Indie Support Sunday: Elle Rivers

Like most of us readers and writers, Elle Rivers has always been a daydreamer. When school got boring, she’d write her stories and let her imagination run wild. So it’s no surprise that she became an author with multiple books to her name! However, when it came to choosing between self-publishing and traditional, she stuck with the former because it was weighing on her mental health. The upside is that she has control over her own stories and can grow as she publishes them.

During her downtime, Elle plays video games and was heavily inspired by Stardew Valley—and their romance-able characters—to write a series! As a fan of small town romances, I love the sound of Elle’s books and can’t wait to dive into them soon. As They Are, the second in her Strawberry Springs series, is out now and all her books are available in Kindle Unlimited!

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

I’ve always been a daydreamer, ever since I was very little. I got bored easily in school, and I would jot down stories while I daydreamed in class. Eventually, life got hard, and I found a way to process what I was going through by writing about it, especially when I can give everything a happily ever after! 

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author? 

Honestly, comments on social media. As a natural people pleaser, it is really hard to share my work as it is and not follow trends that I don’t personally like, but I’ve managed to protect myself by not looking at reviews. Comments, however, are harder to manage. It’s quite shocking what people feel comfortable saying to a stranger on the internet, but luckily many social media apps have filtering, which has helped me a lot. I know that comments aren’t ONLY for indie writers, but they’re a great way to connect for those of us without publishers doing the marketing for us, and I do really struggle to step away from it.

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

I found querying to be really hard on my mental health, and self-publishing allowed me to get my work out there without being in the querying trenches for too long. I am so glad I did, because I have been able to grow and mature as a writer while in the self-publishing space. I also dabble in creative design, so having ownership over my covers and every part of the journey has been so great. I may pursue traditional one of these days again, but I don’t see myself ever fully leaving the indie space. 

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

I play a lot of cozy video games, like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. Stardew Valley in particular has romance-able characters, and that was what inspired my first book. 

If I’m not in the mood for games, I like to walk through my neighborhood and listen to music. I live within a mile of a coffee shop and other fun stores, so sometimes I’ll walk there and get some writing done. 

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

The Percy Jackson series for sure. It was life-changing, and introduced me to reading as a hobby. In the romance genre, I’d have to go with By a Thread by Lucy Score. I quite like most of her books, and I find her FMC’s to be punchy and hilarious. 

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

1. Get a draft down. No matter how bad it is, you can edit it to be better. You can’t edit an empty page.  

2. Get comfortable with editing. That is how you polish a manuscript and add all the beautiful moments. 

3. Hire outside help where needed. It can be expensive but it is worth the investment. A second (or third) set of eyes can catch things that you didn’t even know were there. 

4. Accept your process. I personally write the bare bones of a novel, then edit it to make it perfect. Others don’t follow that process. Follow whatever gets you a finished novel, no matter how out of the box it may seem. 

5. MARKET! Your book is only as good as you can market it. Right now, TikTok is THE place to market a book (even if it’s under some hot water here in America). I find the readers there to be very willing to read your book if you give them a good hook to get them invested. Instagram is also great, but I still find that TikTok gets the most readers out of all the sites I market on. 

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

The happily ever afters. It’s such a comfort to know that, no matter what happens, they will end up being okay. Life doesn’t have that luxury. 

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

I’ve been toying with the idea of fantasy or sci-fi. I quite like those genres as a reader, and that is what I started writing in, actually. 

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

Most favorite: roommates, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and only one bed. Least: cheating, and love triangles.

What are some tropes you want to write in the future?

I am going to try my hand at a small town romance, or perhaps friends-lo-lovers. 

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

I think romance as a genre should explore more male body types rather than the typical, six foot, big dick guy. I write a lot of muscular men myself, but I do want to explore plus sized men in the future. Also, I am not a fan to only read of massive, horse sized schlongs. It takes me out of a scene and sounds painful, honestly. 

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

I grew up in a household that never discussed sex, but sex is a part of many people’s love stories. I don’t want to write about only one aspect of their story, but of the whole thing, including the parts that may not be talked about in American culture. The more we talk about things, the more we can begin to erase the stigma surrounding it. 

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

My first book was inspired by the TV show, The Nanny. I find that I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from other things that maybe didn’t end how I wanted it to (looking at you, Star Wars) or things that I wanted to see in book format. 

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

I write romance dealing with real-life issues such as: alcoholism, parental abandonment, and emotional struggles and show that anyone can have a happily ever after. 

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

Right now it’s Wren from my newest book, As They Are. She is based on my own struggles in so many ways, and I love her to death. 

If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?

In Man of Action, Selena Gomez as Selena, and then Ian Somerhalder as Tom.

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

I put one aspect of me, or someone close to me in each of my novels. Any more than that and it feels too autobiographical. 

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

I want to write the final book in my based on Stardew Valley. Everything I’ve been hinting at culminates in this book, and I’m so ready to tell this story.

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

Found family, for sure. 

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

Strawberry Springs is getting more novels! I have a few more planned (which means a certain fan-favorite character will have to wait).

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

Pain, love, and then happiness!

AUTHOR’S CHOICE

• Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks

• Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense

• Single or Dual POV

• Standalones, series or standalones in a series

• Open door, ajar door or closed door romances

• Music or silence when writing

• Plotter, pantser or plantser

• Water, tea, coffee or….wine?

• Cold or warm weather

• Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?

• Illustrated or photo cover?

You can find Elle on Instagram and TikTok. Make sure you sign up for her newsletter, or join her Facebook group. And if you’re so inclined, her content team is currently accepting applications!