A Journey of Self-Acceptance and Faith with Elizabeth Lizu

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In this episode of Book Worthy, host Valerie interviews author Elizabeth Lizu, who discusses her journey as a writer and the themes of her children's books, with a particular focus on faith, self-acceptance, and emotional growth. Elizabeth shares insights into her character Caden, the importance of prayer in daily life, and her aspirations for future writing projects. The conversation underscores the importance of instilling faith in children from a young age and the influence of literature on personal growth.

 Elizabeth Lizu

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Takeaways

 Elizabeth Lizu emphasizes the importance of children accepting themselves.

Her book series focuses on faith and emotional growth for kids.

Caden's Adventures teaches trust in God and patience.

Prayer is a daily practice in Elizabeth's family.

She aims to connect children with their daily experiences through her writing.

Elizabeth started writing poetry during the COVID era.

Her writing journey began in childhood, fueled by a love for literature.

She believes in writing as a ministry to spread God's word.

The feedback from her first book inspired her to continue writing.

Elizabeth plans to expand the Caden series with more books. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Elizabeth Lizu and Her Mission

01:47 Exploring Cadence Adventures with Faith

05:44 The Importance of Prayer in Daily Life

07:02 Addressing Children's Emotional and Spiritual Needs

09:58 The Journey of Writing and Inspiration

13:43 Favorite Books and Their Impact

16:16 Future Projects and Where to Find Elizabeth

17:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Transcript

 This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity but reflects the full conversation from the BookWorthy Podcast. Grab a cup of coffee, listen, and read along.

The blog version of this episode is available at www.valeriefentress.com/blog

Valerie - Welcome to Book Worthy, where we talk about the heart behind the books your kids are reading. Today, we're talking with author Elizabeth Lizzou, the author of the early chapter book, Cayden Adventures with Faith. Elizabeth has a strong belief that kids accepting themselves and learning to build their inner faith is critical. She's a lady of many talents and a mother of two daughters, and hopes to continue to write books that can help children become happy, spiritually strong individuals. Welcome to Book Worthy, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth - Thank you, Valerie. Hello, everyone. So nice to be here. It's a great privilege.

Valerie - It is a joy to have you here, and you're coming all the way from Kuwait, is that correct?

Elizabeth - Yes, it is.

Valerie - I love the internet and what God can do with technology to connect people all over the world. It's kind of been an exciting part of this podcast journey.

Elizabeth - Yes, exactly. Mean, that's how technology connects across the world. So it's really beautiful.

Valerie - There really is. Well, to start us off, Elizabeth, we need to start with our random question of the week. And this week's question is, are you an extrovert or an introvert?

Elizabeth - I'm a mix. I guess I'm an ambivert. So there are moments where I can be really, you know, captivating and capturing everything. The presence at some times, I just like to be by myself, you know. So yeah, it's a mix.

Valerie - I've never heard ambivert again before. I kind of like that because I kind of technically define myself as an extrovert stuck inside of an introvert. So I could turn it on when I need to, but there are definitely times I'm like, I need to be away from people for a minute. Too fun. Well, I'm glad we have that in common, Elizabeth. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your book, Cayden Adventures of Faith?

Elizabeth - So, like how you mentioned before, it is an early chapter book.

And it's focused mainly on children to be confident, to trust in God, to be patient, to be forgiving, and so on. That's the first book, Cayden's Adventures with Fate was my first book that I released two years back. And the acceptance of Cayden was so good. Everyone loved the boy, the character Cayden. And there was a lot of feedback about what to do about questions about how Cayden would be with children of his age, with other genders, with older children, with younger children, and so on. So many questions were brought in, which got me, got me to write the next book that just got released two weeks back. That is My Little Cousin, Cayden's Faith Adventure. So I decided to write a series because I wanted to keep on writing about Cayden for some time. So yes, I've got Cayden's Adventures with Faith. That's the first book, and this is the second book. So I've got my little cousins. I've introduced a little girl in the story.

So it's his little cousin coming over to stay, and you know how cousins are, we are we get excited. But then, as the days of staying with us, it's not that smooth at times. Right. It's the there are ups and downs. So how is Cayden accustomed to all that? How he helps her to, you know, you know, be that shining light to guide her in faith. And in that process, he's also growing.

Elizabeth Lizu (04:48.774)

in faith. So that's the whole idea about it.

Valerie - I love how you're continuing Cayden's journey because it is...

Put kids in lots of different situations, and they can sometimes forget what they learned in the last situation in a new situation, especially with family coming over and staying for a longer period of time. If it does start to act like siblings and, you know, siblings all in the same space, we kind of rub each other the wrong way sometimes. So it's neat to see Kayden learning through new experiences. Now you have two daughters. What made you want Kayden, your main character, to be a young boy?

