I wrote posts about issues I was facing–Empty Nest Syndrome, Boomerang kids, sex after sixty–in the hopes my candid stories could help other similarly situated women.

Liz Kitchens – 3 June 2013

The Back Flap

Meet Beige. Beige is reliable, practical, sensible, and safe. Beige doesn’t put up a fuss; it follows the rules, blends in, doesn’t want to stand out. Now meet Magenta. Magenta is rich, dynamic, loud, sometimes garish, and not easily overlooked. Society has decidedly beige expectations when it comes to aging, but Liz Kitchens explains why Magenta women have more fun!

In these pages, Liz chronicles how creative thinking helped her cope with empty nest syndrome; navigate sex over sixty; transition from being “outtasight” to literally being out of sight, and so much more. The stories and creative techniques outlined in this guide are guaranteed to introduce color, sass, and a lightness of spirit into your later years. Are you ready to defy those beige expectations and start coloring outside the lines, even if a few pesky rules get trampled in the process?

About the Book

What is the book about?

As the title might suggest, I’m pretty crazy about colors (all of them, the more the better) however I’m using color as a metaphor to help my readers access tough issues about aging. Creative thinking is at the core of the book. Beige represents the antithesis of creative thinking. I believe creativity and creative thinking are critical for navigating what’s next for older adults.

When did you start writing the book?

Knee replacement surgery in the summer of 2019 resulted in nerve damage, causing foot drop, or a kind of palsy (which, fortunately, remedied itself after six months of physical therapy). This literal “grounding” provided an opportunity to start writing the book I had been envisioning for the previous couple of years. The pandemic supplied the world with a kind of metaphorical comma. I had no excuse but to use the time sequestering in place to write, revise, and re-write the book.

How long did it take you to write it?

Two years, between writing the initial draft and then revising, revising, and revising it, as per editorial edicts.

Where did you get the idea from?

Be Brave. Lose the Beige! began as a blog in 2009. I wrote posts about issues I was facing–Empty Nest Syndrome, Boomerang kids, sex after sixty–in the hopes my candid stories could help other similarly situated women.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

The revisions were the hardest part. Editors are underrated. It felt like my brain was transformed during this writing project. My publisher and editor helped me re-envision my book.

What came easily?

My voice. When I initially queried my publisher, Brooke Warner of She Writes Press, she mentioned she liked the voice she heard in my book project. She told me “Voice” is an element of writing that is hard to teach. I think my voice emerged over years of blog posts.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

My book is non-fiction; however, I have anthropomorphized colors in my book, creating characters out of them. Beige has been set up in a life contest with Magenta. Magenta lightly teases, even taunts Beige for its reluctance to break with conventional norms or break a few fine print rules. Be Brave. Lose the Beige! is sassy and pokes fun at social rules and norms; it says yes, when the world around us keeps saying no, particularly when it comes to aging issues.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Yes, definitely. Anne Lamott is one of my writing heroes. I love her conversational voice and her exquisitely detailed narratives. In Bird by Bird, Lamott introduces us to the idea of the “shitty first draft”. Just get it down, she counsels, then go back and revise. That advice informs my writing, along with Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. Get it down on paper (or computer screen) and then you have something to work with. I also adore Ann Patchett’s essays. The title essay in These Precious Days recounts her relationship with Tom Hank’s assistant, Sooki, a remarkable woman with whom she formed a significant bond. I love the way Patchett transforms the personal to the universal.

Do you have a target reader?

Yes, women sixty and older, Baby Boomer women, Lady Boomers, as I like to call us since I most certainly fit into this age demographic.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My “writing loft”, as I like to refer to it (also known as guest room, office, sewing studio) is situated on the second floor of my townhouse. From my perch, I can see and hear children riding their bikes to the neighborhood school and retired couples taking their morning walks. I try to be at my desk by 9 each morning. I love the play of the light coming in my windows at that hour. My goal is to write for three hours before breaking for lunch and, often, an afternoon exercise regimen. I find that just showing up in this designated sacred space, with the accompanying sounds, sights, and breezes, inspires my writing. I don’t always know what my writing project will be when I sit down, but, somehow, just showing up, fingers poised above the keyboard of my laptop, is enough to make the words appear (eventually).

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Outlining assumes a linear sequence to a writing practice, which is not really an accurate description of mine. I aspire to an outline, but what I end up with is a series of fragments that may or may not end up in the piece.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Thanks to Anne Lamott’s advice, I try to get the essence of the piece down first (i.e. the shitty first draft). The initial draft phase is often my favorite part of the process. It’s at this stage, I listen to myself, and essential truths somehow emerge. Part one of the process is the “laying down of the bones” while part two is the sculpting, revising, and editing phase for me.

Did you hire a professional editor?

She Writes Press is publishing my book and one of their editors, Jodi Fodor, edited my book. Good editors are golden. She made my book so much better.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I belong to a writer’s group. We meet in various independent coffee shops to write once a week. During our meet-ups, I tend to put on my AirPods and listen to meditative music. I’ve tried listening to music with lyrics and complicated melody lines, but I get too distracted from my writing mission.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I did not submit my work to an agent.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I was new to the publishing world and unfamiliar with the process. I discovered She Writes Press through a podcast–Write Minded–featuring Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner. Brooke is the publisher of SWP and coached me through the publishing process. I liked the fact SWP is a hybrid publisher, and the publisher/author split is more equitable. It also enabled my book to get into major retail outlets like Barnes & Noble and Target.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

She Writes Press designed the cover of my book.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I have a publicist, Books Forward, who has put together a marketing plan and devised a press kit for me. They have been amazingly helpful, contacting bloggers, podcasters, reviewers, and other media outlets on my behalf. But it is still a great deal of work for the author, as there are guest articles to write and interviews/speeches to prepare for. I plan to use proceeds from the book to invest in some digital advertising.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

The digital age has provided so many platforms for writers. I chose blogging as my publishing platform. I have gradually built-up subscribers to my blog whose comments and support urged me on to weave my blog posts into a book format. I liked the idea of not writing in the dark. I felt heard by these supporters. So, I would urge aspiring authors to find a platform to share their work. Many online magazines (Medium, Slate) accept content from guest writers.  I have submitted content to Medium, Growing Bolder Media Group, Sixty & Me, Boomer Café, and other sites. It’s a way to expand the author’s reach.

Writing is a habit just like exercise. Start writing in a journal at least three times each week for twenty minutes. That practice will feed into other forms of writing, which can then find a home on a publishing site.

About You

Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?

I was born and still live in Orlando, Florida, kind of a rare and endangered species living there pre-Walt Disney World.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m a creativity evangelist and believe people should exercise their creative muscles in order to develop creative thinking skills which will help them throughout their lives.

I was the director of the Jeremiah Project, an after school and summer creative arts program for under-served middle school-aged students. This non-secular program operated for eighteen years, working closely with groups like the Boys & Girls Club.

What are you working on now?

I have been busy lately writing guest articles for online sites and magazines who have expressed interested in my book. By request, I’ve been focusing on the impact of creativity on the aging process. (I’ve also enjoyed responding to written interview questions by reviewers like The IndieView.)

I’m also keeping up with my blog posts which I love to write.

And I’ve been chewing on the idea for a second book.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions. You made me consider aspects of this process I hadn’t thought about for a while.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Be Brave. Lose the Beige! from Amazon US or Amazon UK.