Bookish Treasures is currently closed for review requests and is not doing any new posts at this time.

Debut of the Month - Interview with Elisabeth Grace

24 Dec 2013
This is the fourth month of Debut of the Month here at Bookish Treaures. This is a monthly feature that will focus on a debut author and their novel that is releasing that month through an interview, review etc. To learn more and apply to be Debut Of The Month for January or beyond please visit my Authors/Publishers page.

Rumor Has It by Elisabeth Grace



Synopsis

All publicity is good publicity, right? Unless you’re recent college grad Ellie Wagner and an embarrassing video of you and your boyfriend goes viral. Every man in your life abandons you, but who knew a one-minute clip of your latest doomed relationship would brand you a slut, prevent you from getting your perfect job, and force you to keep doing the one thing you swore you’d never do again…live with your mother.

But staying with mom and her latest boy-toy (is this husband number four or five?) until your life turns around might not be all bad. Especially when you fall – literally – at the feet of a sexy, green-eyed stranger who offers you freedom and a life of luxury on a gold-rimmed platter.

There’s only one little problem – the man of your dreams is none other than Mason Nash, the latest hip-hop star busting up the music charts. Fame and fortune are his calling cards and he’s vying to steal the show on a new reality TV series that will catapult him into mainstream stardom. Hello spotlight.
The man behind the famous persona is perfect for Ellie in every way, but can she overcome the ugly pitfalls that come with Mason's celebrity status? Or will she be forced to choose between the man she loves and the independent life she longs for?

After all, fame and fortune aren’t always what they seem and not all publicity is good publicity…

Interview with Elisabeth Grace


Why did you decide to become an author?

I used to write quite a bit when I was younger. I can remember a teacher in elementary school telling my parents to pass along the message that if she wants two pages, don’t give her twenty. I didn’t write for pleasure from the time I as in university until almost fifteen years later. I think I picked it back up again for two reasons…my love of reading and discovering romance books. I was reading all these great books and I wanted to try my hand at it as a challenge to myself. Reading Twilight when I was pregnant with my first child was the impetus to find more love stories and I haven’t read outside of the genre since. Those were the types of stories I wanted to create—the ones with happily ever afters. There’s enough distress in this world that when I read and write I want to do it knowing there’s a HEA or HFN at the end.
How do you balance writing with other things in your life?

Um…I don’t! LOL If I’m on a deadline to get something to my editor everything else suffers. The housework doesn’t get done, my meal prep is more dismal than usual, and laundry may or may not sit in the dryer waiting to be folded until the kids are all out of undies.
What is your favourite thing about being an author?

So far I’d have to saying have readers reach out that enjoyed your book. Not from an ego-centric point of view, but because I KNOW that feeling you get after you’ve read a book you really enjoyed because I was a reader first. So the fact that Rumor Has It has provided that for some other readers makes me happy.

Are there any books/authors that inspired you to write?

I have mad love for Karen Marie Moning and Anne Stuart. Their writing is pure genius IMHO and although my writing style is nothing like theirs (believe me I’ve tried), I still aspire to create the same feeling in others, as I get when I read their novels. I’m not an angst driven writer, it’s just not my voice or who I am, but I still think it’s possible to create a story that keeps the reader turning the pages without a massive amount of angst.

Where did you get the idea for Rumor Has It, did anything inspire you to write it?

A friend of mine got divorced a few years back and when she dived back into the dating pool I realized how much it had changed in the ten years since I had been there! People now meet online, breakup and makeup via text, air their dirty laundry via social media, etc. That got me thinking along the lines of how different society was now with such a celebrity culture and how quickly information can be disseminated these days. I wanted to explore different aspects of that throughout the Limelight series.
What made you decide to write a New Adult romance novel?

A couple of reasons…first because I LOVE reading in the genre! I was always an avid reader growing up but I took a bit of a break from it in my early 20’s because I couldn’t find anything to read that felt relevant to my life. When NA really started to grab a hold and there was more and more of it available to read I knew I wanted to contribute my bit to the space. Secondly, because I thought the themes of social media and celebrity culture would work better in NA than in traditional contemporary romance.
What would you say makes your book unique and worth reading?

I think the fact that the book focuses on a hip-hop artist is different than a lot of “rock star romances”.
Is there any specific message you wanted to convey in the book?

I think overall the message is not to sit in judgement of others. Seeing a glimpse of someone on social media, in the press, etc. doesn’t give you a complete snapshot into their life, or to the person they are. These days a seemingly small thing someone’s done or said can blow up on the world stage, gain traction and snowball into a huge issue that affects people’s lives. People can jump on the bandwagon very easily and say nasty things behind a computer screen without giving any thought to the fact that it’s an actual person on the other end.
What are your plans for future books?

The next book in the Limelight series is Picture Perfect and focuses on Ellie’s friend, Skye. I’m hoping to have that released in March 2014. From there I have ideas for a few more books involving characters we’ve already met in Rumor Has It, including a novella that follows up on Mason & Ellie’s relationship. I also have a contemporary romance about two-thirds finished titled Indiscretion that I may try to finish closer to the end of 2014.
Do you have any hobbies and Interests unrelated to books?

Sadly, not many! LOL I have two small children and a full time job so any spare time I have is usually spent reading or writing. My husband and I do love going to rock concerts and try to travel to a music festival at least once a year. We used to do a lot of this, but again with the little ones it doesn’t happen as often as we’d like. Now I have to settle for live albums in my iTunes.

FUN STUFF
If you could meet any one author (dead or alive) who would it be and why?

Probably Karen Marie Moning. There are a lot of authors I look up to and have been lucky enough to meet at signings but I have never met KMM. I’d probably end up having a major fangirl moment and embarrass the hell out of myself though, so perhaps it’s best I don’t. LOL
Tell us one interesting fact about yourself.

Hubby and I were married in Vegas on July 7, 2007 (7-7-7). I think there was something like 40,000 weddings in Vegas that day and we were one of them! We had to wait four hours in line to get our marriage license and we were there an hour before it opened. It was loads of fun!
What is your favourite food?

If you’re forcing me to pick one I’d have to go with chocolate. Cliché, I know. But I have a slight carb and sugar addiction so anything that falls in those categories is okay by me!
What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done?

I’m so the wrong girl to ask this question to! I don’t have much of an adventurous spirit sad to say. The things I’d consider adventurous I’m sure most people wouldn’t…like ATVing in the desert outside Vegas, or eating dog food as part of an adventure race I was in, but they were out of the box for me! ;)
If you could be any supernatural creature which would you choose?

I’m not sure I’d want to be a creature with immortality so that rules out a lot of them. I think I’d chose to be a witch. It would be cool to be able to do spells and manipulate the environment around you.

About the Author



I have a soft spot for romance novels with happily ever afters and a HOT spot for alpha males! I currently live outside Toronto, Canada with my hubby, two small children and cat spawned by the devil. Life is busy, but never to busy for a good story and to share my love of reading and writing with others. Things I can tell you that sum me up...I'm a sugar and carb addict, self-professed Gandy Girl, a disaster in the kitchen, a LOVER of all music, enjoy reality TV and I'm an early riser! When I have a moment to breath you can usually find me typing furiously on the keyboard to get my next story on paper, or curled up reading about someone else's HEA.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

If you leave a comment I promise to cherish it forever :) I will also try to always reply.