Interview with Laura Elliott

Laura release The Storytellers last week. Here's a bit about the book, and then you can check out her interview!!

Four storytellers
One ancient demon
No way out…
Four women who call themselves The Storytellers have gathered one hot August evening to tell tales, as they have for years. But on this night, they unknowingly evoke the powers of an ancient Mayan idol that breathes real life into their stories. The Mayan idol isn’t the only ancient being awakened. A power-hungry demon is determined to see the women fail and become enslaved to him forever.
Now the women’s lives depend on surviving each other’s stories, defeating the demon and solving a centuries-old mystery.
If they survive until The End untold wealth is theirs. But some stories have a life of their own…

Interview:

 

What’s a typical writer’s day for you?

 

I don’t think I’ve had a typical writer’s day for years. I’m on the road a lot and so I’ve had to develop ways to “plug-in” to projects in any kind of situation––busy cafes, construction sites, random hotels, out in the middle of nowhere. What puts me in tune to my muse is music. I have a pair of noise-canceling headphones and lots of playlists. I usually make a playlist for every book I’m working on. So, I’ll turn on my imagination and tune out my surroundings and type away just about anywhere, whenever I get some time. Lately I’ve been gesture sketching the people and places around me too. To listen to the music that inspired the The Storytellers you can click here http://grooveshark.com/playlist/The+Storytellers/88804120

 

What’s your favorite thing about writing paranormal?

 

Like most readers, I see myself in the stories that speak to me. These stories are a kind of mirror of my hopes, dreams, all that I hold dear and all that I fear. They settle into my core and make me laugh, think, cry, sigh or act. For me, this is paranormal romance.

 

Paranormal romance lives within my heart and mind at the sandy shores of my relationship with myself, and others––what it means to love and to be loved in return. It asks questions about what I’m willing or able to give in love and what I take from it. The stories that hit home with me usually shine a light on the costs and great gifts of true love. These stories show us what love could be, and so seldom is. They show us what love should never be and call into question the things we might be settling for, and those situations or relationships we might need to break away from or reexamine. These stories can clarify our passions and be a call to action in defense of them.

 

What’s the hardest thing about being self-published?

 

I think it would be that I have to be a jack of all trades. But IMHO increasingly these days even traditionally published authors have to know more about promotion and marketing. But I love wearing lots of different hats. It suits me. Before I was published I had no idea how I would have to fight for my writing time because all of a sudden there’s all this marketing and promotion that needs to happen after I published. 

 

What is the best part of being a self-published author?

 

I’m a technogeek. I’ve always been an early adapter of technology. I was working in the dot-com world during the Internet boom of the 90s, programming and designing for a company that came up with proprietary software for online banking for credit unions. There’s just something really cool about technology. It intrigues me. I love the way it can be used to tell stories. I guess I’ve been telling digital stories for a dozen years or so. I love designing book covers and producing book trailers. These were all things I had been doing in the news and entertainment industries and now I’m producing them for my stories.

 

The classic design problem of articulating a story through a single image fascinates me. That’s why I love designing book covers. I also enjoy engaging my other senses through music and video in ways that put me in touch with the story in deeper ways. I always learn a lot about what I’ve written when I produce a book trailer. The process seems to open up more interpretations and meaning behind my books.

 

Beyond all that, the indie author community is so generous and helpful and friendly. I’m truly honored to be a part of it and have made amazing friends here.

 

What one piece of advice would you give writers?

 

Never. Give. Up. Follow your gut and write your heart out. READ.

 

Tell us a little about The Storytellers?

 

The Storytellers is a Thelma and Louise meets Raiders of the Lost Arc story about four writers whose stories all come true for each other.

 

Four women who call themselves The Storytellers have gathered one hot August evening to tell tales, as they have for years. But on this night, they unknowingly evoke the powers of an ancient Mayan idol that breathes real life into their stories. The Mayan idol isn’t the only ancient being awakened. A power-hungry demon is determined to see the women fail and become enslaved to him forever.
 Now the women’s lives and loves depend on surviving each other’s stories, defeating the demon and solving a centuries-old mystery.
 If they survive until The End untold wealth is theirs. But some stories have a life of their own…

 

you can buy The Storytellers here http://www.amazon.com/The-Storytellers-ebook/dp/B00F1LJL12

 

What was your favorite part of The Storytellers, when you were writing?

 

One of my favorite, but hardest parts of the novel for me to write concerned the naming and powers of the four idols at the heart of the story: Escrito holds the power of the writer, which we know as the power of the truth; Bailador, the power of the dancer, which holds the power of falling in love; Pintador, the power of the painter, which embodies the power of perception; and lastly Músico, the power of music, which transcends time and space and holds the power of emotion.

 

Tell us something most people don’t know about you?

 

In the 80s, I won tickets to a Phil Collins concert by singing “Against All Odds” on KLOS in Los Angeles.