As authors, we struggle with how to handle criticism. We put our hearts and souls into our stories (and sometimes our tears and pain), and it hurts when people read our work and tear us down. While we understand that not everyone is our ideal reader, it still hurts when our work is not widely accepted.
Today author Eliza Boyd discusses her new release and shares her tips for how to handle criticism and negative feedback.
Eliza Boyd’s Book & Writing Process
Table of Contents
Q: What is Christmas in a Small Town about?
A: Christmas in a Small Town is about a bookstore assistant manager who has a “no romance at Christmas” rule but literally falls into the arms of a gorgeous, sweet single dad and wishes they’d met any other time of year.
Publication date: December 17, 2024
This sounds like a fun, sweet story and it’s already on my TBR. LOL. I can’t wait to dive in!
Q: What genre is Christmas in a Small Town?
A: Clean small-town Christmas single-dad romance
I love how deep you went with this description. It has a few of my favorite things: a single dad, a small town, and Christmas.
Q: What inspired you to write your book, and how did you come up with the idea for it?
A: I’ve had Ella and Kellan in mind since the very beginning. I wrote book 2 in this series first, so Ella was one of the first characters I created in True Love. Then I wrote book 1, and Kellan introduced himself. I knew he’d end up in True Love, and Ella needed her true love, so they were always the plan!
I love it when characters show up and demand to have their stories told! But, sometimes they have to wait for their happy ending. I’m glad Ella and Kellan finally got together.
Q: What themes and tropes are included in Christmas in a Small Town?
A: He’s a single dad. She works at a bookstore. She’s always desired a family. He’s been waiting to move on from his late wife. It’s full of Christmas in a small town. They bake cookies and go sledding. 🙂
Ooh, this sounds like a match made in True Love, Arizona. LOL.
Q: Who is the ideal reader for Christmas in a Small Town?
A: A woman who prefers her romance to take place in a small town with little to no spice involved.
Yes! Because why shouldn’t we have wonderful stories without all the spice?
Q: What’s the one thing you want readers to take away from reading your book?
A: Family is important no matter the time of year.
This is an important lesson. Too often, we focus on the “big events” like Christmas and birthdays and forget to nurture the bonds the rest of the year.
Q: Are you a plotter, pantser, or plantser? Share a bit of your writing process.
A: Plantser! I used to pants my way through all of my books. But then I wanted to ramp up my writing pace, so I started plotting. Now, it’s a mix of both. I have a decent framework when I start, but I allow the writing process to take me on their journey. That makes room for the small running themes throughout the book to come naturally rather than being planned out. It’s the best of both worlds for me.
I agree. I was the same, but found that pantsed books were too hard to edit. Now, I start with a framework and let the story develop organically.
Q: How do you develop your plots?
A: I take a lot of walks or showers while I’m plotting LOL. I need to step away from the computer to let my brain work out plot details, conversations, interactions, fun twists, etc.
Ooh, girl! I think we’re writing twins. Sometimes as writers, we believe if we’re not sitting around the keyboard, then we’re not working. But our stories need space, and we must allow our brains to work through the ideas without the pressure to put words on the page.
Q: How do you choose your character names?
A: I scroll through the parents.com lists for boys’ and girls’ names until something resonates with the characters in my head. It’s tougher and tougher to name characters because I clearly gravitate toward the same names and have to remember which ones I’ve already used.
I understand being drawn to similar names. It takes a lot of effort not to use the same names repeatedly. Thank goodness for the internet and its loads of name databases!
Q: What does a typical writing session for you look like?
A: It’s me sitting at my laptop, writing a few lines, getting distracted, accidentally pulling up Facebook, writing some more, needing some water, taking a walk, throwing in some laundry, writing a little bit again… LOL!
An interactive writing session! LOL.
Q: What makes a great story?
A: Heartfelt, realistic emotion and characters who seem real.
This is why we read—we want characters we can connect with, but love that they get the happy ending that sometimes eludes us.
Q: How do you manage writer’s block?
A: Not well LOL. I try to force myself to write far too often when I feel like I can’t. And then other times, I just stop writing for months. I don’t like either path I choose. 🙂
I hope you’ll find some balance in managing writer’s block.
Q: How do you deal with imposter syndrome?
A: Ugh, that’s tough. I think I just keep moving forward. I can write, publish, market, and network just like everyone else, no matter what I think of the quality of my work. I often think I have no right to be in this space, but I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and try to enjoy the ride.
I love the idea of pushing forward and focusing on enjoying the ride. If we polled writers, the majority would admit they believe they have no right to be in the space. It has nothing to do with ability, but a sense of belonging.
Q: How do you handle criticism or negative feedback?
A: It was a lot harder in the beginning, but now I enjoy what I write and remind myself that 1) everyone gets negative reviews and 2) I won’t please everyone. As long as I’m satisfied with the work I’m putting out, then it is what it is. Everyone has an opinion. 🙂
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of writing and publishing? How did you (do you plan to) overcome it?
A: I can’t seem to figure out the right pace for me. I go too hard and try to fully commit, but it burns me out fast and I end up needing long breaks. Consistency just hasn’t been my thing, so I haven’t overcome it. I think I just need to slow down or accept that I only like parts of this job and lean into those.
This something we all need to learn: our limits and how to work within them to stay productive. I hope you’ll share your tips when you figure it out.
Q: How do you use social media as an author?
A: I’m on Instagram and Facebook for the most part. I like interacting with both readers and other writers on those platforms.
