“Stay strong. Stand up. Have a voice.” - Shawn Johnson. Lizzie chose her writing skills to empower herself and to celebrate her strengths. She writes creative nonfiction, short fiction as well as young adult fiction. Lizzie is currently the editor at 3 of Cups Press, an independent micropublisher. She also serves as the editor of Stim, an anthology project to empower autistic authors and artists. Lizzie is also an active blogger writing about various topics.

What inspired you to setup your publishing firm “3 of Cups Press”? What challenges do you face while serving in various roles like editor and communication director?L: My colleague Clare approached me with the idea last year, while we were out walking my dog Nerys in Hyde Park. She and I were both frustrated with the sameness of publishing as it stands, the barriers to access, the whiteness, the expectation that people should work for free. We decided that we could and should do something that challenged those narratives, whilst also creating some fantastic books. I'm very pleased to be part of a team of seven, two of which are autistic.
Balancing the workload is difficult. I try and communicate with my colleagues as much as possible when I'm struggling or unable to see my way through a piece of work. A conversation with someone who gets it can be so useful. Otherwise, I make a lot of lists. I have a notebook just for lists of what I need to do, and also we use Trello to keep track of the individual parts of a book project.

At what age did you start taking an interest in writing? How do you usually come up with ideas for your writing projects?L: I have always been interested in writing. At home in Wales we have a print-out of a story I wrote age five called The Mouse with No House, and from there is just took off. I lost the buzz for it in high school due to some personal difficulties, and coming back to it in the last few years has been both terrifying and empowering. I feel like I've finally given myself permission to write again.
Ideas for projects sometimes come from dreams, but usually they are born out of frustrations that something doesn't already exist, and deciding to make it myself.

Which has been your favorite assignment so far and why?L: This is very difficult to answer! I'm currently working on a Young Adult manuscript which I'm deeply in love with. Working at 3 of Cups Press has been incredibly exciting because of the work we get to commission and edit and produce; there's nothing like spotting something in the submission pile and realising you've found something special. I must say I'm particularly proud of the anthology of autistic people's writing I'm working on with Unbound, called Stim. It is being crowdfunded and is almost at 40%, and is going to be a magnificent book. The quality of submissions I've received have been astounding and it is shaping up to be a fantastic book, though we need the pledges for it to happen. Unless it hits 100%, the book doesn't happen.

What challenges did you face during your school years? How did you motivate yourself to face those challenges?L: As with many autistic people, I was bullied a lot in primary school. I found solace in books where I could, but it was very pervasive and I didn't understand why it was happening to me. I didn't find out I was autistic until I was in my late twenties which put a lot of it into context. In high school, I adopted a persona of "what you say to me doesn't matter" and in the end I believed it so much that it became truth. I decided to be confident in my strengths and to ignore anything negative said to me. It was difficult (and still is as an adult) but it definitely got me through the high school years.

Who is your favorite author? Which of his/her work you like the most?L: Oh gosh this is impossible to answer! There are so many books that have mattered to me over the years and through different times in my life. Saying that, I'm extremely lucky to have Rachael Lucas and Laura James on board for Stim, as their books State of Grace and Odd Girl Out have been tremendously important to me.

Who is your inspiration?L: I'm not sure I have a particular thing that inspires me, but I do always strive to do better, be better, amplify voices. I'm driven by my desire to support and better the world, and I'm hoping that I can do that in this little bookish corner.

What do you like to do when you are with your family/friends?L: I love to cook for people. There is no greater joy to me than seeing people dig in heartily to a meal I've created, and for us all to sit around with a good glass of wine. Otherwise, I love taking my dog Nerys for a walk with my partner.

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you like about that place?L: This is another tough one. I grew up in North Wales, facing the sea with dramatic mountains to my back. There are some beautiful places back home, like Betwys y Coed and South Stack Lighthouse that I like to go to just to sit and be and listen to the world.
However, I currently live in London which is about as different as coastal Wales as you can get! Here, I find my solace in the bookshops, wandering the shelves and recommending my favourite stories to my friends. Some of my favourites are the London Review Bookshop, Burley Fisher Books, Foyle's Charing Cross, Tales on Moon Lane and Waterstones Piccadilly.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who want to become an editor?L: Read as much as you can, and read as widely as you can. That's the easiest way to learn what works and what doesn't. Think about why sentences or ideas don't work, what you would suggest instead. Think about why they do work, and read up about sentence structure. I don't have a degree in creative writing or English; I studied Zoology and Ecology at University up to the Masters level, and while I learned a lot about writing, it was a specific form of scientific writing. I've got a lot to learn about being an editor and definitely have room to improve, but part of it is practice and getting good instincts for how all the sentences should sit together.

Any special message for our community?L: Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Listen when people offer you advice on how to improve, and use that criticism to drive you.