Elizabeth’s Story
From books read under the covers by flashlight, to notebooks full of handwritten adventures, stories have been part of Elizabeth’s life. Real life always felt easier, and made more sense when seen through the eyes of books, and soon she contributed to the mountains of literature. At less than ten years old, she wrote her first book about the hidden life of her stuffed rabbit, Rabbie, and from there expanded into other worlds.
In high school she fell in love with historical fiction, and took every spare piece of paper to jot down the stories of her own characters as they ventured through the Oregon Trail, or the difficulties of life in 1930s Europe. She was encouraged by her teachers for her use of imagery, and detailed storytelling, often having her projects read aloud in class.
By her twenties Elizabeth had started her first travel blog, recounting her adventures overseas working for Disney Cruise Line, then after that in her travels around the world with a missions organization. She received praise from many of her subscribers for her emotional descriptions of the things she saw and experienced.
As someone who has dealt with lifelong health issues, as well as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, Elizabeth believes in the power of storytelling in giving a voice to the voiceless. She started a blog to share her experiences in 2019 called The Mountains We Face.
Through the stories she wrote, even the ones that were never published, she used her own voice to not only process her own trauma, but to give light to what others experience. Fiction is a reflection of real life, and she believes that her characters have their own backgrounds that need to be told, that their experiences through difficulties, redemption, reconciliation, and healing can be powerful, even if their stories are hard to read or write. Because life is messy, but a beautiful mess that is worth living for.
In 2018 she published her first work, Guardians of Salus, under her original pen name Anna Elizabeth Dubno. Her characters Adara and Killian fight through their own struggles with grief, guilt, PTSD, and depression to choose love, life, and leadership. She has decided to re-work her original story, because there was just so much more about the characters she wanted to share. She is hoping to re-publish the new edition by end of 2027.
After years of silence, writers block, and surviving the pandemic, Elizabeth is finally ready to share her stories with the world. She is currently working on two projects: Daughters of Thornhelm, an epic fantasy fairytale retelling, about lost crowns, healing from trauma, and becoming the hope for a new generation, and The Halix Project (previously Guardians of Salus), a dystopian series about fighting for justice and rising from the ashes of their past.
This will mark a career for Elizabeth where she hopes to bring hope to others, and remind them that they are not alone.
“I want to be a Phoenix. I want to rise from the ashes of my life, even if I have to be the one to light the fire.” – Adara Collins, quote from The Halix Project by Elizabeth Dubno
