Spotlight Sunday: Elizabeth A. Seibert Talks Her Journey to Published Author & New Novel ‘The Bro Code’

(Last Updated On: February 14, 2021)

Happy Spotlight Sunday! Every week we highlight amazing authors from all-genres and around the globe! If you or anyone you know would like to be featured please feel to contact us here.

Our latest Spotlight Sunday is author Elizabeth A. Seibert. She’s had great success on Wattpad with her books No Capes and The Bro Code. On September 22nd, a longer and updated version of The Bro Code is being published in bookstores. Check out our review of this fun young adult novel below.

The Bro Code describes Nick Maguire’s struggle between staying true to a certain code of ethics and falling for the girl of his dreams: his best friend’s sister, Eliza. Seibert uses wit and humor as she develops a different “bro code,” in each chapter that Nick, his best friend Carter, and their other buddies struggle with as they go through their senior year of high school.  She showed many of the issues of peer pressure and toxic masculinity that male teenagers face, but showed Nick’s softer side when he was with Eliza. If you still enjoy a good young adult novel, be sure to buy your copy, when it’s released on Sept 22nd.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background? (Where are you from? Family? Whatever you’d like to share.

I am from Bedford, Massachusetts, but I also briefly lived in the Marshall Islands when I was young. I attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where I studied economics and psychology. I am currently enrolled at Harvard University where I am studying creative writing and literature.

I am also a triplet! I have two sisters and we are extremely close (no, we are not identical 😊).

 How long have you been writing? And what inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always loved creative writing, but I first started to write full-length novels in 2012. It started out as a hobby. I, like many others, had a notion that to actually try to become an artist was a poor life decision (which is B.S, by the way,) but as I started to gain readers, write more stories, and meet other authors who are as passionate about writing as I am, I decided to commit to having a writing career.

So ultimately the reading and writing community encouraged me. 

What do you love most about being an author?

I especially love the art of writing and the challenge of creating characters and sentences that readers connect with. Sitting down with someone who has read your work is really special, and I love having the opportunity to inspire others and spark conversations.

What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Karen M. McManus, Celeste Ng, and Margaret Attwood are the first three that come to mind. Karen McManus in terms of how she creates multiple authentic teenage characters and narrators, Celeste Ng in terms of her writing style (her writing is beautiful), and Margaret Attwood in terms of creating twists and experimenting with the reliability of her narrators. All three authors’ works are incredibly interesting and so well thought out.

What led you to Wattpad? Starting out with such an open space for reviews, do the reviews shape the way you write today in any way?

I was the most interested in having a place to post stories since writing was a hobby for me. When I started on Wattpad I was completely anonymous which helped me write whatever I wanted without the pressure of people from my “real world” reading it.

The reviews from readers are helpful because they encourage me to keep writing (there’s always someone who is demanding another chapter!) without which I definitely would not write as consistently. It’s also helpful when readers ask questions about the story because sometimes there are things I hadn’t thought of. They let me know whether one of my ideas is landing—so in that sense, Wattpad is good for getting beta readers.

It did take me a bit to get used to writing off Wattpad because the platform is best for serialized stories, where each chapter has a structure to it. that is different from a non-serialized story. Ultimately I’m glad to know how to write both.

Tell us, what is ‘The Bro Code’ about?

I wrote The Bro Code to be a satirical critique of “bro culture” that is accessible through a romantic comedy /coming of age story. It focuses on Nick, a “bad boy” bro who navigates his senior year of high school and whether or not to break “the bro code” for his best friend’s sister, Eliza. (The Bro Code specifically says Bros are not to date their friends’ sisters.)

It also includes worries about going off to college, dealing with money and parents, a cupcake and pizza business, lots of soccer, and oh so many puns. 

How did you come up with each of the codes that began each chapter?

Actually I have teenage guys to thank for those. The “popular” guys in my high school, and teenagers now, all made fun of each other if they broke any of these codes.  (it was absolutely crucial that the guys wore a pair of athletic shorts under their jeans—and have them show), which I thought was hilarious.

When you read the book, it quickly becomes obvious (so not a spoiler) that someone in the chapter breaks whatever code is in the top of the chapter, so I wanted to include some of the codes I noticed teenagers (past and present) following that are especially ridiculous.

What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

First, I hope readers laugh (or smile even) at least once at my attempts to be funny. A pity laugh from a high schooler is how I’ll know I’ve “made” it.

Second, I hope readers see that there is a critique of toxic masculinity in the story and use it as a jumping-off point for discussion. There are parts in the story that are intentionally problematic and controversial, and there isn’t a “right” way to interpret them. However,  they are important for conversations about how toxic masculinity is perpetuated—and how it can be replaced with something less dangerous. 

If you can share, how does this upcoming version differ from the original 2012 Wattpad version?

For starters, it’s about 30,000 words longer and has a totally different ending, which my Wattpad readers will probably be happy to hear. It additionally includes a more holistic high school experience for Nick. Rather than the story solely being about his relationship with Eliza, Nick now also has to navigate getting into college, his relationship with his parents, and the shifting dynamics between his friends.

Nick’s dad specifically has a different role in the upcoming version than in the original, where he had a chronic illness. Now, Nick’s dad is the coach of his high school soccer team, and the challenges Nick faces are more propelled by internal conflicts. I made that change so the story can be more representative of a high school experience, where not every kid faces a tragic circumstance like Nick does in the original version, but every kid does have parental pressures, which can also be painful.

  What is your second Wattpad novel ‘No Capes’ about and what about it inspired a sequel?

“No Capes” is a young adult mystery story about Madeline Roberts, who gets roped into helping her city’s supervillain, Dark Static, and she has to figure out what he’s planning and why. Like The Bro Code, it is a young adult/high school coming of age story with a sports subplot, but that’s where the similarities end.

In “No Capes,” not only do readers have to guess who the villain of the story is, but also who the heroes are. The sequel is fun because the problems that the characters solved in “No Capes” have consequences for their city, and the characters must learn to discover their new identities in the midst of chaos. It’s also fun just to write more about superheroes.

What does literary success look like to you?

Being able to continue to challenge me and my readers. I’d love to have one of my stories taught in schools someday, but I also consider having just one person tell me that one of my creative projects impacted their life to be a huge success.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share?

Right now I’m working the No Capes sequel, and also on a romantic thriller that explores the dark side of fairy tales. Title TBD. 
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How long have you been writing? And what inspired you to become an author?

For the next two years, I’ll be finishing up my courses at Harvard. I write screenplays as well as novels, and I’ll continue to hone those skills. I hope my career as a writer will be to explore social issues through fun and accessible stories.

Besides your own, of course, what are some of your favorite authors or books we should read?

Definitely read Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng if you haven’t already, the writing and characters in it are next-level. I also love the works of Brandon Sanderson, Gillian Flynn, and Marcus Zusak.

And lastly, where can our readers find you on social media? Where can readers purchase your books?

Everything is in one place, which is on my website: elizabethseibert.com. (I also give fun updates in my newsletters.)

I’m on Twitter and Instagram as @lizzieaseibert and my books are available online and in stores, wherever your favorite books are sold!

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