Welcome back to the Colorado is for Writers interview series! Every other Tuesday, I talk to different Colorado-based authors about their work and their connections to this beautiful state. Today, I am thrilled to welcome middle-grade author–and the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Rocky Mountain chapter of SCBWI—Lindsay Eland!

First things first: Colorado native or transplant?

I am a Colorado transplant. I grew up in Pennsylvania–Pittsburgh, Punxsutawney (yep, with good old Punxsutawney Phil), and State College—then moved out to tornado country for college…cue music for Oklahoma! That’s where I met my husband. We got hitched and had two of our four kiddos there as well. But we knew we weren’t “home” yet because the words “small town” and “mountains” were always written on both of our hearts. So just one month after our second was born, we moved up to Breckenridge, Colorado where we found home sweet home and had our other two kids. We’ve been here for the past eleven years and have no desire to go anywhere else.

Tell us a bit about your book(s), published and/or in progress!

I write heartwarming, humorous middle grade novels for readers ages 9 to 99. My first book, Scones and Sensibility, was released by Egmont USA in 2009 and is about an overly romantic and overly dramatic girl who sets to matchmaking in her small beach town with disastrous and hilarious results. My second book, A Summer of Sundays, which released this past July, is about an 11-year-old girl named Sunday Fowler who feels left out and forgotten in her large family and so spends her summer trying to make her mark. It’s a story that celebrates family, books, friendship, honesty, and finding your place in a crowded world—something that we all long for. As to something new, I always have a work-in-progress in my back pocket…so stay tuned!

What’s the view like from your favorite writing space?

Gorgeous! We live at the base of Baldy Mountain, so my view is snow-capped mountains in the winter, electric-yellow aspen trees in the fall, messy mud in the spring, and wild flowers in the summer. It’s paradise.

What’s the best thing about being a writer in Colorado?

Colorado is a playground for the senses with inspiration staring at you everywhere you turn. There is also an amazing group of supportive writers and it is a place where people appreciate and celebrate creativity, beauty, words, and art. Can’t get any better than that!

Thank you so much, Lindsay! I’m a huge fan of both Jane Austen and scones, so hearing the title of your first book always makes my mouth water. 🙂

Fellow writers: Does the view from your favorite writing spot change with the seasons like Lindsay’s does? If so, which seasonal view is your favorite? Share in the comments!