Today the Sizzling Pens Gals are thrilled to introduce Leanna Ellis.
Winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, Leanna Ellis writes quirky women's fiction. When she’s not busy writing, taxiing her kids to and from dance and fencing, or taking the dogs in and out, then she’s contemplating some new weird plot. Her newest release, RUBY'S SLIPPERS is on shelves now! Visit her website at http://leannaellis.com
1)How many manuscripts did you write before you sold one?
That takes me a long way back. I quit teaching in 1991 and began writing. It took me 3 and a half years to sell my first manuscript, which was actually my 8th. Five of those manuscripts I wrote with a collaborator. Three, I wrote by myself. It took a while for me to figure out what genre I wanted to write in. Then after selling twelve books to Harlequin/Silhouette, I needed to stretch my wings. A difficult pregnancy had me wanting to write bigger books, deeper books. I also had two very small babies at home and began homeschooling, so it took a few years for me to find my real voice which somehow meshes deep subjects with humor, and Elvis Takes a Back Seat sold.
2)Which book was your hardest to write and why?
Last week, I would have said my current novel was my most difficult, and it may yet prove to be so. I’ve been very distracted this spring since my father passed away. But hopefully I’ll get back in the groove. Honestly, Ruby’s Slippers was my most difficult book to date. Boy did I wrestle with that one! But I’m also incredibly pleased with how it turned out … finally!
3)What do you think is the most difficult thing about being an author?
Everything! Really. I’m serious. Finding an agent is sometimes difficult. Figuring out what your editor wants is difficult. Losing an editor is hard. Rejection is horrible. Staring at a blank page is frustrating. Editing, trying to make what you vomited on the page work, is a nightmare. Getting revision letters is painful. Rewriting makes me pull my hair out. Finding my voice takes a lot of words. Coming up with ideas is … fun! I love that part. Making the ideas actually work … not so easy. Having written … that’s my favorite part! There is exaggeration and truth in each of those. But writing is what I do. It’s what I love, even when I hate it. And so I persevere.
4)What authors have most inspired your work.
The list is VERY long. Many writers who’ve written "How to" books have helped guide me along the way. Many writers from my critique groups have pushed me and pulled me along. And so many writers … well, their work has inspired me, sparked new ideas, made me believe I could write. Those writers come from all spectrums of the writing genres, mainstream to children’s. I’m not sure I could list them all, and if I tried I’d fail miserably and leave out so many, but here’s a smattering … Elizabeth Berg, Geraldine Brooks, C. S. Lewis, Phillipa Gregory, Cornelia Funke, JK Rowling … and the list goes on and on and on.
5)What are you working on now?
I’m about to do edits on a book titled Once in a Blue Moon. Despite death defying feats, guilt has always pulled Bryn down time and again. But a perfect love shows her taking a leap of faith is the first step to soaring. But it only happens … once in a blue moon.
Thank you so much for having me here! If you have any questions, post them, and I’ll be happy to try to answer them. Also, if you post a question, I’ll put you in a drawing for a copy of Ruby’s Slippers. (only U.S. locations please) At the end of the week, we’ll announce a winner!Blessings,
Leanna
10 comments:
Hello Leanna,
My question is do you enjoy promoting your work or do you wish you could spend your time on the next project? Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. Have a great day.
What made you become a writer?
katie
Le! Welcome to the Sizzling Pens today and thank you for being our Guest Blogger!
eVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT MY USUAL GENRE TO READ, I SO loved ELVIS TAKES A BACK SEAT. It took me on a spiritual but very real journey with your characters to find love and faith in the midst of the kinds of problems everyone faces. So I know RUBY'S SLIPPERS will be a wonderful read also. I'm taking it to the lake with me this summer!
Leanna, welcome to the Sizzling Pens and thanks for joining us today. I agree with you on the fun part being coming up with ideas. I love starting with a blank slate and being full of excitement and hope (which gets stripped off about at about the 1/2 way mark when I hit that sagging middle LOL).
Hi, all! Housemouse88, I enjoy some of the marketing. I enjoy doing things like this, visiting book clubs, meeting readers and such. Some stuff, like every job, is drudgery. Most of the time, I'd rather be working on the next project. Sometimes it's hard to go back and revisit an old book. Even though Ruby's Slippers just came out, I wrote it over a year ago, and finished another book since.
Hi, Katie! I think some part of me was always a writer, always creating whether it was choreography or lesson plans or just making up stories in my head. When I was teaching full time, my sister suggested I write because I was always journaling. I had no idea what I was getting into when I took the leap into writing. And in a way, I'm glad I didn't know any better. :)
Hi, Juliet! So glad you loved Elvis Takes a Back Seat. It was a huge departure for me and really began a new journey. I hope you'll like Ruby's Slippers as well. Thanks for inviting me here today!
Hi, Lori! Thanks for having me here! I know what you mean about hitting the middle. I seem to struggle all the way through the first draft. I prefer rewrites, reworking, massaging the words. But with ideas, the possibilities are endless. Those possibilities, however, collide with my inadequacies at regular intervals throughout a manuscript. :)
Hi Leanna, my question is do you have to do a lot of reseach for your books and do you enjoy that part of writing?
Hi, Virginia! Sorry I'm late in seeing your post. I do have to do research. I especially did on Elvis Takes a Back Seat. Elvis fans would know if I got something wrong. But it was all fun. I especially enjoyed going to Memphis and Graceland. That's usually my favorite part of research -- traveling to the place.
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