Interview With Author Elayne Griffith
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
At the moment, my husband and I travel the country in a converted sprinter van. He’s a professional juggler so we follow the county fair scene and corporate gigs. I received my BFA in drawing & painting from CSULB, and in true artistic fashion, I’ve lived a fairly unconventional life, doing everything from painting murals to working at an outdoor science school.
I grew up a country girl, riding horses and rock climbing. When I wasn’t running around like a nature nymph, I was in my room drawing, reading, or playing with Breyer horses. I’m also a total nerd who loves all things fantasy, sci-fi, and anime. Weird factoids: I can spin poi, kind of play didgeridoo, and met Carrie Fisher once (she was super nice).
I began writing my first novel after I was laid off during the 2009 recession. Economic hardship was the kicker. So, naturally, I decided to do something that didn’t make any money. But I wrote Sapphire (soon to be Shielded Realms) purely for escapism and the joy of it. Since then, I’ve written three full-length novels, countless short stories, a script, and a novella.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut sci-fi, Azimuth, was inspired by several things over time that eventually connected. My interest in science, quantum computing, nanotech, and consciousness grew into “what if the quantum fluctuations of consiousness could be stored as quantum information?” And, obviously, there had to be a mind-melding horse in the story.
The human experience has always fascinated me. Consciousness is a strange, ephemeral thing, indeed. As an atheist, I suppose I find my meaning and purpose in my creativity and the beautiful mystery of it all. I’m okay with the unknown, and identify with absurdist existentialism: that we arise (with probably very little free will if any at all) into an indifferent universe and must make our own meaning in order to combat the terrifying absurdism of it all, like our awareness of our own mortality.
Hence, I’m a writer.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual? Well, I vanlife it, so having a habit is difficult. Sometimes we’re on the road for days, visiting people, or moving from place to place. I ‘usually’ tend to work on writing or marketing from noon to six, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. Sometimes I work ten days in a row, and sometimes I don’t do much for a week or two, depending on our schedule. Being at the mercy of a nomadic lifestyle has certainly been a challenge, but I think I’ve finally come to terms with being consistently inconsistent.
When I do have the time and a quiet place to work, I like to make coffee, watch or read things about writing (one must always be learning), then put on ambient youtube videos of coffee shops, nature, or something nerdy like Hogwarts, Lord of the Rings, or Witcher. While that plays on my iPad in the background, I go through my tasks in my Legend Planner for the day. On average, I write for about five and a half hours before my brain’s fried on creativity. Once I’m brain-dead, I make dinner, hang with my hubby, and either watch Netflix (for research purposes, of course) or play PS4.
Oh, and I try to get up every hour or two to move. Don’t forget to move and exercise, writers! I know it’s not in our nature.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Soooooo many. I started reading at a young age: Animorphs, Goosebumps, Boxcar Children, Harry Potter, Narnia, the Hobbit, etc. Now, I read everything from high fantasy and sci-fi to general or historical fiction. Crime, mystery, or romance aren’t really my jam. Even though I love creepy, ghastly, dead things, and enjoy zombie movies/shows, I don’t read much horror…besides some Stephen King.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m revamping and relaunching my fantasy series, The Shielded Realms, from a decade ago. It was my very first book, and it honestly did okay when I self-pubbed it ten years ago, but I knew nothing about the data science of Amazon or how to market, or really what I was doing at all. Thus, it vanished into the void. I still love the story and believe it has potential, so I’m editing and breathing life into it again.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Not quite sure yet, just starting this new path, so we’ll see. A lot of this information and these sites didn’t really exist ten+ years ago. I have a line-up of four promotional sites spaced a week apart: Awesome Gang, Fussy Librarian, E-reader News Today, and then Bookbub. After that, I’ll soften the marketing with booktok and Amazon ads while I work on my fantasy series.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Hoowee. There’s a lot one could say, but I’ll try to boil it down to something palatable.
If you really, truly want to be an author and have a writing career be prepared for a long, hard haul. You need passion, grit, self-motivation, some delusional thinking, and thick skin to ‘make it.’ It’s not a path or profession for a quick buck or ego-stroking. Lifestyle and luck definitely play into it as well. Trying to write and market while having a full-time job or kids will make it a hundred times longer and more difficult to achieve. I chose a childless nomadic lifestyle because my creativity and freedom were, and always have been, more important to me. If you can make it work with kids or another career that is admirable and amazing. I’m too lazy for that.
You must always be learning how to write and market. Always. Watch and read everything. Get a coach. Join writer’s groups. Go to conferences. Enter contests. Write short stories or novels that you never share. If you want to go down the traditional path then learn the industry inside and out, how to write a query and synopsis, polish your manuscript to an inch of its life, and be prepared to wait. It can take a year or more to find an agent, and if you do, a year or more before you might land a publisher and get published. If you’re a debut nobody, you still have to do a lot of marketing on your own. Also, not to be a killjoy but it’s the reality of it, if you don’t sell enough copies the publisher and/or agent could drop you and you’re back at square one.
If you want to self-pub, then learn the industry and marketing tactics inside and out. Research data science and algorithms until your eyes bleed. Use Publisher Rocket. Let go of perfectionism (ahem) and be prepared to write and publish at least two books a year if not more. The key to indie success is constantly publishing new work and constantly marketing. I recommend following Chris Fox, Abbie Emmons, and Kindlepreneur on YouTube.
Authorhood is not an easy, or sane, path. But if it’s your passion, it’s a rewarding one. Good luck!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Best? That’s hard to answer. Though I should tattoo “perfectionism kills progress” on my forehead. Backwards, so I can read it in the mirror.
I suppose Jim Rohn’s speech about risk resonated with me.
“It’s all risky…I’ll tell you how risky life is. You’re not gonna get out alive.”
What are you reading now?
I’m reading the sci-fi Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Only all my hopes and goals and a decade of learning amalgamating into a career as I turn forty. How does middle age catch up to you so quickly?
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?
Just books, not series? What if it’s three books in one? Like the Lord of the Rings trilogy but bound in one? I’m going to count that. So, long books then: LoTR, Shogun, and The Six Wives of King Henry VIII. That way I can either read them or have a lot of kindling.
Author Websites and Profiles
Elayne Griffith Amazon Profile
Elayne Griffith’s Social Media Links