Liz DeJesus was born on February 23rd on the tiny island of Puerto Rico. She is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she could hold a pen. She is the author of the novel Nina (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007) and a collection of short stories called The Jackets (Blu Phi'er Publishing, 2008). Liz currently lives in Elsmere, Delaware with her husband Kurt. Get live updates and blurbs at Liz's blogs: liz-dejesus.livejournal.com and www.myspace.com/lizdejesus23

Nina is the moving story of a work of art that comes to life and of how she affects the lives of those around her. After several miscarriages, Rachel Ramirez, a brilliant but tragic artist, secludes herself and begins a series of paintings based on her lost child, naming each painting ‘Nina’. One of them (the title character) comes to life inside her canvas. She is able to see and hear the world around her.

Even though Nina has innate wisdom, there are still many things that she doesn't understand. When Rachel commits suicide, Nina is thrown into the confusing world, and her painting is passed around to others...-source

Read all of Liz's Nina-related blog posts.

Q - First off, I have to ask - how did you come up with the idea for Nina?! It's such a wonderful concept, which immediately snagged my attention.

It started by reading about Vincent Van Gogh’s life. I’ve always been fascinated by him and his art. Some people believe that he was schizophrenic and I agree. But the more I read about him the more I wondered…or daydreamed, what if he wasn’t crazy? What if his paintings were talking to him?

Then I got into a whole different set of questions. What is life about? Is it worth living? If so why? What makes us real?

Then I started wondering how I would react if a painting started talking to me. What if I could tell the story of what this painting was seeing? Being moved from place to place, from person to person. What if she wanted to be real? What if she had a year to live life and decide whether or not she wanted to live? Would she choose life? Or seclusion inside a canvas for all eternity?

Q - I've seen you mention that Nina was originally intended to be a short story. At what point did the dawning horror of the realization: "Oh my gawdess, it wants to be NOVEL!" strike you?

At first I was terrified of the idea of turning Nina into a novel, because when I wrote the first twenty-something pages I had no idea where to go from there. The story was supposed to end with the artist committing suicide. But characters have a certain way of talking to you while you’re sleeping. So Nina ‘talked’ to me a lot in my dreams. That’s why in some parts of the book it feels almost as though you’ve stepped into a hazy dream. And that’s basically how Nina turned into a novel.

Q - How long did it take to find a publisher for Nina? Are there any great "ups and downs" stories you could share with our readers?

It took me about a year to find a home for Nina. I received LOTS of rejections, but they were always nice rejection letters, which is kinda funny, because they’re saying ‘No’ with a smile on their face. I did get a lot of good comments about my submissions, which helped encourage me. It let me know I was on the right track. In some instances I got letters with hand written comments from editors and agents. But finally it was Blu Phi’er Publishing that sent me the acceptance email and gave my book the chance it deserved.

Q - What is your weirdest writing-related moment? Any caffeine-fueled 30 hour writing sessions that resulted in you temporarily thinking of yourself as a large hummingbird? Reference-desk/community room fun at your local library? Dish, dish!

I used to shove tiny black notebooks inside my jeans pocket and I would hide on the sales floor while I was at work and write for ten minutes every hour or so. I filled up ten notebooks worth of Nina’s story doing that. Then I would rush home and transfer all the notes I took into the computer.

And recently…I’ve been writing my new novel Under the Moonlight mostly when the moon is out. I write a lot more during the full moon, pretty weird huh?

Q - Are there any conventions you're planning on attending in 2008 where fans could crowd around your table and stammer out their praise?

Not yet. I would love to do something like that. I know that my publisher would like to set something up in the future. I will definitely keep everyone posted at my LiveJournal Blog.

Q - You've been scheduling book-signings. What are upcoming ones and what's your reaction to the ones you've got safely under your belt?

So far I’ve had three book-signings. The first two events were an hour away from my house but I did okay considering the fact that I’m a new author and it’s hard to sell your book at a mall with people zooming by.

