INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ELEANOR ROUSSEAU

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ELEANOR ROUSSEAU

What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

Eleanor Rousseau and most of my books are urban fantasy.

Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

Well, for this one I started with the idea of the Grimmers as a family unit. I wanted them to be the protectors of the city and to do that they’d have to be powerful. So, I came up with the idea that, in each generation, a full-blooded Witch would be born, whose duty it would be to try and provide the most magically powerful children she possibly could. And, of course, my protagonist Kia would have to fight against this family tradition as much as possible. She wants to be a hero, not just a tool for providing the next generation of Grimmers.

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

I think I’ve been obsessed with the urban fantasy genre since I was about twelve (and probably too young for it). The first book that really got me hooked was Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, I just loved everything about it, the world building, the supernatural creatures and, most importantly, the bad ass female protagonist.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

Mostly, what I do for research involves reading other books in the same genre, but I do sometimes do my homework when it comes to certain supernatural creatures.

Can you tell me about your Series?

Yes, I’ve mentioned the initial idea, about the Grimmers protecting the city. But the series most follows Kia, at first when she tries to be the hero, then when she suffers as a result and tries to work through that trauma without losing herself.

Do you have a favorite book out of this series?

I think it’s the latest one, Magic and Memory Loss, and not just because it has my favourite cover. This book starts from a completely different place because, as you might guess, some memory loss is involved. Here I got to show Kia in a completely new environment, still trying to find her place in the world, whilst rediscovering her magic and trying to figure out how it fits into her life.

Where did you get the inspiration/idea for your series?

Once I knew the characters I wanted in the book, the whole thing just kind of snowballed. I wanted Kia to prove herself as an individual, but I didn’t want her to be all powerful. I had to find challenges that she could face where she’d overcome the odds, and not just because she had magic but I also wanted to keep her grounded. The ideas actually came to me pretty easily.

Was it always meant to become a series?

Definitely, there are things I’ve thrown into book one that won’t even be hinted at until the end of book three.

What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

I can write pretty much anywhere, in bed, at the kitchen table or even on my phone while I’m waiting for the bus. I’d like to say I write about two thousand words a day but the truth is my writing style is probably much more erratic. Depending on the day, I could write 8,000 or 80 words.

At the moment, all my writing goals are revolving around when I’ve commissioned the next book cover, the next of which isn’t until February 2019, even though the book is more than half done. Sometimes, I have trouble staying engaged when I work on one book for too long so I often switch up which project I’m working on. Which is one of the reasons I have started the next 5 Grimmer Legacy books, without the next one being finished yet.

Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?

Book 3, Magic and Memory Loss will be out soon but, with that pretty much finished, I’m now working on book 4, Fangs and Forgiveness.

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

I don’t put a huge amount of thought into the names, sometimes they just feel right and, in my head, I can’t change them. For example, the Daemon in the series is called Avon. At first, I was like ‘no, I can’t name him after a makeup brand’ but then I just couldn’t call him anything else. One thing you may notice is that Kia and all her siblings have three-lettered names and this is just because their mother is superstitious and three is a lucky number.

Where do your ideas come from?

I tend to pick out ideas from other books and then go a completely different direction with them, but some things just come naturally. For example, the end of book 2 wasn’t the ending I’d had planned at all, it just happened.

Is there a genre that you’ve been wanting to experiment with?

I would like to try my hand at sci-fi a little more, I think that could be fun.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Sticking to one project long enough to finish it.

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I love book trailers and I’d definitely love to have one, but I’d have to wait until I could afford to get it done right.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

Maybe having finished three complete books in one series. I’m terrible for being distracted by shiny new book ideas and abandoning the ones I’m already working on.

What’s the best thing about being an author?

I love the world building and seeing your characters develop, especially in ways you weren’t expecting.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’d love to be doing the writing thing full-time and maybe even collaborating with some of the authors that I love. Also, I hope to have adopted many dogs.

Have you always liked to write?

Pretty much, I’ve been writing in one form or another for probably almost ten years now. At high school, I was notorious for reading/writing when I should have been paying attention in class.

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I’ve found that the best way to write is to just go for it, write as much as you can. Maybe you’ll come back to it in a few years and think ‘wow, that really sucked’ but that’ll only show that you’ve improved and evolved as a writer. Also, I think just reading is important for any writer wanting to learn their craft. See what’s out there, and maybe imagine what you would do differently.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

Well, one thing that I’d like to try is voice acting. I think it would be a blast.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I’ve only read a few and mostly they were good. One mentioned a few issues with grammar and I was like ‘I want to fix it, but if I go over this book one more time my brain will melt’.

What is your least favourite part of the writing / publishing process?

Editing. I’m good at editing but when it’s my work sometimes, I miss mistakes because I only see what I know it’s supposed to say.

What are you working on now?

Grimmer Legacy 4, Fangs and Forgiveness and also a paranoral romance with the working title: Pack Lore.

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

Here is a link to the first chapter of Pack Lore up on my blog:

https://eleanorrousseau.wordpress.com/2018/07/29/pack-lore-preview-1/

Why did you choose to write in your genre? If you write in more than one, how do you balance them?

Urban fantasy has always been my favourite so that’s what I tend to gravitate towards, though I have written a few short stories in other genres.

Where did your love of books come from?

I’ve no idea. As a child getting me to read was like pulling teeth, but one day I picked up the right book and I pretty much haven’t stopped reading since.

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?

Oh, many many favourite authors, but the main ones are Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Shayne Silvers and Kelley Armstong.

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

I think my favourite might have to be Nevaeh St. Claire. She isn’t in the Grimmer Legacy series, she’s actually from a series of short stories I write on my blog, Heroes and Hellhounds. She’s just such a fun character to write. The premise for these stories was basically ‘what if a cute blonde Hellhound was roped into becoming a superhero?’ She’s completely amoral and hilarious but usually ends up being the good guy, even though she’d rather be left alone.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

A bit of both, depending on the day. Writing usually energizes me, though sometimes going back over it to do edits can be mindnumbing.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Description. I don’t do nearly enough description, most things are probably left to the reader’s imagination when it comes to appearance, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I tend to write simular stories to things that already exist but I think I can’t help but put a bit of my own tone into it, which is probably a good quality for an author.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

I have a lot of writer friends from Uni, though I don’t think they’re published yet, and I just love throwing ideas around with them. Because everyone will have a different perspective and be able to come up with different ideas that you can bring into your work. It’s always a lotta fun when we get together.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

That’s a tough one, I’m not great at titles, maybe Readers Anonymous. Some might say I have a reading problem.

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

This is actually a question I once got during a job interview: Who’s your favourite superhero?

And my answer was, of course, Nightwing, Dick Greyson, sidekick turned hero.