Q: Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
A: Literally anything. Sometimes my husband and I will be watching a movie and my brain will run with an alternate version of a scene, which will create an idea for a story. Or I’ll be trying to fall asleep and an entire story comes to me from thin air. It’s wild being a creative LOL.
It is! Story ideas have a mind of their own…if only they’d flow from our fingertips as vividly as they played in our heads.
Q: What keeps you writing when you get demotivated?
A: Well, sometimes I just let the “demotivation” get to me and I stop. But on days when I’m not feeling it, I try to go for a walk or take a shower to let my brain rest. That’s when I usually turn the ship around and get writing again.
This is a great tip: take a break when you need to and allow the joy to replenish itself.
Q: Why do you write?
A: Because I have stories to tell and I really enjoy it. I think we all have gifts from God, so we should use them for the Kingdom. I keep trying to put words down so I can encourage God’s people and help remind people to seek Him.
Yes! God gave each of us gifts that will benefit His kingdom. I pray that we’ll all learn to use our talents for Him.
Writing Advice from Eliza Boyd
Q: Do you have any advice for setting author goals?
A: Figure out what will be reasonable for you. Set reachable goals and muster up small wins before you start aiming for the stars. Do not set yourself up to fail if you can help it!
This is wonderful advice! Set yourself up for success. Why do we choose goals we’re doomed to fail when we can set ourselves up for success instead and build on momentum?
Q: How do you find time to write?
A: I don’t have kids or a full-time job, so it’s not as difficult for me. But I do tend to romanticize my writing time and have to fight that. I don’t need the perfect setting or the perfect cup of tea or two solid uninterrupted hours set aside to get some writing done. I just have to write!
We make time for what is important for us. I believe that, and we’d be surprised at what we can accomplish writing fifteen minutes a day than not writing unless we can find a two-hour block.
Q: What are your tips for meeting deadlines?
A: Manage your expectations. Set reasonable deadlines, not unrealistic ones that make you feel like a failure over and over again (speaking from experience!).
As authors, managing our expectations is the key to not giving up. Otherwise, we get overwhelmed by the process and our wonderful stories never get shared with readers.
Q: What are your suggestions for marketing books and getting them into the hands of new readers?
A: That’s my weakness, so I am probably the one who needs advice more than I should be giving it. 😉
I suppose most authors feel that way. The best thing we can do is to strive to get one percent better at marketing our books every day.
Q: If you could go back and change one thing in your author career, what would it be and why?
A: If it wouldn’t change my entire past, I’d go back and not let certain people’s opinions make or break my writing. There’s one voice that stood out most to me when I first started writing and that ended up hindering me more than helping me.
This can apply to our lives outside of writing. If we’re doing what God called us to do, we should learn to block out the naysayers so they don’t distract us from our calling.
Just for Fun
Q: If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
A: Probably my husband! I’d love to get a better understanding of who he is and why he does the things he does when my brain just doesn’t grasp his reasoning or reactions. How much better might our relationship be if I understood him more?
Oh, I love this! Being able to understand our partners from the inside out…sounds like a movie I watched, and would definitely be an interesting story.
Q: If your characters hosted a dinner party, who would cause the most chaos and why?
A: Definitely Piper (Fall for the Billionaire: A Clean Small Town Romance (True Love, AZ Book 5). She’s on the snarky side, so I think she’d probably upset someone on accident or say the wrong thing more than anyone else I’ve written.
Oh, dear. Piper might end up on the “Do Not Invite” list.
Q: What’s your writing kryptonite—the one thing that can completely derail your progress?
A: Lack of sleep, which happens a lot. If I haven’t slept, it’s so hard for my brain to be creative.
I completely agree. Rest is important for creatives, as this is what rejuvenates us and fuels ideas.
Let’s Connect with Eliza Boyd
Q: What are you working on next?
A: A story for an upcoming anthology. Then I have a couple of different directions I can take. I started writing a story that might be a freebie for a new series (Crescent Cove), but I also want to write novellas for a True Love spin-off series. So we’ll see!
I look forward to your new stories and hope you meet all your writing goals.
About Christmas in a Small Town
Everyone in True Love finds their true love.
At least that’s what they say…
Ella Bristow desperately wants to get married and have a family. Her father wants that for her too—and won’t let her forget it. When he comes to True Love for the holiday, she knows he’s going to pester her about it.
Kellan Nichol is new to town. He’s ready to grow roots close to his brother, start his dream job at the True Love Fire Department, and raise his daughter in a close-knit community. The only thing missing is love. His brother has plenty of blind dates to set him up on, but that’s just not Kellan’s thing.
After literally falling into Kellan’s arms, Ella devises a plan to keep their family members off their backs for the holiday: They can “pair up” for Christmas! It’s not fake dating, just getting to know each other so everyone will leave them alone. Her strict “no romance at Christmas” policy means nothing more can come of it.
But as the days pass and the two grow closer together, they both realize there’s something there. Something special, a spark to a fire Kellan would never want to put out. Can these two work past the obstacles and stoke the flames of their new romance?
About Eliza Boyd
Eliza Boyd is a clean and Christian contemporary romance and women’s fiction author. Born and raised in Northern Illinois, she now lives in sunny Arizona.
When she’s not reading, writing, spending time with her husband, or serving at church, she can be found with her nose in her Bible, walking around her neighborhood (for exercise, not for stalking), taking photos of her pets, or cheering on her favorite BattleBot.
Connect with Eliza on Author Central | Facebook | Goodreads l Instagram | Book Bub
