Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Exclusive Interview with
Elle Mott
When did you start writing?
I started writing when I came out of chaos. I’d tell people bits of my true life story and was met with the response to write my memoir. I then picked up pen and paper and did just that and of which came my first book: “Out of Chaos.” At the heart of my memoir was a wise woman, Marie, who through my remembrance of her had given me strength to overcome mistakes and hardships. With my memoir published and she, long gone, I questioned why. That involved research. With answers in hand, my newest release was born: “Marie Conner, A Leading Lady.”
What makes writing your passion?
How long have you been writing?
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
I write creative nonfiction which is, in my opinion as an author, much more engaging and interesting than anything I could ever make up. Even my published poetry pieces are fact based. Be sure to see my excerpts for my books as shared in the Story Section, found on my Author Page.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
Book covers need to convey both the genre and take-away-feeling from the story. That’s what I look for as a reader and that’s what I aim for in the cover design for all my books. Fun fact for my newest release, “Marie Conner, A Leading Lady,” is that its cover image is a timeless photograph of Lebanon, Oregon, in the mid-1940s; a pictural reminder of bygone days in small-town America and home to Marie Conner who this community had whole-heartedly called their leading lady.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
Who is your favorite author? Why?
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
What would you say to your readers?
Readers, please review the books you read. There is no one right way to do this. It can be as easy as “I liked (or loved) this book because (just a few words/finish the sentence).” If you want to say more, say who else will like the book (those who like thrills / those who enjoy happy stories / or?) If you want to say less, just give a couple words, like “nice and engaging.” Reviews help everyone: the reader choosing their next book, the author when it comes to internet algorithms, and the publisher, especially small unknown presses. After you read “Marie Conner, A Leading Lady” or any of my other books, please leave a review wherever you shop or where you hang out, even if in person.
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
What is your day job if you have one?
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
Did you have a happy childhood?
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
What is your favorite music?
Share a secret with us 🙂