Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Instead of books, how about I tell you words? I have just over a million words written in some form or another. Some are novel length and others are short stories. Some words are published on Amazon, some are residing in literary magazines, and most are living in the purgatory of my editing hopper.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book is Dominating Geneva, and the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals inspired it. Yes, thoughts of those hot bearded hockey players somehow turned into a paranormal werewolf shifter romance (again, with elements of BDSM since I have this weird compulsion to write fiction with elements of responsible and explicitly consensual BDSM).
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
The weirdest writing habit I have is that I love to write things longhand. Seriously, I have ampad legal pads (the only thing I write on) stacked up in and on my desk.
When we type, our hands move as fast if not faster than our minds, so we tend to put down on the screen exactly what we think. When we write, our minds need to slow down to keep up with our cramping hand, so we unconsciously edit our words. My longhand writing is almost always better than my typed writing, and I find that I have to do far less editing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Neal Stephenson. Anything that man writes I inhale. But besides Neal, I will pretty much read everything and anything I can get my hands on. It’s true what they say, you become a better writer from reading, and I try to read at least an hour every day.
A book has to be pretty horrific for me to put it down. There are a few of those on my kindle, but I delete them pretty quickly.
What are you working on now?
Right now? At this very instant? I have a 150k novel that I am trying to tweak. It’s a post-apocalyptic story about emerging societies and government with a dash of romance. It’s currently mocking me because I need to make some big changes to get it back down to 120k words.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Just getting the word out there for readers to take a closer look at it. I like to think that while I might write erotica, they are still good stories with enjoyable characters and a plot. So many sites out there turn away erotica because it’s erotica and in the process make it harder for writers to reach readers who might like a little sex with their story.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write, and read, read, read. Seriously, no one can make you a better writer. You can learn tips and tricks from others, but the only way to become a better writer is to practice it. At the same time, the more you read the more you learn what makes a story good and what makes a story weak.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write your story. Go back to the beginning. Now take the first three thousand words you wrote and delete them (or cut them and put them in a new document and hide it away). This is the start of your story.
What are you reading now?
Neal Stephenson’s latest novel, Seveneves.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Getting that 150k word novel under control and published!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Crytonomicon, Much Ado About Nothing, and Where the Red Fern Grows
Author Websites and Profiles
Elanna Reese Website
Elanna Reese Amazon Profile
Elanna Reese’s Social Media Links
Pinterest Account