lizzie-brooks | Pat Brown Books

I’m delighted to have Lizzie Brooks, the author of IMPERFECTLY PERFECT POSEY: A WOBBLY YOGA STORY, with us today. I’ve been following Lizzie for a while on social media, and she is such an inspiration to me in so many ways. So, when I realized that September is National Yoga Awareness Month, I immediately reached out to her. Despite the last-minute request, she graciously agreed to an interview. Lizzie’s second book, HOW HALLOWEEN ALMOST HALLOWASN’T, is coming out next summer, and I can’t wait to read it!

Welcome Lizzie and thank you for taking the time to chat with me about your writing journey. First, I want to congratulate you on getting a Kirkus Star review for IMPERFECTLY PERFECT POSEY: A WOBBLY YOGA STORY. This book was also endorsed by Adriene Mishler of Yoga with Adriene, which is also quite impressive!

Me: So, do you have any special plans for National Yoga Awareness month? Or the month of September, as we get ready to begin fall?

Lizzie: September is abuzz with a story of mine (a new genre for me) being considered at my dream publisher, so that’s fun. I also have an SCBWI in-person conference. Overall, I think I’m just excited about the publishing world “waking up” again!

Me: How long have you been writing?

Lizzie: I got a poem printed in the newspaper in second grade and I won “best writer” in 7th, so I was probably writing very rough drafts in the womb. 😉 Ha! I’ve been doing it more seriously since 2016.

Me: What or who inspired you to write this book?

Lizzie: I’ve taught yoga since 2000. Many kids and adults struggle with mindfulness, movement, and yoga poses in general. I wanted to highlight that it’s normal to wobble and waver in yoga and in life, but if you stick with things, you might find something worthwhile. Many of the yoga books on the market–though great–don’t have a named central character and traditional story arc.

Me: Oh my gosh, I love that! Yes, it’s normal to wobble and waver in yoga and in life, I’ve done that many times! Tell me a little bit about this book’s journey to publication, were there any bumps and bruises along the way, obstacles you had to overcome, aha-moments? You can share the good, bad, ugly lol, or not.

Lizzie: Posey was written in 2016, I think. I used to say 2018, but I think it was before. I’m not sure because at one point, my entire computer was erased, and I lost all my manuscripts! Different versions went to acquisitions at three publishers before the fourth was a charm (Spinning Wheel Stories). Once at Spinning Wheel, my editor had me change a few things and asked me to add a refrain. I came up with “Perfect’s not the point!” I’m SO glad she asked, because I say this to myself DAILY and people message me all the time that they are using it too!

Me: What is one piece of advice you can give to writers who are just starting out, or who are still in the query trenches?

Lizzie: You will make missteps. You will submit work too early (before your BEST version eventually arrives to your mind). You will misspell things–possibly even an agent or editor’s name. You will come up with the perfect title after you’ve already sent your manuscript out with a different one. These are rites of passage and we’ve ALL done them. So give yourself grace, learn for next time, and move forward. Also–be uniquely you. Be weird. Phrase something only the way YOU can. Break from formula a bit. You’ll stand out as a result.

Me: What are your plans for the future? Writing or otherwise, traveling, hobbies, etc.

Lizzie: My plans are to learn how to market my silly, bonkers Halloween book that releases next summer, titled: HOW HALLOWEEN ALMOST HALLOWASN’T. It’s the made up origin story of Halloween (it was all a series of misunderstandings between a thousand-year-old mummy named Hobbleshank Halloween and his zombie-butler, Moboo). 🙂 Summerween, anyone?

Me: I’d love for you to share a recipe with me; I have a collection of recipes from friends and family that goes back many years. I would love to include yours, as well as share it with my readers.

Lizzie: I tend to break from recipes quite often but as a yoga and fitness instructor since 2000, I’d love to share a recipe for a movement snack! Science shows that exercise increases creative output!

INSTA VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcBfzMcP0iz There’s also all sorts of yoga and fitness stuff to choose from on my YouTube channel, too (from 5 mins to an hour): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtOqESAw0A-UeWhYPHD17JA.

Thanks so much for your time, it’s always fun getting to know writing friends. I love the advice you gave us about moving forward after missteps, this can certainly be applied to all areas of life. Now I think I’ll go do one of those movement snacks…