Interview with Ellen Ekstrom

Author of Ascalon

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

I’m a native Californian from the San Francisco Bay Area and I now reside in Berkeley, California.

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

Berkeley was the hub of intellectual and political discourse when I was growing up – Berkeley in the Sixties was nothing like it is now. I wanted to be close to the UC Libraries.

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

I’ve written stories since I was able to write words and I used to spend summer afternoons and weekends during the school year in my hometown library, reading, and carrying home stacks of books. I wanted to be one of those people who had a book on the shelf and whose stories were read over and over again and shared. Just as being a clergywoman has always been in my DNA, so has the ability to tell stories. My mother used to sigh, “Do something with that imagination,” when I came to her with a dream I had, or a story I had in mind.

My first novel, “The Legacy,” came from numerous drafts, reincarnations, and ideas, but it was always set in medieval Florence and Tuscany – the early 14th century before the Medici family and Il Duomo was built. I was inspired by Scott’s “Ivanhoe” to write the story of a disinherited nobleman seeking to regain his legacy during the waning of the Guelf-Ghibelline wars.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

I write historical fiction, literary fiction both modern and historical, and fantasy. My books blend fantasy, reality, mysticism, and spirituality with doses of medieval warfare and intrigue for the historical fiction novels, and my own experiences to the modern literary fiction. My writing has been described as whimsical and lyrical; my characters come out of the pages and are people you could sit down and have a cup of coffee and a chat.

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

Any reader who fancies historical fiction, fantasy, and stories that touch modern matters of the heart would like my stories.

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

I learned that you don’t go into writing/publishing to make lots and lots of money. It’s truly all about chance and knowing people. It hasn’t stopped me.

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

Don’t listen to nay-sayers who think one is only a published author, or even an author if they’re signed up with one of the big New York publishing houses. Don’t listen to the people who think you haven’t got talent as a writer because you’re not with a big house.

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

I’d settle for one hundred. Ideally, a thousand would make me happy. I have a small following.

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

Time! I have to squeeze the writing in between my family and my secular job. That, and not being taken seriously for my work.

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

Regarding writing: telling a story, realistic dialogue, imagery, and research.

Regarding publishing: formatting the interiors and proofreading, dogged about typos! I always feel crushed when I find that one comma out of place, that one word misspelled that I missed. I have an editor now.

Regarding marketing: Word of mouth and keeping a complete collection of my published work on my desk at the secular job, carrying around business cards to share when the subject comes around to books.

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

Writing: the tendency to write using the same plot or characters.

Publishing: Not having covers that SELL, but covers I like.

Marketing: I hate marketing. End of.

When do you think you will you write your next book?

I’m working on the prequel to “Armor of Light” and “Ascalon” now. Both books are my retelling of the St. George and the Dragon legend. My George is George Ascalon, earl of Grasmere of Cumbria and he’s returned from witnessing the sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. He wants to live a quiet life but his father made a pledge to a neighboring lord that requires George’s cooperation. The story in “Ascalon” deals with George’s life and struggles after his quest and his enemy in this story is King John of England.

Several readers wanted to know why George is so messed up and how he got his surname when he’s a nobleman from northern England. The research has been incredible – medieval Jerusalem, the Crusades – even though it’s fiction, I need the facts and the history to make the story come alive.

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

I’ve used a ‘traditional’ publisher in the past. Now I have my own imprint, Whyte Rose & Violet, Scribes, which has released all of my titles under its banner. I celebrated my sixth year this month.