T-roy Talks – Conversations with a Cephalopod #7

Episode #7 – Ellie Ann – I Hear She Makes Great Egg Rolls!

Men and women of Troy, meet the lovely Ellie Ann Soderstrom. It seems like Ellie and I have run into each other on several occasions and in several places in the tubes of the interwebs, but it wasn’t until recently that she reached out to me with a more creative and collaborative proposition. Her new novel from Stonehouse Ink, The Silver Sickle, has just been released to the public and she asked to use some of my art in the chapter headings! Obviously, I was completely flabbergasted and totally honored by this generous act. I graciously accepted with next to no hesitation. And now, here is your chance to meet this rising new star full of bounce in her step and a new book in hand. Oh, and she super nice too! You’ll see.

-Tell us a little about yourself, Ellie.

I've never been kidnapped by pirates. I've never eaten a guinea fowl, or had pigeon eggs with pears. I've never been to jail on false charges of libel. I've never met a fuzzy caterpillar I haven't liked. I absolutely positively without a doubt hate beef stroganoff. If you served me beef stroganoff I'd do my very best to politely eat it by plugging my nose and washing it down with water, but it's only because I like being invited out to dinner and because I want dessert.

-How long have you been writing?

I wrote a few articles for the Poweshiek Area Christian Homeschooler's Newsletter when I was in seventh grade. The article I wrote on apple orchards was my best, I received several compliments from my mom regarding it.

But I set aside my journalism career (no matter how promising it was), and wrote my first NaNoWriMo novel when I was twenty-three. Four years ago.
That makes me twenty-seven. I've been writing four years, and just this month I finished my eighth book, four of which are/will be published, four of which will never see the light of day.

-What brought The Silver Sickle to life?

Ah, it has a glorious and grisly history.
One of my dearest internet buddies and most talented writers I know, Albert Berg, asked me to co-write a book with him. I answered him a resounding YES, and we naively began writing the following week, after putting a piddly little outline together.

Stop laughing.

Since then, I've learned that it takes much more organization than Al and I were willing to give in order to bring about a successful co-written book. But holy guacamole, we have fun! We spent hours developing this world, hashing out the scenes, wondering about the characters...it was a magical experience to wake up and find that a chapter had been written while you slept! We wrote an entire book, horribly titled: Clockwork Hearts.

Stop laughing.

Just like the fairy dust tree, our magic dried up before our last revision. Al generously gave me the rights, so I took our story-world, cut everything except three sentences, and re-wrote it into a book called The Silver Sickle.

-What is coming up in your great big world?

This is the year of publication (huzzah!)
The Silver Sickle comes out in July, Slice of Life comes out in August, Twisting Steele comes out in August, and Girls and Boys will be published by the end of the year as well. And next year, the comic I'm writing for Motionworks Entertainment will be published.

-What’s on the long-term horizon for you?

I'm hoping to keep my record of never being kidnapped by pirates. I'm also hoping to write lots of stories, travel to the middle east, climb a mountain, and possibly even learn how to make an incredible loaf of French bread, but I might be dreaming too big on that one.

-What is one of your biggest goals in this writing life?

I want to make people laugh.

-What’s your favorite song right now?

Hm. *squints, strokes chin, gazes off into the distance* it's probably Roll Away Your Stone by Mumford and Sons. Either that or the entire Hezekiah Jones album, Have You Seen Our New Fort.

-What line of prose that you’ve written are you the most proud of?

"Wind and sun, you and I," Zel whispered in her hair.
"You can't kill wind and sun." Farissa said.

-What would you like to be remembered for?

Kindness and humor.
And possibly making an incredible loaf of French bread.

-Are you happy?

Yes!

-Where else can we find you?

At the donut store.

Ellie Ann is an author and an editor for Stonehouse Ink Publishing. Check out her new thriller, Breaking Steele, and the upcoming Twisting Steele, she co-authored with #1 Amazon bestseller Aaron Patterson. Her first solo novel, a YA science fiction called The Silver Sickle, is available through Stonehouse Ink now! Something else that tickles her fancy is working with transmedia books at Noble Beast Publishing, where she is a producer, author, and editor.

Ellie Ann blogs at I’m Ellie Ann and would love to meet you on Facebook or Twitter.

The Silver Sickle

Ellie Ann