Elizabeth - There's no specific reason. I've been asked this question so many times. It's like, did you want a boy? And the irony is, even though it wasn't planned, the irony is that my daughter's names are kind of rhyming with Katen's. So it's Karen and Chrislyn. So they're like, this is because you wanted, this is the boy that didn't get to come into your family, and so on. So there's been a lot of jokes around it. Yeah, there wasn't any particular reason. And I've always been close to little girls. And many of my articles and stories and all revolve around, you know, little cute girls and cute angels and so forth. So I thought I should make a difference in that. And it was a little tough for me because, now, we know about the girls. I mean, I know about girls' temperaments, and so because I have two daughters, I haven't had sons. And it was my sister's daughters. They all have daughters. There are more girls in the family. So it is a little difficult to understand and to write. I wasn't sure at times, am I defining that emotion right? Would boys feel that way? So it was a journey. I would say it was a learning journey, but I really enjoyed it.

Valerie- That's really fun because I'm a boy mom. I have three boys. And so it is funny to talk to other parents who don't have boys to be like, " Why is this so different? Like, well, this is the way boys operate. This is the way girls operate. It's funny. Usually when I introduce that I have three boys, I usually get the, whoa. It's like, that's a lot. Yes, there are a lot, and we love them a lot. Now, Cayden has a kind of routine in his family about praying before they leave the house. I really thought this was a precious tradition in Cayden's fictional home. I was wondering if that's something that you have in your own home.

Elizabeth - Yes, it is. It's a practice that I've been following from childhood, and I felt that is very important, and I've passed it on to my children as well. So it's like saying a quick prayer before you leave the house. Even if you're in a big hurry, at least put the sign of the cross. Say the Lord's Prayer as you leave. I feel that keeps us protected throughout the day.

Valerie - I feel that prayer, you know, I know you're over in Kuwait and we're over here in, I'm over here in the States. There is kind of a, I don't know, prayer is a last resort rather than a first response attitude in the church sometimes. And so I really enjoyed that part of Cayden's faith journey, that prayer was such a big part of his daily activity and his response to the world around him. And I think that's really important to communicate to kids that we do have.

God's ear is right near us, so that we have access to his ear and his heart in our everyday lives. And I love what you did with that. Now, what do you hope to communicate to kiddos with these books?

Elizabeth - I've seen kids struggling with their emotions, with their faith, especially today's children. There's so much chaos. There are so many other voices. I would say noises because of all the technology, which, when we say technology as a blessing, there are, we know, there are disadvantages as well. The addiction to it and so on. So.

They are so confused with all that they're hearing and seeing on social media, and probably not. And maybe parents are also too busy to spend that time with children to talk about faith, or, know, they might have prayer moments, but how much do parents get time nowadays to sit with the children and have a quality conversation? 

We don't know it, but it happened in some houses; some may not happen in some, right? So I teach Sunday school, and so I've seen the questions that come in from children, and there is a lot of faith lacking. There's that confidence lacking, the trust lacking. The smallest of the incidents that happen in their life makes them feel so discouraged, and it's like they want to give up on life, and so many, you know, from that perspective. So I felt that.

I first thought I should write for teenagers because that's a group that I'm teaching. But then I felt I'm not ready yet to write about teenagers' emotions. And I wanted to start early. You know, I felt that children, if they have that foundation of faith from a very early age, will grow up to be stronger children, to face any trial in life without losing hope. You know, having that faith in them, that whatever is happening, even though I don't like it, it is okay. It is still okay. Mean, because God cares for you. It's the best is yet to come. You know that hope is so important. I mean to move on in life with all the pressures that they have. So that's what got me to start writing for that. That's what the message of the book also, you know, gives. So I didn't want there to be so many books, faith books that talk in depth about how to build faith and so on. So I wanted it to connect to the children with the simple things that happen in their lives. So it's not very complicated things that they know, you know, that they face in their daily life, and how can they build that faith in those experiences. So that's been my objective. And I think with the first book, what I got was feedback that I received was like, it is very simple, and we haven't, it's been a lot, you know, not many books with talking about faith, but not being so preachy. So we like the book and so on. So I hope I've been able to do the same justice in the second book as well. Yeah, let's see how it goes.

Valerie - You've done a great job of stepping into kind of that early reader market where there is a lot of picture books and board books with faith messages and there's a growing number of middle grade and YA books, but those early readers that, you five, six, seven that are kind of just starting to really experience their world and really come across the challenges of faith in our world and culture and to be faced with different people that believe things that are different in their schools. And I think it's a really great place to step into that. Know, Cayden is a lot like most of the kids that are in our school systems or preschools today. It's just that all those questions, all those desires to do the right thing, but not really quite knowing how to do it. And I love how you've stepped into that space and are creating a series of books that are walking with Kayden and are walking through different experiences. Because I think for Adrian, this is what we really like, we like to follow a character and we get to know them well and experience life alongside them. So I think that's a really sweet series that you have started. Now, Elizabeth, when did your writing journey begin?

