One of my favorite things about doing this series is being able to connect with a whole heap of authors I might not have heard of or read otherwise. Elliott Rose is one such author. Through a call I put out on Threads last year, I connected with Elliott and then proceeded to add all of her books to my TBR (and Kindle, if I’m being honest). I’m always on the lookout for steamy, unique and fun paranormal romances and that’s exactly what Elliott’s books offer.
While I have a long way to go before I’m fully caught up on her debut series, the two books I have read were explosive. The stories are intricately woven and the world building is incredible. There’s a dark edge to all these stories, but it fits into the journeys these characters take. Speaking of characters…Elliott has crafted some amazing folks in her books. Not to mention how hot the smut is too!
Elliott’s Nocturnal Hearts series is complete and available right now in Kindle Unlimited. On March 22nd, Vengeful Gods releases and I am obsessed with the cover and tropes. This why choose, enemies to lovers sounds like it’s going to be one heck of a ride and I here for it.
BEING AN AUTHOR
Who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve always had a wildly creative imagination, and writing has always been part of my life. Getting lost in a book has always been a love of mine, so it only felt natural to finally take the step into deciding to finally put my own stories down on the page!
What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?
I absolutely love the freedom of being an indie author. Publishing diverse love stories, connecting with readers all over the world, and building a community online are some of my favorite parts of this journey. The freedom to publish my stories as and when I want to (rather than having to wait for a specific publishing schedule like in trad) is also something that fires up my creativity. There are so many stories I want to write and share, and being indie lets me play with things like early-access for my subscriber community, getting reader input on future books, and there are just so many more options than the ways books used to get published in the past. I love being at the forefront of how things are changing in the way we can access stories directly from authors themselves.
I don’t really think there are any worst parts, but it can definitely get overwhelming at times! But my dreams and big vision for my books is the bit I always come back to, and I love to remind myself of that on the days it feels like the chaos magic is swirling a bit faster than I anticipated!
Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?
When I first sat down to start writing my Nocturnal Hearts series back in early 2022, I knew absolutely nothing and no one in the author world. I had zero connections, no social media presence, it was all absolutely from scratch. I’m based in a teeny tiny little beach-side community in the South Island of New Zealand, where I have seals and penguins for neighbors! I knew I wanted to be able to build my author career in the way that would work best for me, and self-publishing just felt right in my heart for my particular circumstances… and I am so grateful for the amazing reach around the world my books have been able to have going through the self-publishing route. I’ve always focused on finding my readers and taking excellent care of them first and foremost, and that has really been one of the most special parts about self-publishing.
When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?
When I’m not writing… I’m usually thinking about writing, or frantically getting notes down when my characters start talking to me at all hours of the night! Usually for me it comes from visual things, I love Pinterest and creating mood boards that inspire scenes and characters, and then READING. Getting lost in a smutty little love story and falling in love with characters makes my heart so happy. It really fuels my creativity.
If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?
Anything with a HEA is a must for me. (I will riot otherwise!) On my top recommended-reads would be anything that touches on taboo, dark romance, morally gray MMCs, and is high spice!
What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?
You have to be your own biggest fan and cheerleader. It might sound cliche, but you genuinely have to put your delulu pants on and have complete belief in your writing. It also doesn’t matter if your first book isn’t your greatest masterpiece, in fact the only thing I think matters is if you’re committed to keeping on getting better at your craft. I always say that I’m happiest as a writer if my next book coming out is THE BEST ONE YET. Immerse yourself in the world of your readers. Understand what they are loving and what books stick with them as favorites long after they put them down, and then pair that up with what YOU want to write - the happy medium of gaining momentum as an author is finding a spot somewhere in the middle of those two places…. Annnnnd, did I remember to give 5 tips? I lost count!
ROMANCE AS A GENRE
Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?
Love stories have always been my favorite. Blame my Pisces heart, but I’m all about happily ever afters and falling in love. Romance is a genre where you can grow so much as a person, seeing yourself represented on the page, and I truly adore how healing and empowering romance books can be. There’s something magical that happens in this genre that just makes me so damn happy… especially when I hear from readers about how much a book or a character has changed their life.
What are your most and least favorite tropes?
My favorites are anything with a twist of forbidden, taboo, and with a possessive MMC (or several possessive MMCs!) … I’m pretty open to reading anything, but my least favorite are surprise babies, pregnancy, miscommunication, cheating, and third act breakups.
What are some tropes you want to write in the future?
Vengeful Gods is my new release: a Why Choose, secret society, enemies to lovers, gothic vibe, contemporary standalone that I have been wanting to write for a long time now … And after that I'm going to be dipping my toes into a taboo x ex-boyfriend's dad x cowboy romance. Both of these are chock full of tropes I've been itching to write, so if you like things on the dark side, make sure to come check them out.
What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?
I honestly think there is an ocean of diverse romance stories out there by wonderful authors! The biggest thing I would love to see is for book-influencers and bigger bookish accounts to promote those authors and books who aren’t the same handful of books/authors we see recommended over and over again - which don’t get me wrong, can be amazing reads! But I would love to see it keep on evolving.
If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?
My stories are very character driven, and to me their moments when anything sexual happens is deeply intertwined with how the story progresses and their relationship grows. I couldn’t write without that being at the heart of their dynamic. Whether it is purely escapism for my readers, or whether they are able to learn something about themselves, or even explore something in a safe way - there’s just something so powerful about using sex as the language for that. (Oh, and not to mention that writing morally grey men who fuck like gods is just an absolutely wonderful time as an author! That’s definitely a perk too!)
YOUR BOOKS
What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?
The books and characters I’ve published so far in my Nocturnal Hearts series really just turned up one day and announced their arrival. They were so insistent, that I just had to sit down and start writing their stories… and then it just kept on growing from there!
Can you briefly tell me about your books?
My Nocturnal Hearts series are dark paranormal/fantasy romance. There are five books in the series - all are interconnected standalones! We’ve got witches, fae, shifters, and vampires… shadow daddies and bitey boys, plus baddie FMCs you’ll want to be besties with.
Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?
I couldn’t possibly pick!
How much of yourself do you put into these characters?
All of them have little pieces of me, and that is part of the fun as an author. We get to immerse ourselves into these characters and while they have their own uniqueness to them, they all have little parts that are from my own life and experiences.
Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?
My books love to dance in the grey area between what is considered ‘good’ and what is considered ‘bad’. There’s no clear line between the two in my stories and that is something I’m very intentional about. We don’t have white knights fighting against the baddies in my books. We have monsters fighting for the ones they love, and who are learning to love themselves at the same time.
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 and photo cover?
Are you following Elliott yet? You can find her on Instagram, Facebook group and sign up for her newsletter via her website. You can also join Elliott’s Ream to get access to exclusive content (including a forbidden-taboo story that she’s working on right now). And did you know that Elliott has a Podcast where she talks to fellow authors?