Elle Lewis lives in Florida with her husband, son, and a phenomenal orange cat named Cheddar. She is a nurse by profession, but her heart belongs to monsters, fictional worlds, and all things conjured up by the imagination. She dreams of one day moving to the mountains and living in a small town that resembles The Shire.
1.Why storytelling? What made you yearn to tell a good story, and how long was this story within you before it came out?
I fell in love with science fiction/fantasy at a young age. I always knew I wanted to write books. My imagination is constantly on, always spinning new stories and characters. And I’m in love with monsters. Dark Touch was brewing in my mind for quite a while. I never intended for it to be a trilogy, but the story almost took on a life of its own. I am currently working on the sequel. This story has been an ongoing project for the last seven years. Definitely a labor of love!
2.What is it about your genre that speaks to you?
Oh man…how long do you have? The pure joy of escaping to another world. Epic battles. Brave and gritty characters. Cool weapons. And overall bad assery. I just love that heightened version of our world. Taking the real to another level. And relating to a character and their journey. The impossible task. The notion of never giving up, despite the odds. Doing the right thing, because its right, even if it’s not easy. And monsters (swoon). Vampires, werewolves, demons, etc. Robots and spaceships, time travel. The gorgeousness that is steampunk. It’s all like a flamed arrow striking my heart. SF/F is apart of my soul. I’m in love with all of it!
3.Without giving any spoilers, what is your favorite thing about this book?
I created new supernatural creatures for the story. As an avid reader, I have devoured so many Fantasy books. And while I love the classics (demons, vampires) I wanted to introduce something entirely new. Dark Touch features original lore and brand-new creatures. It was a little risky but I’m glad that I did it. It pushed my creativity and helped develop my skills as a storyteller. The creatures in Dark Touch have been well received by readers. Reading reviews and seeing people’s reaction to them has been super cool and rewarding. I’ve really loved being able to share them with people.
4.Everyone has at least one specific challenge that holds them back. What is that challenge in your work and how do you overcome it?
For me, it’s time. I work full time as a Cardiac Nurse, and I’m a wife and mother. It’s really challenging to balance it all. But this is my passion, my dream. To create worlds and tell stories. And no matter how impossible it feels sometimes to do it all, I just try to push through. I take it one day at a time. One project at a time and try to prioritize. It’s difficult for sure. I would always prefer to be writing. But I just do my best and write at every opportunity. Oh, and drink a ton of coffee. It’s the nectar of the gods. I think it’s the only thing keeping me alive actually….
5.You’re going to go back and visit yourself when you first started writing, at whatever age it was, and you can give yourself one piece of advice. What would it be?
Get use to rejection and don’t take it personally. And-write it wrong the first time. That’s what editing is for.
6.Describe your workplace.
My writing workplace is anywhere I can sit with my laptop and a cup of coffee. My daytime work place is the number one trauma hospital in the area, an organization I’m proud to be a part of. My specialty is in Cardiac procedures. It is fast paced and stressful at times, but I truly love my job and the work that we do for the community.
7.If you could live anywhere other than where you are, where would it be?
Is the Shire an option? Honestly, I really want to move to a small town in the mountains. Seasons would be nice. And I would like to be able to enjoy the outdoors in the summertime. I’m in Florida and its so hot. Too hot. Like, if hell had a locker room, this is it.
8.You have a chance to hang out with any literary character for one day. Who would it be and what would you do?
Lestat, from the Anne Rice novels. And we would spend the day turning me into an immortal. I’d rock life as a vampire. If he’s busy though, I could always clear my schedule for the werewolves in the Jim Butcher series, The Dresden Files. And the item on the docket would be the same- TURN ME. I would love to wolf out.
9.Now that you have published your first book, do you have any dreams you have not reached? Goals for new books, series beyond this publication, or anything else that can tantalize the fantasy public?
I have several books planned. I would like to do another Urban Fantasy (set in the future). As well as a high Fantasy that takes place in a different world. And then, I would like to cross genres into horror. I’m really looking forward to the horror novel. The setting will be an operating room, which will allow me to use my medical knowledge and combine it with my love of writing.
I also wrote a few short stories that are currently posted on my author blog. I may expand on those and either write additional segments or expand them into full length books. One of them is Grimdark Fantasy. And the other has a gritty steam punk vibe.
10.If you are casting your protagonist in a movie, what actor would you choose and why?
Jennifer Lawrence. She has the right look, but she is also a great actress.
11.The audio book sector is exploding right now. Have you been listening? If so, can you recommend an audio book to us?
Yes! I loved Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames. It’s an epic tale and the audio book is incredible. Very well done.
12.Can we expect an audio book from you, and if you had the ability to choose anyone to narrate it, is there someone in particular you would hire?
Dark Touch is currently available on audible and it is narrated by Doug Greene. He did an amazing job! I love his narration.
13.Do you share any vices or habits with any characters in your book? If so, what are they?
Yes, my protagonist and I share the same favorite drink- Scotch on the rocks.
Find Elle Lewis online:
Facebook @glass.star.trilogy
Twitter@Elle_Lewis2
Dark Touch is published by an independent press, Black Rose Writing. It is available on Barnesnoble.com as well as Amazon and Audible.
Jesse Teller 