The one I did on November 3rd was awesome because I was a lot more comfortable and I know how to reach people better. I got them to approach my table and they read the excerpt and took some bookmarks I made myself? I got asked lots of questions about my novel, and writing in general. I’m always happy and more than willing to give people advice about writing and publishing.

Q - I see from your blog that you're participating in NaNoWriMo this year (as well as the fact that you also have a weakness for LOL Cats). WTF is wrong with you? Are you just a total glutton for punishment?! Hahaha! Just kidding. Seriously though. What is UP with that? @_@

LOL. No I’m not a glutton for punishment. I admire those who can sit down and write a novel in one month. To tell you the truth I’m not really participating in NaNoWriMo, I just like to post the word count on my blog so I can remind myself to write everyday, even if it’s ten words I try to get something into my story. Plus I like to let people know that I’m keeping myself busy and I’m actually doing something productive with my spare time.

I do love the LOL cats, they’re hilarious, I like to share those with people.

I like the concept behind NaNoWriMo, it gets people to just sit down and write. But…I don’t know if I’m all for the whole write-whatever concept. I like to sit down and take my time with my characters. It takes me at least six months to write the first draft and then another three to four months to go over what I’ve written and make changes. I’ll do that several times until I’m completely happy with what I have.

Q - What is your favorite book? Answer fast! No, not that 600 page Edith Wharton novel that you TELL everyone is your favorite book. What's your REAL favorite -- the one you drag under the covers for comfort reading on cold winter days?

I’ve never read anything by Edith Wharton so we can cross that off. LOL. My favorite book that I read over and over is Grimm’s Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm. That brightens me up no matter what kind of day I’m having.

Q - You've mentioned in your Fallen Angels interview that you derive a lot of your inspiration from dreams. Are there any tricks you use to help you remember promising dreams?

I jot things down as soon as I wake up. That’s the only trick there is.

Q - Do you have any plans for your next project that you can share with us at this time?

My next book is titled The Jackets (Blu Phi’er Publishing, 2008), it’s a collection of short stories that brings color to a whole new level. Each story is represented by a different colored jacket and each color represents emotions or situations.

There’s a mix of fiction and fantasy. Encounters with Greek gods, muses, and the Green Man. A lot of the characters are connected in one way or another through out the book. I can’t wait for this book to come out because it’s the most fun I’ve had writing in a long while.

I’m also working on my first horror novel. It’s titled Under the Moonlight. This is about a female werewolf named Morgan and her encounter with Elizabeth Bathory (who I’ve turned into a vampire for this book). I’m halfway done and there are still a few things that I need to work on, but I’m definitely happy with the direction I’m taking with this new novel.

Q - Lastly, we all have 'em, so don't be modest -- any pearls of hard-won wisdom you would like to share with other creative types?

Don’t give up. Be persistent. Do research on agents and publishers before you submit your work. And most importantly have fun writing.

Excerpted from Nina:

"Finally, I'm finished." A deep feminine voice said.

Opening my eyes, I saw my creator for the first time. Her short brown hair was pulled into a loose pony tail and she wore old, comfortable-looking overalls that were paint splattered in a rainbow of hues and colors. She stood in front of the canvas with her arms crossed over her chest examining me; trying to detect any flaw that didn't meet her standards of perfection.

The purple in the background is perfect. The black/brown in her hair matches the other paintings. Bone structure resembles mine. These thoughts belonged to my creator. There were other things in there too, like lyrics to songs from her childhood, Spanish phrases, a grocery list, and memories of her father. They slowly swam along my mind and became one with the rest of me. I could feel as her memories connected with everything in my being.

I gazed at her face and her body. I began mimicking her movements. They were small gestures. A hand on her hip, tapping her index finger against her lips or the way she arched her eyebrow. I let out a light giggle as I tilted my head to the side the way she tilted hers.

She was the first person to see me. I knew the depths of her soul just as she knew mine. Her chestnut eyes twinkled when she smiled at me. She was my creator.