About Elli Buchanan:
The ideas for several stories came about when my man and I were floating around on a boat in the Mediterranean for 16 months. Plenty of time for the creative juices to flow and undoubtedly the experience of a lifetime, but before any of those ideas became fully fledged books; we returned to Australia and the real world of jobs and in my case, opening a small business.
Nearly 5 years later, the beloved business has sold and now it’s time to write again.
Love Me, Love My Sister was a beginning, a taster; until my ‘evil twin’ emerged and wanted to write something edgier with murder, mayhem and mystery.
I hope you enjoy reading these novellas, while I decide which genre I best like writing.
What inspires you to write?
My inspiration … my desire to write every day, comes from the feeling that creating gives. I think human beings all need a creative release from the practicalities of life.
Whether it’s writing, cooking, flower arranging… all these things feed the creative side of us… and that’s a great ‘feel good’ factor.
The other ‘feel good’ factor is the knowledge that something you created can not only give you pleasure, but can give others pleasure as well.
Now THAT is a great feeling!
Tell us about your writing process.
The ideas for books come to me in the oddest places and often when I’m least expecting them. Just as I’m waking up … in the shower … driving.
My process is to sit on the beach or by the river (water seems to do it for me) … a glass of wine helps (that’s got water, hasn’t it?) and I work out a rough outline in my head and jotting down ideas.
Then I make sure I have a whole day to myself, close my eyes and start typing furiously.
I try and get as much of the story down as the thoughts spew out … and I do mean spew. When I’m finished it’s all so much rubbish, but the basic outline is there.
Then I fill it in .. embellish it … sleep on it some more, then basic edit… Throw it to my partner to critique it …. edit some more … then give it to my trusted team to read and give me their thoughts … then edit some more… and on it goes.
Am I ever completely satisfied? No! But I’ve learned to let go, otherwise I’d never publish a thing.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Oh yea. I’m absolutely inside their heads. I tend to ‘become’ the female lead and my reactions become her reactions to a situation.
I try it with men up to a certain point, but let’s face it: Mars and Venus.
That’s where my partner comes in. He can give better ‘male’ reactions. Of course men think differently and if I want my books to resound with ALL readers, then I’ve got to have a man’s input into it.
What advice would you give other writers?
It’s therapeutic. You get to write about things that frighten you, embarrass you, things that you regret doing, things that you wish for … all in the guise of it happening to someone else.
Any writer or actor who says they don’t put a piece of themselves into every book or play they write … every part they play … is telling a big FIB! :0
How did you decide how to publish your books?
It’s a different world for writers now. The opportunities for publishing are enormous, but the other side of the coin is that everyone has jumped on the bandwagon and it’s easy for a good book to get lost in the ocean of swimming fish.
I approached a boutique publisher early on, but unless you are a big name and likely to make the publishing house a lot of money, they’re not really interested. .. And that’s fair enough. They were happy to take me on, but I’d have to do all the marketing/promotion etc, so I figured what’s the point of that? I’d be doing that if I self published and I’d be keeping 70% of sales instead of the tiny percentage the publishers were offering.
There was no question really. Self publishing has been exciting and fulfilling, but like any business, it’s also been hair-pullingly frustrating. )
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Self Publishing obviously, but there are more and more boutique publishers popping up all over the place and they are being more generous with their offers. ie higher percentage, help with publishing and promoting.
Hopefully a meet in the middle will happen, where the writer has the opportunity to do what they love and make enough money to enable them to continue to create … and the reader gets a continuous supply of good quality books.
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Science Fiction Time Travel, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Crime Serial Killers, Alternative Reality, Murder & Suspense.
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Elli Buchanan Home Page Link
Link To Elli Buchanan Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Link to Author Page on Google Plus
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
