Elizabeth Camden
I am fortunate to have two careers I deeply love. I am a college librarian by day, and write novels on the weekends.
I became a librarian because I can think of no other career in which you get such a wide exposure to all aspects of recorded knowledge. I have been an academic librarian since 1995, where on any given day I get to research the sonnets of Shakespeare, learn what makes pelican feathers pink, or compile demographic statistics for starting a new company.
How does one become a college librarian? In my case, I got an undergraduate degree in History from Trinity University in San Antonio, then went on to earn a master’s degree in History from the University of Virginia, and finally a Master’s in Library Science from Indiana University.
But fiction has always been a wonderful escape for me, and I’ve wanted to be a novelist since the third grade when I was devastated by the bittersweet ending of Charlotte’s Web. I remember vowing to re-write the book with a better ending someday. Although I failed to appreciate how copyright law would thwart my ambition to write better endings for other people’s books, perhaps my early experience with sad novels is why I became a romance novelist.
I love writing books about fiercely intelligent people who are confronted with profound challenges. As a rather introverted person, I have found that writing fiction is the best way for me to share my faith and a sense of resilience with others. For those aspiring writers who are interested in my road to publication, you can find it here.
I married relatively late in life, which turned out to be an odd kind of blessing. I had gotten very good at leading a solo life, and although I was not particularly content being alone, I had become reconciled to it. Then when I was in my mid-thirties and just a few weeks after buying my first house, I met the man I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. My years as a single woman taught me many things. I learned to be independent and resilient. I learned how to manage my investments, earn and save enough money to have investments, mow my own lawn, fix the rickety appliances in my sixty-year old house, and spend the holidays on my own when travel to family was not possible. Most importantly, it taught me never to take my husband for granted. I give daily thanks for the blessing of being able to share a life with my favorite person on the planet.
As for who I really am? I love old Hitchcock films, the hour before sunset, a long, sweaty run through the Florida countryside, and a glass of good wine. After spending my entire adult life on a college campus (either as a student or a librarian) I have finally been able to pursue my ultimate goal of writing professionally.
On the Web
- Author's Official Website [1]
Books
- Against The Tide - 2012
- Beyond All Dreams - 2015
- Carved In Stone - 2021
- A Dangerous Legacy - 2017
- A Daring Venture - 2018
- A Desperate Hope - 2019
- From This Moment - 2016
- A Gilded Lady - 2020
- Into The Whirlwind - 2013
- The Lady Of Bolton Hill - 2011
- Love At Last - 2019
- The Prince Of Spies - 2021
- The Rose Of Winslow Street - 2012
- The Spice King - 2019
- Summer Of Dreams - 2016
- To The Farthest Shores - 2017
- Toward The Sunrise - 2015
- Until The Dawn - 2015
- With Every Breath - 2014
- Written On The Wind - 2022
Anthologies
- All My Tomorrows - 2018
- Love At Last - 2019
Series/Related Titles
Awards
- 2013 Christy Award Winner - Historical Romance, Against The Tide
- 2013 RITA Award Winner - Inspirational Romance, Against The Tide
Recognitions
- 2021 Christy Award Finalist - Historical Romance, The Prince Of Spies
- 2018 Christy Award Finalist - Historical Romance, A Dangerous Legacy
- 2017 Booklist Starred Review, To The Farthest Shores
- 2017 Christy Award Finalist - Historical Romance, From This Moment
- 2017 RT Book Reviews Top Pick, To The Farthest Shores
- 2016 Christy Award Finalist - Historical Romance, Beyond All Dreams
- 2016 RITA Finalist - Romance Novella, Toward The Sunrise
- 2015 Carol Award Finalist - Historical Romance, With Every Breath
- 2015 Christy Award Finalist - Historical Romance, With Every Breath
- 2015 INSPY Award Finalist - Historical Romance, With Every Breath
- 2015 RT Book Reviews Top Pick, Until The Dawn
- 2014 Carol Award Finalist - Historical Romance, Into The Whirlwind
- 2014 Publishers Weekly Starred Review, With Every Breath
- 2014 RT Book Reviews Top Pick, With Every Breath
- 2013 INSPY Finalist - Romance, Against The Tide