SALT LAKE CITY, UT December 14, 2017
When Geoffrey Noblitt’s daughter said all she wanted for her eighth birthday was more stories from her dad, he decided to write her a book. After years of being a devout reader, Noblitt took the leap from story spectator to story creator.
Noblitt has loved reading from an early age. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Lord of the Flies were early literary influences. Other sources of inspiration have been The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series, the Wheel of Time series, Stephen King’s various works, and Brandon Sanderson’s entire library.
While studying philosophy and religion at Appalachian State University, Noblitt grew creatively. “I learned to write lengthy papers and expositions,” he recalled, “often using imaginative devices to write from the perspective of famous philosophers and theologians.”
After being employed for a time in construction management and banking, Noblitt took his gift for academic writing to East Carolina University and earned a Masters in Business Administration. And while working as a Planner for Buncombe County, he fulfilled his daughter’s request as he tried his hand at writing fiction.
When her birthday came around, Geoffrey Noblitt presented his daughter, Lily Faye, with the first twenty-three chapters of “Liliana and the Relics of Power.” She loved it, and he hopes others will fall in love with his stories too. But now came the hard part: turning Lily Faye’s gift into a “real book.”
Noblitt’s wife, Julie, studied how to get published during her summer off from teaching school. He started a tumblr blog and joined publishing newsletters. They thoroughly researched and considered self-publishing but he states, “While self-publishing sounds intriguing, it’s also complicated and time-consuming, especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing.”
Noblitt discovered WiDo Publishing™ while looking at reviews of publishers in daily email newsletters. He felt like WiDo’s hybrid option, E.L. Marker™, would provide the perfect marriage of traditional and self-publishing. With E.L. Maker guiding the way, Geoffrey and Julie Noblitt are confident they can successfully launch “Liliana and the Relics of Power.”
“I really enjoyed this story,” WiDo’s Managing Editor Karen Gowen said, “and how it starts out from the giant’s perspective. Goeffrey’s voice is ideal for his middle-grade tale–very whimsical and fun.”
Now that the publishing of his first book is underway, Noblitt has two other ongoing projects. Besides the sequel to the Liliana series, he is also writing a western set to the theme of a Grateful Dead song.
“We are so happy that Geoffrey feels comfortable and confident signing with E.L. Marker. WiDo started the new imprint for this exact reason,” states Gowen, “to provide more publishing options for writers with promising manuscripts like Geoffrey’s.”
Geoffrey Noblitt was born in Boone, NC and spent his formative years in Charlotte, North Carolina before heading off to Appalachian State. He met his wife, Julie, in college. They married after a short courtship and now have two children, Lily Faye and Jack. They currently reside in Asheville, North Carolina. In his free time, Geoffrey enjoys smoking North Carolina-style pork barbecue and coaching his kids’ baseball and softball teams. Julie is a school teacher, fitness instructor, and a talented circus arts performer. Find out more about Geoffrey Noblitt and his books at tumblr and at his author website.
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