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Interview with Courtney Seiberling

Published 2015-08-23.
Describe your desk
My desk is my happy place. It is massive, with plenty of room for my elbows, computer, books, paperwork, coffee, and an orchid. When my boyfriend and I moved into our new house, it was the only thing I insisted on making fit into our small space.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in a smaller-sized city in Ohio called Lancaster. It sneaks into my writing, like anything I experience, mostly in characters that feel stuck or in crisis with where they grew up.
When did you first start writing?
I've always written. It's the thing that has come easiest to me in the way most things don't. I didn't recognize it as a gift until later in life, when I realized that any acclaim I'd ever received creatively had come from writing. When I was in elementary school, I was chosen for The Young Author's Conference...when in high school, a poem of mine was chosen to be published in an anthology. I had always been more focused on being an actor when I was younger, but as I look back, writing was always bubbling up as something I was good at.
What's the story behind your latest book?
I'm writing a story about a girl who feels stuck in her hometown and can't find her way out. For the past few years, I was stuck - financially...spiritually...emotionally, and I'm not anymore. Being on the other side, I can't believe how trapped and disabled I felt, and now know that the power to unstick myself was all in my choices and attitude. I want to share the journey of a character that rises above her own obstacles, in hopes that it may inspire readers to rise above, too.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Connecting. Any art form is a way to connect an audience to a universal feeling, idea, or concern and inspire them explore it within themselves. This is powerful and powerfully moving. I love being on either side of it.
Who are your favorite authors?
I am obsessed with Adam Rapp, Ryan Adams, Mary Oliver, Patti Smith, Joan Didion, and Alice Munro. What these authors have in common is their ability to look at the depths of darkness and the buoyancy of joy and celebrate them both at the same time.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Coffee. Curiosity. What I can contribute.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
I am so grateful for Smashwords. It is a professional platform that helps me share what I love to do with so many people that I do and don't know.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I also teach yoga, dance, listen to a lot of music, read, run an AirBNB, and spend time with the people I love.
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Books by This Author

Five Leaves Left by
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 21,060. Language: English. Published: August 23, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Ten Short Stories that use Nick Drake’s 1969 debut album ‘Five Leaves Left’ as a launchpad and soon leave their birthplace far behind in an eclectic tour ’round the world. Each story portrays a unique interpretation by American writer Courtney Seiberling, you may have your own version.
Sixteen by
Price: Free! Words: 7,940. Language: English. Published: November 7, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Women's fiction » General, Fiction » Coming of age
(4.00 from 1 review)
What's it like to lose your father at 16 or fall for a man 16 years your senior? Lose your innocence to sin or gain strength through weakness? Sixteen brings together 16 vignettes of experiences in love and loss. Part fiction, part not, the anthology collects the truths of what it means to love and lose, want and wonder…how we are never the same once everything changes.