Leah Androski
reporter@greenepublishing.com
Madison resident Elizabeth “Lizz” Schmidt recently marked off a bucket list item: publishing her first book. Schmidt published a collection of poetry titled, “What Survived the Fire.”
Her writing journey started when she was five years old and wrote her first book, titled “Killer of Love,” which was inspired by the novels her mom would read. As a teenager, she realized her love for poetry after people complimented her writing. In 2005, she graduated from Madison County High School. From there, she attended North Florida Community College and obtained her Associates of Arts degree, before transferring to Saint Leo University and earning her Bachelor’s in Sociology.
Schmidt’s journey writing “What Survived the Fire,” started in 2019, after she separated from a seven-year relationship. The collection is a series of poems that describes her journey through the grief of separation, how she healed from the heartbreak and rose stronger. “This book is for women trying to find the girls they left behind,” Schmidt stated.
Some of the works in the book were written, while she was still in her seven-year relationship. “Different pieces came together at different times,” explained Schmidt. Her favorite poem is titled “A Women Wild,” and tells how Schmidt rediscovered her worthiness. “My heart is for women,” Schmidt expressed. “We’re always being told how much we’re worth.”
It only took seven months for Schmidt to self-publish her book through Amazon. She designed the whole book from the cover to the back, having self-taught herself graphic design. Schmidt is currently working on another story, a publishing of short stories.
Schmidt will be holding a local book signing event sometime in the fall, to thank her town for purchasing her book. “The fact that people bought my book for any amount of money is amazing,” stated Schmidt, thanking everyone who had purchased a copy of her book.
Schmidt thanks her mom, Patti Schmidt, for always being her rock and her inspiration, as her mom wrote poetry in high school. She also would like to thank her second-grade teacher, Heather Welch, for instilling the confidence that Schmidt needed to publish her works. She would also like to thank her sister’s: Michelle Vowell and Kari Meroloa.
As of press time, 55 copies of the book have been sold. If you want to purchase “What Survived the Fire,” by Schmidt, please visit amazon.com/What-Survived-Fire-Wreckage-Reckoning/dp/B0FHDTVLW.