Here is what she had to say before the event:
Marie-Jo Proulx: What was your motivation in writing the book, did you have a specific story to tell, or was it the appeal of writing?
Elizabeth Ward: This book is a collage of a lot of things that happened. I did go to New Mexico for a wedding and I came back and thought 'well, there's a story.' This book was written when I was 30. It's way more autobiographical emotionally than it is factually. ... If I have a title, I've got a piece … . When I was a journalism student at Boston University, one of my teachers told me I couldn't write a tag line to save my life, which I thought was a horrendous thing to say to a young person. And I believed it, so I got out and went into playwriting. I wrote plays that were produced in New York and here, at the Bailiwick.
MJP: How did self-publishing come about? It can't have been easy?
EW: The book went out to 30 publishers, some major ones, and it was always sent up, albeit never accepted … . So I looked on the Web and out of the five [self-publishing services] that were there I went with iUniverse. It took only three months for the whole process from the time I got on my computer. They were wonderful, they even helped with promotional letters …. It's print on demand. When you order, they make a copy and send it. I had 150 made.
MJP: Meanwhile you have another job. Why a cop?
EW: I was doing freelance writing and making good money, but there was no security and I need security. So I went in for the first test, there are about seven you need to take … . Eventually, I got accepted into the Academy … . My partner and I had a two-year-old so it was tough. I cried a few times, I'll admit to that … . I like helping people … . [Being a cop] has made me a lot more confident.
MJP: What do you find more challenging, cooperating with other cops or the discipline of writing on your own?
EW: Writing is a lot harder.
MJP: Have you encountered discrimination?
EW: You mean for being gay?
MJP: Or simply as a woman cop … .
EW: No, not really. Many people have asked 'Are you out [at work]?' I have a wife and two kids. Many times I forget I'm gay, many times I forget I'm a cop. I tell people I've got two kids and then they ask 'So, is your husband on the job?' and I say 'No, I'm not married' then I think 'Oh, I've got to remember to tell them that later.' The people I work with is why I like this job … . We're all a little 'misfity.' It's very true, but it's good. A lot of what you read in the papers [about cops] is wrong. Papers lie. I can tell you first hand because I used to read this stuff and I believed it. And then I became a cop.
MJP: Have your colleagues read the book?
EW: Yes, definitely some of them, I think a lot have bought it. I've heard from a lot of people, not just my colleagues, that they haven't got time to read. I can understand that … . Life is hard, I mean there's so much stuff going on … .The book is only 196 pages long. I think they've read it to be supportive. I've heard from a teacher in Phoenix that she won't do any book in school, unless it's on tape. I thought that was strange. I think if people get into [my book], it's a fast read. I did it on purpose for that. I think a lot of books are about 200 pages too long, people get lost at about 250.
MJP: What are the themes of your next novel?
EW: Ah, themes are difficult … . It's about a woman who re-possesses cars for a living and gets caught up in a murder and with a less-than-honest Black alderman in the city of Chicago. It comes out in the spring.
MJP: Who are your favorite authors?
EW: The ones that come to mind are Truman Capote, Hemingway, Norman Mailer, Anne Tyler … .
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Before she leaves, she asks what I think of the suede pants she chose for the evening. I tell her I like them and I notice the cowboy boots. She says that this part of the book is true: she really does love boots. And she hope you'll love City Boots.
You can visit Elizabeth Ward's Web site at www.7thward.com .n
