Interview with Author Elise Hepner:
Hi Elise. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest book.
Repossession is a short-short about a woman who’s really lost in her relationship with her husband as well as the sexual relationship with herself. She feels closed off from her sexuality until she goes online to find a different man to give her that spark during their divorce. Little does she know, there are bound to be a few surprises from messing with the internet. I wrote this particular story after watching the movie Secretary and having Mina pop into my head. She’s that little piece of me that’s always afraid of myself.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
I have a lot of large irons in the fire right now. I love shorts but I’ve always wanted to write long books. So right now I’m working on an erotic fairytale anthology, a paranormal historical erotic novel, and a few secrets up my sleeve.
- How may readers contact you?
They can email me at c.elise91@yahoo.com
- When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first ms?
I’ve been writing since I was very small, I remember my first short story was about a bike that came alive and wanted to be a dirt bike so it went cross country to find a way to enter itself into a race. It ate pizza. I was a very odd child. I first started thinking about writing professionally when I was around thirteen and I wrote my first series, I started doing my homework then on the business and how to go about it.
When I sent my first MS I was completely terrified. It was a little easier though because I didn’t start with fiction, I started with non-fiction and very visual, personal experiences from my own life. A few of those got accepted for publication and then once I got out of college I submitted my first fiction MS to a print anthology. I figured that I had been planning my whole life around this whole career including my college degree, what was the harm in submitting?
- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
It really depends on the genre and heat level, but my last MS took me 6 months for a first draft and the first two revisions. I’m really nuts about revisions. But my current novella I’m working on took a month to write 30k because I used a 1k a word contest.
- Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
I have a window of time where I like to get up in the morning and from there I just make extensive checklist for the day and hit the page running. For the most part I don’t like the outline my books, but I do turn to that when my characters have thrown me off the path and I’m totally lost as to where they should be going. It keeps me—and them, in line.
- What is your writing routine once you start a book?
I submerge myself into a book until I can’t breathe. When I’m really deep into a book I spend 17 hours a day on it and I love what I do, so not much will drag me away. Depending on how the book is going I’ll either be listening to music if it’s a good day, or if it’s a bad day I’ll rely on silence.
- What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing - or are there constant interruptions?
My husband just started a job where he works from home, so I used to have a lot of privacy but now we work in the same room. It can get a little aggravating and he likes to ask my opinion, so he can be bothersome. But for the most part I turn on my sound blocking headphones and he knows not the screw with me because I’m in writing mode.
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
I watch a lot of Reality Television on VH1, TLC, MTV, you name it, I probably watch it. My husband is giving me a hard time about it all the time, but it’s the only thing that really puts my mind on pause. I also read a lot both for pleasure and as homework for whatever I’m going to write.
- Where do your ideas come from?
For some reason I always think of the sexual scenario first and then the character’s flesh themselves out in my head. There are very rare times when I’ll get flashes of a character before anything else, but that tends to happen with longer works rather than my shorter ones. Probably because I’ll be more invested in my character’s head for a 60k book as opposed to a 3k story.
- What kind of research do you do?
I do a lot in the way of sex toy research, historical research, and any research I can get my hands on, really. I adore research and some days it’s my favorite part of the job.
- Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?
I will write anything because I love writing. I would really like to break into fantasy historicals at some point, I have a back log of series ideas in that genre and I think they could be really enjoyable. All of my books no matter what genre will always be erotic, I know that much.
- What does your husband think of your writing?
My husband is very proud of me. I’m given the freedom to write full time as my job because he gets a nice enough paycheck that we can rely on him while I pursue my desires. He helps me in any way he can which is often proofreading and right now he’s working on my custom website.
- Do you ever ask him for advice?
He’s my brainstorming buddy! I ask him for advice all the time if I think something is farfetched or it sounds contrived.
- Fill in the blank favorites -
Dessert. My favorite dessert has to be tiramisu.
City. I detest cities, they are too populated and I get claustrophobic in crowds.
Season. Favorite season is spring/summer because I adore the heat and lounge in the sun like a cat in a sun spot.
Type of hero. My favorite type of hero is a man whose super cocky, super in charge, but also vulnerable at the same time because of the feelings he’s carrying around for the heroine.
Type of heroine. My favorite kind of heroine is spunky and doesn’t wilt at anything, even the hero’s desire laced kiss. Think Scarlett O’Hara but twice as stubborn.
- Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
I really love anything by Francesca Lia Block, she really inspired my visual voice when I was growing up and just learning to write. I’d have to say my favorite book is either Gone with the Wind or the Weetzie Bat books.
- Who are some of your other favorite authors to read?
Richelle Mead, Kate Pearce, Kim Harrison, George Saunders, Augustan Burroughs, Elizabeth Wurtzel, and Phillipa Gregory.
- Are you a member of any author groups - RWA, critique groups, etc.?
I belong to the RWA, Romance Diva’s, Romance Writer’s Behaving Badly Blog, and a few different critique circles.
- What do you think of critique groups in general?
I love them, but it does take a long time to find the right one. That’s one of those writer things that an author should never be completely satisfied with until they’ve found the right niche.
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully with a print book and a lot more e-books. I’ve got a five year plan mapped out and I’m sticking to it pretty well.
- How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I’ve written five books of 60k or longer, none are published—yet and I have several short stories and novella’s in the works.
- After you've written your book and it's been published, do you ever buy it and/or read it?
I don’t like to read or look at my stuff after publication because I see all the little flaws I could have fixed when I wrote it in the first place.
- Have you experienced writer's block---> If so, how did you work through it?
I get writer’s block in spurts and starts normally lasting for weeks at a time. I just open a new work in progress and start something fresh. Most of the time that can knock something loose that makes it easier to write and then I can return to the original problem. If that doesn’t work, I read a lot of books until I’m inspired again.
- What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
That people want to read my work! That I get to share my imagination and people are willing to buy it and love it.
- Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Don’t limit yourself to just studying your market in fiction or non-fiction, branch out and read everything because cross genre is very “in” right now and it’s beneficial for a writer to have a group of writing tools from many different areas. Establishing your voice and integrating different bits and pieces from different genres can bring a complexity to the work that would be missing if someone only read for example, romance or mystery.
The worst thing you could ever do to your career is giving up. It’s horribly cliché but even if something doesn’t get published right away, every word you put on the page is practice for the day you will get published. Practice makes perfect. Okay, done being trite, but it’s true!
Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
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Purchase Links:
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