Author Interview: Elle Maxwell
Hello all! I am so excited to share my first author interview, Elle Maxwell! This blog and my bookstagram have been such a fun way to meet other readers and authors whose work I love and admire. I recently had the opportunity to read Us, Again by Elle Maxwell and thoroughly enjoyed it (more of my thoughts below the interview). Elle has written a fantastic second chance romance with a unique story line. She is a debut independent romance author who has previously written on Wattpad but decided to take the plunge into self-publishing and has kindly shared with me a bit about her writing process and why she loves romance. Her book recommendations are on point!! Please enjoy.
Mollie: Why did you choose to write romance?
Elle: I “discovered” the romance genre maybe four or five years ago (I was all about YA and fantasy for a long time before then) and I’ve been binging romances ever since. I’ve literally read hundreds! So when I decided it was time to finally write a book, romance felt like the natural thing to do.
I’ve encountered so many amazing books in this genre that give me the experience I want as a reader... they’ve made me feel. And no, not just the sexy parts. The ones I love best are poignant and emotional, when I get that literal gut-wrenching sensation. The books where the characters have the farthest to go to reach their HEA. That’s what I wanted to write.
M: I was definitely a YA/Fantasy reader and delved into romance more recently as well. The romance genre really does give you all the feels and I love that there is a trope and story for everyone.
Describe your writing process.
E: Oh goodness. I don’t think I have a writing process!
I have a favorite coffee shop where I wrote a lot of Us, Again. I also craft out a lot of scenes in my head first. Sometimes I’ll “write” entire chapters mentally before actually writing them out.
But when those scenes come to me they’re always out of order. That’s why posting on Wattpad while my book was in progress was crucial for me. It held me accountable to keep a schedule of finishing and posting chapters because people were waiting. It also forced me to write them in order, to push myself to come up with the scenes that bridged different moments I’d already planned.
I also learned during this experience that some of the best things come when I sit down and start writing without having it pre-planned. There’s apparently a lot more buried in my brain that only wants to come out spontaneously!
M:What inspired you to write a second chance romance?
E: Honestly? I don’t have an inspiring answer for this one. I was in the middle of writing a completely different book (I’ll publish that one someday!) and I was getting in my own head. Was it unique enough? Did it move too slowly? Was it marketable?
Enter Us, Again. It started as an “experiment,” just a little writing exercise I came up with to prove to myself that I could actually write and finish a book, and that I could write romance. So, I thought about the popular romance categories right now (you know: secret baby, fake relationship, enemies to lovers, etc.) and just randomly chose second chance. And then I sat down with nothing but that basic premise and started writing, intending to make it a “simple straightforward romance.” It really took on a life of its own from there. I’ll always be proud of and kind of shocked by Us, Again – this story is one that I didn't know I had inside me, but it was something I obviously needed to tell.
In terms of the original experiment, I ultimately proved to myself that I can, in fact, write a book and write romance, but what I’m not capable of is anything “simple and straightforward.” As some of my advance readers have already pointed out, this is not a fluffy book
M: It's always so interesting when a story or inspiration will come out of nowhere. I love that!
How long did it take you to write Us, Again?
E: It actually took me exactly 6 months from the day I wrote Prologue to when I wrote “the end.” (Okay, it was 6 months plus 1 day, but let’s pretend because that’s more dramatic, right?)
M: Tell me some of your favorite books?
E: Doesn’t every book lover dread this question? I usually have to take it by genre lol. I’ll focus on romance since that’s what we’re talking about (because the English major in me could also nerd out about Faulkner and Victorian novels if unchecked!).
This was SO hard and I feel like I could go on for pages, but here’s what I came up with. (These are not necessarily in order.)
On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (and that whole series!)
Waking Oliviaby Elizabeth O’Rourke
Usand Himby Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy (and their spin-off WAGS series!)
Shameless and Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin
The Hot Shotby Kristen Callihan
Wait for Itby Mariana Zapata (I love her books so much…I also have to give a shout out to The Wall of Winnipegand Kulti)
Midnight Blue by LJ Shen
And a dash of fantasy romance:
Elizabeth Hunter’s Elemental Mysteries series, and the Irin Chronicles (The Scribe, The Singer, The Secret…I love that couple! I haven’t read the rest yet).
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (and the All Souls Trilogy)
M: This is a fantastic list! Several have been added to my TBR. I am such a sucker for Mariana Zapata.
Can you share what you’re working on now? Please tell me it’s Marisa’s book because I need that!
E: I am writing Marisa’s book! 😊
I absolutely fell in love with the secondary characters in Us, Again, so much that they are getting their own spinoff novels. I actually started writing Griff and Shaina’s book first and got a decent way into it, but once Marisa and Derek started “talking” to me they wouldn’t shut up (seriously, these two…the banter!). So I decided their story needed to be my follow up to publishing Us, Again.