Elizabeth - My first book was a poetry book. So that is in 2021. I think it's the COVID era that brought it in there. So this is the book, The Changing Mask, that I've written. And it's around 150 plus poems that are there. So I started writing poems. So that is what to answer your questions, that I've been writing in my college days, from my college days, I've been writing poetry. But apart from that, I always loved writing, you, but I never had the thing that, you know, I ended up being an author, but I've always loved the process of writing. From my childhood, there are so many pictures; if you see, I always have a paper and pen in my hand. You know, I was just writing. So I used to write articles for school magazines, editorials, college, and so on. And that continued the love for literature that continued. But it is, and I used to keep writing poetry. And so it's during COVID. My friends always used to tell me that, you know, why don't you publish it? But then I was like, who reads published poetry nowadays? Know, was, so I used to mostly post on social media or something. But then that got into me, and when I was sitting at home, you know, we were all locked down, right? So at that point, that's how the first book came into being. And when that was liked by all, and people started asking, when are you writing next? What are you going to write next? So then I was like, Now if I'm writing, it has to be for my Lord. Because, yeah, that's like a ministry for me. And I felt that's the best medium for me to spread his word, you know, to the younger generation. And because I'm connecting a lot with children, I wanted to write for the children. Yeah. So officially to 2021, but yeah, I've been writing from a small age.

Valerie - I love how God kind of takes those gifts that he gives us, and whether we choose to start using them when we're young or choose to start using them when we're old, he's still going to lean into his will and make sure that his glory is given in the work that we do. So I love that you stepped into that. Think COVID all over the world kind of reset everybody's mind and heart a little bit, just to be like, you know what? Need to, this life is short and sweet, but living for God is definitely the next step in the journey. I love even now, you know, five, six years down the road, we can still kind of say the same. Was like, all right, we're living with purpose instead of just going through life. And so I love how God used your life to move forward in that. Now, what is your favorite book, Elizabeth?

Elizabeth - That's a very tough question because you know, there are so many, mean, to shortlist on one is difficult, but then I would say if it is with fiction, there's a lot, mean, Dan Brown and, know, I like more of mysteries, so into those lines. Earlier it was, there was a time when Harry Potter was one of my favorites, and then it moved to, you know, to Dan Brown and then, and now I read more motivational books as well. So, yeah, these are some of the books that I would say, to say a favorite would be difficult, but then, yeah, when I talk about fiction, yeah, know, there's so many, but the flavors of writing are so different. And it's somewhat like so captivating. You can't actually compare one of the other, one with the other. It's all good. Yeah. I like the, you know, the 40 rules of love that, you know, the Khalil Gibran's Rumi's poetry, all those are like my very close to my heart. Yeah.

Valerie - I would imagine a poet would have poetry close to their heart, wouldn't they? Too fun. Now, what's been the most impactful book in your life other than the Bible?

Elizabeth - Yeah. Nothing can beat the Bible. Yeah. The other books would say, yeah, some of them would be like the Atomic Habits, The Power of Now, then The Seven Things of the Most Effective People. I'm a little lost with the words, but then these are some of the books that, you know, that then, you know, when Brett becomes air. These have really caught my heart. And then there are some spiritual books as well, getting closer to the awe and meditation in knowing God by Timothy Feller. Yeah, so there are a lot of books actually. But yes.

Valerie - It's amazing what books can do, that they can impact us, whether they intend to be motivational, spiritual, or fiction. So it's the beauty of storytelling. Now, Elizabeth, what can we expect next from you?

Elizabeth - So now, since I've decided on a series, since I've just released one, I guess I'll take some time to settle down with that. And I have a vague idea of what the next one will be. It will be another journey with Cayden. I guess there will be one or two more books in that series before I think of something else.

Valerie - I will look forward to finding out what Cayden's going to get into. He has such a sweet character that I look forward to seeing what else he comes up with. So, where could people find out more about you and your books, Elizabeth?

Elizabeth - All right, so my books are on Amazon. Yeah, and I am more active on Instagram. So it's Lizu16 underscore author. That's my Instagram page. I'm also active on Facebook, but more on Insta, as I said. You could search with my full name, Elizabeth Lizu. I would find them on Facebook. And yeah, so these are my active places. I am there on TikTok, threads, and so on, but not so active. Insta is my, I would say, more there.

Valerie - We'll make sure to have those links to Facebook and Instagram and the show notes so people can find you easily. Cause yeah, there's a lot of places to be, but there's usually one or two that we like the best. Too fun. Well, Elizabeth, thank you so much for joining me today.

Elizabeth - Thank you so much. It was wonderful talking to you.

Valerie - It was a joy, and thank you for joining Elizabeth and me on this episode of the Bookworthy podcast. Check the show notes for any books or links we discussed, and let us know in the comments: Are you an extrovert, an introvert, or an ambivert? Help other parents discover Bookworthy by leaving a review and sharing it with friends. Happy reading.