Interview with Elle Rose

Author of Frozen

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’m from Rochester, NY. Born and raised. But I guess you can say I truly reside in my own fantasy world.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I wish there was a story here, however, I still resided in the same town I was born in.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Ever since I was a child, I had a dream of writing a book. It was about 12 years ago, I finally decided to give it a try. Growing up, I always had some sort of story line I would daydream about when I was alone. As an adult, I noticed the stories never went away. It wasn’t until I was reading a book that shall remain un-named that I decided I should give it a try. Test the waters to see how my stories looked on paper. And of course, to see if others would like the characters that live in my head on a daily basis.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

I would like to think that if you’re a first-time reader of my books you would need to have an open mind. I can’t say my story lines are too far-fetched but they do boarded line abnormal, the kind of situations you don’t run into on a daily basis. All of my books even if they’re not a romance novel will have a hint of love. They will also have moments that will make you sit back and ponder, what if.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I feel that my stories can connect with almost anyone that’s a reader. I do tend to place my novels in the Young Adult, Older Teen, Romantic, Sci-fi realm, but at this point I have to say, I don’t write anything that would offend my grandmother, or that is too difficult for she or my mother too read. I’ve found that I’ve had male and female readers between the ages of 12-85 read and enjoy my books.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I have to say the most surprising thing I found about the entire writing/publishing process is editing and marketing. I tell other writers, for me, writing the books is the easy part. Editing and marketing the books is what drains the life out of you. No matter if you self-publish or if you’re lucky enough to have a book agent/publisher, you must edit (edit, edit, edit and more editing) and you must market. As social media is such a huge part of our world now, marketing your books tends to fall heavily on the author.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

If I could talk to my past self, I would first encourage past me to start writing sooner. I love to write and perhaps had started sooner I may have taken writing in school…not to say it’s not too late to go back for a few writing courses. Secondly, I would tell myself to grow a thicker skin much faster. I say thing because after you finish you first piece of work, your pride and joy, the fruit of your labor, you then have to introduce this precious baby to this very honest world. You have to be ready to hear no your work isn’t what we’re looking for from book agents and publishers. And you have to be ready for the reviews of strangers. Strangers, that most of the time have no idea how hard you worked to bring you creation to life.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

I would love for my books to be in the hands of any and everybody who loves to read. Sorry I know that’s not a number. I guess it’s kind of hard to answer, but I will say, to one day see my book in a bestsellers list, or made into a tv/movie would be freaking Fantastic!

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

I believe my biggest challenge to date is finding a publisher. It can be frustrating spending hours online searching for publishers that might be interested in your manuscript. For those who haven’t started to process yet, you’ll find that each company has a specific way they want you to send a query letter with your manuscript. At the end of the day, if you reach out to 5 places, that’s 5 different ways I need to save and submit the query, synopsis and partial manuscript. Some companies only accept an email, with no attachment, others will want the first 3 chapters of your manuscript and a 2-4-page synopsis. I’ve had a few that want you to send via mail your entire manuscript also with a self-addressed envelope and stamp so when they reject it they can send you the manuscript back. Then there are places who have a portal on their website where you can upload your query and manuscript. After doing all of this for a few months it can become frustrating.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest strength has come from my friends, family and writing community. Each step of the way I have had help. When writing the book, people have encouraged me. When publishing the book, my writing group has pointed me in the correct direction. And as marketing will be a part of your book’s life from the day it is picked up, having family, friends and fellow writers spread the news has helped a ton.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest weakness is myself! While writing the books, I find that I can sometimes fight with the characters, and the typos, ugh the typos! I think while writing my fingers forget how to work and do their own thing. When it comes to publishing and marketing, I know that I become impatient. I would love to just have an easy button. Like, write the book, and then smash that easy button and bam it’s published with no rejection letters and it’s marketed without me spending hours a day posting on different media sites.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I hope to work on a new book soon! Truthfully, it’s been a little while since I’ve worked on any of the book ideas that I have rolling around in my head. I also think it’s a good thing to know when you need to take a break. I love to write and the last thing I want to do is make it feel like a full-time job…I already have one of those. I don’t need two.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I have 5 books published. My first 4 were self-published, my 5th book was through a hybrid publisher. I did have one more book published through a traditional publisher, however, in the last few years the company closed. All rights to the book have been reverted to me, so now I need to figure out if I should self-publish or look for a hybrid/traditional publisher again.