Marisa has some epic one-liners in Us, Again, and that sense of humor is definitely present in her book, but I’m also showing more of her complexity and the depth her character only shows in glimpses in Us, Again. So there will be some emotional moments, but also lots and lots of steam because…Marisa.
And one of the best things about this book? We get to see a lot of Graham and Mackenzie :)
M: YES! I am so excited to read Marisa's book! Her and Derek had such clear chemistry in Us, Again.
How many other writing projects do you have in the works?
E: I’m trying really hard to just focus on Marisa’s book right now, but Griff and Shaina are still in the back of my mind (and in a document on my computer!)
I also have the book that I was writing before I started Us, Again. It’s darker, slower, more suspenseful New Adult book that’s an extremely slow burn. I actually wrote them simultaneously and finished around the same time, and that other book is sitting on my computer as a completed 120,000 word first draft waiting for editing. It’s going to sit there for a little while, though, because I think people who read Us, Again will appreciate getting the spinoffs first.
M: A slow burn with some suspense?? *ears perk up* That sounds right up my alley.
How does it feel to have your first published novel?
E: Amazing. Surreal. A long freaking time coming!
M:What has been the most surprising about publishing your first book?
E: The most surprising thing about this whole journey has been the amazing response I’ve received from readers so far, first on Wattpad and now in the bookstagram community. I was never aiming for fame or fortune here, and didn’t really have any expectations. But it’s been really encouraging and a little mind-blowing to see so many Goodreads reviews and pre-orders coming in! It’s boosted my confidence a million-fold that I can actually do this writer thing.
M: I am so happy to hear you are getting a great response!
I adore this cover and it was one of the first things that drew me to your book. Why did you decide to go with a graphic cover?
E: Although my initial goal was simply to publish a book, I can’t help but think of it a little like a business. I like to look at data and analyze trends, so I went at this whole thing from that angle. It didn’t take long to realize that the vast majority of best-selling romance novels for the year have illustrated covers, so I decided to jump in and be part of that movement.
I do other kinds of art but actually taught myself digital illustration in order to make this cover. It was a labor of love, but I came to love this kind of illustration, and I'm pretty proud of the result! I can’t wait to make future covers for my books. I’m also already chatting with a couple of other indie authors about illustrating covers for them, which is incredibly exciting.
M: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Wishing you the best for your future writing! Us, Again is out today and is available on kindle unlimited!
Us, Again Review:
SYNOPSIS:
"It's really him. The former love of my life. The man I gave everything to, who broke me so badly the pieces never healed back together properly."
Graham Wyatt might be 6’2” of irresistible muscled, tattooed, angsty Alpha male (and don’t forget the man bun)—but sorry, ladies! He’s a one woman man. Specifically, Mackenzie Thatcher, the love of his life whose heart he broke 5 years ago. Now that he’s out of prison (yes, prison…it’s a long story) he’s determined to redeem himself and prove he’s reformed his bad boy ways so she’ll give him a second chance.
Mackenzie, on the other hand, has vowed off love forever. She's already experienced excruciating heartbreak, and she has no intention of ever getting near that particular fire again...especially with the very man who burned her in the first place. She’s perfectly happy being a badass independent woman, thank you very much. That is, until seeing Graham again stirs up feelings she doesn’t know what to do with (besides a little quality time with her B.O.B.).
She’s not going to give in easily, but he isn’t afraid to play a little dirty. (Like that time he showed up to her yoga class and took off his shirt…) Graham is determined to do whatever it takes to win her back, even when some drug-dealing demons from his past show up and threaten the progress he’s starting to make.
Can Graham keep from repeating his past mistakes and find redemption with the woman he loves?
Ah, swoon!! I loved reading this debut romance. I was initially intrigued by this stunning cover and further intrigued by the synopsis for this book.
My favorite part of this story was the hero gone to prison at 18 aspect. I found it so interesting to read about a hero who misses out on some of his most formidable years after being incarcerated for 5 years. Graham returns from prison and looks up his high school sweetheart, Mackenzie. He finds her studying to become a psychologist and convinces her to give him a second chance.
I haven't read many romances where the hero is sort of naive due to being secluded from society. I really enjoyed how Mackenzie was a support system for Graham after they get back together. Graham was a very well rounded character with a lot of emotion, which I appreciated. Mackenzie was incredibly mature and fairly badass, to be honest. She was the perfect compliment to Graham. They were both swoonworthy characters with all the passion!!
The story had some insta-love qualities that aren't my favorite but the author provides a lot of background to give the reader a reason to understand their head over heels attraction.
