What's Next for Elysabeth Eldering?

Hi everyone! Please give Elysabeth a warm welcome to my blog. She'a fabulous lady! :)What's next?

by Elysabeth Eldering

Jenny has asked that I talk about where the series is headed next and what's coming out soon. As far as the Squad and me, we are heading to PA for a homeschool conference and then on to a few more book festivals, homeschool events and other type events squeezed in there. This is the season of promoting and making sure that we are making a presence in as many places as we possibly can.

There will be an unveiling of a new persona for me in May, so stay tuned to my blog for the ta-da moment.

As far as the series goes, at the time of this posting, book #6, State of Nature, is about to be released; we are just awaiting the proof copy to release it. I'm currently working on finishing the stories of #7, 8, 9 and 10 - all are in various stages of being finished. State of Acceleration, #7, is in the story stage, working on the mini plot and getting the characters through another state in a fun and interesting way. State of Imagination, #8, is in the arranging clues in an orderly fashion stage; State of Monuments, #9, is in the adding a couple more clues/rearranging them in the order they will be presented stage; and State of Production, #10, is in the adding more clues and tweaking a few that are already in place stage. I have a table set up so I know which states will be released in a given year, all the way through to the fiftieth state and 2019, when the final book will be released with probably a couple of surprises interspersed in there.

The process is multi-staged for me for one story. I guess putting my clues in first is like someone who outlines their stories. The clues are how I base my titles and how my characters tend to react or interact. Then after I decide which facts to use as clues, I send off to my editor who comes up with a title. Sometimes, she is not so successful. State of Nature, #6, was actually named by son who decided which clues should be on the cover; he also helped in naming #10. We were all at a loss for #9, even my teacher friend, but my illustrator, Heather C. Paye, came up with a very befitting title. After I have my clues in place and in the order I want them to appear along side my title, I start writing the story. Once the story is finished, off to my editor, refined or fixed up by me and then off to Heather for her to do her thing. She does a great job with the covers and layout. Once I receive the file back in final mode, I submit to createspace.com and await for them to tell me the file is print ready so I can then order my proof copy. Once the proof copy arrives and I've looked over it from cover to cover, then I release it.

So what's next for the Squad? We just keep on doing what we can to get where we need be and hopefully the big break will come along soon.

Elysabeth Eldering is a traveler from birth. She has traveled with her family due to her father being in the military. She has lived in several states and overseas during her childhood. Ms. Eldering calls South Carolina home these days with a mindset of "Southern by choice, not by birth." She entered her first writing contest in her early 40s and took second place for a children's mystery story (Train of Clues), which has inspired her to take that story and write a series for children, the premise being that each state would be the mystery. Her series has a Jeopardy!® like style to it but for guessing the state in the form of a question. Each book concentrates on one state and there are supplemental study guides available, which take the series cross curriculum. For more information on the series, please visit the JGDS website. Elysabeth may be reached at eeldering@gmail.com with any questions or to place an order.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog, Elysabeth!

Warmly,
Jenny:)