Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Interview with Elise K Ackers A Harlequin Escape Author

Hey guys to day with have an interview with Elise K Ackers
a brand new Author from Harlequin Escape, a new Digital first imprint from Harlequin Australia, I had a chance to ask Elise K Ackers a few questions about her self and her relationship with the new imprint that ever one is talking about, here's what she had to say.

How are you?

I'm really well, thanks, and very excited about a few things coming up this year. At the moment I'm feeling like every week is giving me good news; I’m very lucky and I'm enjoying the high.

Tell us about yourself?

I am in my late twenties, I live in Melbourne, Australia with my partner and pets and I have a day job in the CBD with a government agency. I've lived in a number of places around Australia, I love to travel and I have a kind of strange luck which can't be covered by insurance. If I had a dollar for every time I've said, "You wouldn't believe what just happened...", I'd be a wealthy woman!

I write during my commute, late at night, early in the morning, in front of the TV. If I can grab fifteen minutes, I'll open my laptop. I write romantic suspense, contemporary romance and young/new adult, and I read enthusiastically in those genres, too.

I'm a foster carer with an animal rescue organisation, an anonymous love letter writer (http://www.moreloveletters.com), an enthusiastic couch commentator and one of the last people in the world you want to ask to be patient.

How did you get into writing?

I've been writing since I was really little. I used to tell my mum all about my days at kindergarten; these stories were chronological and full of dramatic pauses and word-for-word dialogue recall. I also used to help my dad finish our bedtime stories. I wrote my first action adventure in year six and circulated my first 'book' in year eight. It was a romance in a black binder with a waiting list on the inside front cover. Basically, I've loved telling stories all my life. There was no other path for me - I was always going to be a writer.

Do you have any advice for fellow authors?

For unpublished writers, I highly recommend entering writing competitions relevant to your genre/s. I learned so much from judges' impartial, encouraging feedback and when I won, placed or shortlisted, I got a lot of recognition for it. By the time I pitched my first title, Small Town Storm, it had a list of accolades, which got publishers to sit up and take notice.

For published authors, I just want to reiterate something almost everyone in the industry knows: the best way to promote yourself is to release another title. Keep writing, keep releasing, and you'll stay in the minds of your readers.

Tell us about your up and coming novels?

I'm very excited about what's coming up. Throughout 2013 I will be releasing three linked romance novellas with Destiny Romance, a Penguin Australia digital imprint. The first will come out in April (Ask Me For More), the second a few months after (Ask Me To Stay) and the third later in the year. Each book focuses on one of three men who live in a fictional country town in New South Wales, Australia.

The first novella, Ask Me To Stay, is about Ethan Foster, a misunderstood, soft-hearted man who has returned home a decade after running away from a secret he couldn't share. The townspeople don't exactly lay out the welcome mat and he's a stranger to his brother - the very man he's returned for. This story explores misconceptions and reputations, family-ties and old flames.

I'll also be writing another romantic suspense and another contemporary romance title this year, but they're just works in progress at this stage.

Tell us about your partnership with Harlequin Escape Publishing?

I released my debut title with Escape in January this year. Unforgettable is a contemporary romance based in culture-rich, eclectic Melbourne, and Escape Publishing is doing an excellent job of delivering Aussie romances to national and international audiences.

Was it an easy decision to go with Harlequin Escape Publishing?

Writers weren't the only ones pitching at the Romance Writers of Australia conference last year. Publishers and agents were put on a panel and given the opportunity to tell attendees what they had to offer. Harlequin Australia's Haylee Keran's pitch was a brilliant balance of fact and humour. What's it like to date Harlequin? Well, they put out, they're easy and they'll make you look good. Very memorable.

So I pitched to them. And what's not to love about a globally recognised brand with a local flavour?

Was it an easy process?

I submitted Unforgettable to Kate Cuthbert shortly after the conference, and from offer to post publication, Escape Publishing has been fantastic. It was an easy process - they know what they're doing.

Who are your inspirations?
Nora Roberts - she's talented and prolific, her writing style is wonderful and her characters resonate with me. And my parents. They are made for each other and the way they love one another set the bar very high for me from a young age. They're a real life, big romance, and I'm inspired by that.

What are you currently reading?

Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe and Rules Are For Breaking by Imelda Evans.

What is the best way for your readers to keep up with you?


Twitter, Facebook and Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. (let me know if these don’t link through)

Who are you when you're not writing?

I'm a daughter, sister, friend and girlfriend. And a mother to my adorable pets. I'm a laser tag lover (highly competitive, although likely to shriek if you lunge around a corner), an enthusiastic story teller, and a traveller. I love going to new places and trying new adventures.

Also, if you're in my neck of the woods and you see a woman walking a tiny ginger dog, holding hands with a man with delicious arms and talking fast... that's probably me!

1 comment:

Thank you for stopping by