“17-year-old Even (Ev-an) McCoy is always up to no good, chasing any unhealthy coping mechanism she can find. Her workaholic uncle (and guardian), Nash is finally at his limit with her arrests and truancy. She’s one year from 18, and if she doesn’t straighten up at this summer internship, it’s boarding school for her. It seems simple enough: bring people coffee, answer some phone calls, wait out the summer. That is, until she wakes Sleeping Beauty.
Now Even has to decide if true love is worth the risk of heartache and boarding school. Can she accept that fairy-tales do exist enough to get her own Happily Ever After?”
How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first short story at the age of ten. So, I’ve been writing consistently for fifteen years now.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Originally, I wanted to be a princess, but that dream died when I found out that the average forest animal does not want to be friends with me. I settled for writing about princesses, I suppose, since Aurora is the second princess I’ve written a story about.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think I considered myself a writer while I was working on my first novel. Which was back when I was just 14, writing in a composition notebook. I still have the story, and I’m positive it will never see the light of day. However, while working on that story, I was dedicating a good 4 hours per day to write by hand. I didn’t consider myself a writer at first, but once a friend convinced me that much time and dedication is what makes a writer, I started to agree.
Tell us about your first published book? What was the journey like?
My first published book, The Travelers, was released in 2015, in December (because I didn’t know how bad of an idea that was back then). It was a mess for so many reasons, and I’ve since taken it out of distribution. The journey was stressful. I was young. I didn’t know much about the publishing industry. And, while I don’t regret that I self-published, I do regret that I started my publishing career with that particular book.
What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
Just write. Don’t wait for someone to tell you it’s okay. Don’t wait for the right story. I find the right story comes along while I’m working on the wrong one.
What was the inspiration for Waking Rory?
I actually first had the idea for Waking Rory seven years ago, before I even published my first novel. I’ve changed a lot of things since then, including the age range. Before people thought Elsa might be gay, I remember thinking, why isn’t there a queer princess? What if the story didn’t go how all the fairytales said it did? And, I think the story just sparked from there.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
I relate really well to both Even and Rory, if I’m honest. The pain that Even is feeling, the loss, the confusion, a lot of that is a part of my past coming out in her narration of events. Rory, on the other hand, shares a birthday with me. She’s a falling head over feet, giving her whole heart into love kind of person, and that’s very much me.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I really hope readers can believe in fairy-tales. And not in that ‘happily ever after’ way necessarily, but it isn’t a magic spell that forces these two to fall in love. They fall in love on their own. They build something that a magic spell never could.
I personally feel like I’m living a fairy-tale everyday. Because my wife and I have built a beautiful life together. And I think that’s the real truth about H-E-A. It’s not easy like the books say. It takes two people who are willing to not give up on each other.
Can you share a snippet that isn’t in the blurb or excerpt?
“Once upon a time,” My mom began, pulling my focus back to her. “A king and queen were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. Her name was Aurora.”
My mom read through the story of Sleeping Beauty mostly as expected. There were tiny differences like no spinning wheel, and no prince dancing with her in the woods. But the ending really took me by surprise, as it often did with this particular book of fairytales.
“And then the princess, under the magical spell, fell into a deep sleep, where she would wait for a true love’s kiss.” My mom looked at me with a grin on her face. She loved reading these stories. “But the prince never came! And some say, princess Aurora is still waiting.”
What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?
I don’t think Even and Rory will have a sequel, though I have considered the idea of writing more queer fairy-tale retellings.
Do you write listening to music? If so, what music inspired or accompanied this current book?
I write best when there’s something ambient playing. Piano Guys are my go-to, but for this story, I definitely added some covers of Disney songs to my playlist.
What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
Since the book is based in France, I had to do a bit of research on laws there. As well as the specific area for descriptions since I haven’t been there.
What was the highlight of writing this book?
Without giving too much away, I think my favorite part of this book was the actual waking scene. And the few scenes leading up to it. I found this part of the story really enchanting.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers?
I always have something I’m working on, but I think I’ll be getting back to Cursed soon. And I have an asexual romance I’ve had on the back burner for a minute.
How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?
I think I have about ten manuscripts that are started or at least have the beginnings of a plot.
One of my favorites is a Valentine story about a girl who works in a flower shop falling for a handiwoman who hates Valentines Day.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
It really depends. Normally, I have some sense of plot before I figure my characters out. It starts with an idea, then characters and plot form together. I think in order to organize my plot well, I have to know my characters enough to know ‘would they really do this?’
How do you come up with the titles to your books?
For some reason, titles tend to come easy for me. Normally, they’re pretty obvious. Waking Rory is kind of obvious. I really love it when my title comes from a line in the story.
What time of the day do you usually write?
It varies, but I try to write in the afternoons and evenings.
Is writing your full-time career? Or would you like it to be?
It’s not yet, but that’s the goal one day.
When you’re writing an emotionally draining (or sexy, or sad, etc) scene, how do you get in the mood?
Nothing prepares me more than music.
How do you deal with emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?
I’m an incredibly emotional person. Laughing at my own jokes, crying through the sad scenes, getting angry when my characters do, I feel like all of that is part of the job.
How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?
It really depends. I don’t write a lot of high fantasy, so a lot of my books take place in the normal, everyday world. And magic is just thrown in.
What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?
When writing Cursed, I realized one of my characters was asexual. And while working on making sure I wrote her character correctly, I realized I was asexual, too.
Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from a lot of places. I’d say for certain that my wife is my muse. Any love story I write is definitely based on my feelings for her.
Which of your books were the most enjoyable to write?
Cursed was so fun. It took so little time to write the story. I can’t wait to get back to it.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Different Worlds by Lily Seabrooke! She’s a lesbian romance author, and a good friend. So far, I’ve read everything she’s released, and I’m loving this one so far. It comes out June 5th, and I definitely suggest you check it out!
Favorite quote (doesn’t matter the source)
“Forever is composed of nows.” -Emily Dickinson.
I love this one because it can apply to so many things. Writing, love, relationships, every day life. Forever really is just a bunch of nows and thens.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I’m a painter as a hobby. I don’t think I’ll ever try to make money doing it, but it’s a great stress reliever for me.
What was your dream job when you were younger?
Saying I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was ten is weird, but it’s true.
Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.
I worked as a 911 dispatcher when I released my first book.
If you could only have one season, what would it be?
I would love October year round.
Where can readers find out more about you and your books?
You guys can find me at elizabethjeannel.com and all my social media links are there!