Interview with Author Elsie LePlant

Author of Monster Romance, Paranormal Romance, Shifter Romance, and Sentient Object Romance

AUTHOR INTERVIEWPARANORMAL ROMANCEMONSTER ROMANCESTEAMY

Kaleidoscope Romance

3/28/20264 min read

Describe yourself in three words.

Punny, Political, & Introverted

What are three facts about you?

1. I once broke my arm tripping over a lawn chair
2. I was a musical theatre major
3. I have two cats both named after bugs

What is your favorite book from childhood?

A Wrinkle In Time

When you read, which authors are your go-to authors?

Katee Robert
Holly Blank
Vera Valentine
Tailia Hibbert
(any so many more)

What book has made the biggest impact on your life?

The Series of Unfortunate Events pretty much built my personality.

Do you have any book related tattoos?

One (for now), I have a soot sprite holding up a book.

What is your favorite TV show or movie?

Movie: Clue

What subject could you talk about all day?

My cats

What is your dream vacation destination?

Greece

What do you do for fun when you aren’t writing?

I cook and crochet.

Are there any causes you support or which are important to you?

BLM, Pro-Palestine, and Anti-Ai. We should all just be kinder to each other.

How did you discover writing as a possible career?

I supported my ex-partner who was a writer for a long time, and when we broke up I figured I'd try it too.

How did you choose your pen name?

It's a pun! I can't say more than that, but it really worked for my first book so I kept it.

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

My friends and life mostly. We love to play 'what-if' games and I just follow that train until it becomes a book.

What is the weirdest fact you've found when researching for a book?

Eggplants have both 'female' and 'male' aspects since they are a self-populating plant! (Also, 'vegetables' only exist for culinary purposes. Every 'vegetable' actually has a different scientific classification; fruit, tubers etc.).

What trope is your favorite to write?

Grumpy x Sunshine!! (Bonus if the 'sunshine' is a himbo).

What is your favorite thing about being an author?

Getting to have fun creating worlds and letting people into them.

What is your writing process?

Typically, I start with a 'what-if' and I write down any thoughts associated with that Idea in a note. If I keep thinking about it, I make a document and start writing. Every so often, I'll stop and ask myself questions about the world or ask my friends to ask me questions. Then, I write those answers down in the notes, and keep going until I'm satisfied that all of the lore makes sense, and I finish the book. Then editing begins (my least favorite part).

What time of day are you most creative?

I am a night owl, so typically anywhere from 5-8 is my start time.

What is your ideal writing environment?

Anywhere I can be alone, with my big headphones, and no one watches me when I pace and act out scenes at my desk.

As an author, what challenges do you face?

Being my own boss. Without deadlines, I would let a story linger for too long.

What is your least favorite part of being an author?

The editing. Just when you think you're done, you realize you managed to forget every rule about commas you've ever learned.

If there was one thing you could change about the writing/publishing industry, what would it be?

I would like to release the hold the 'Zon has on the industry. It's a good source for now, but I'd rather it not be one of the only resources for indie authors.

What advice would you give aspiring authors?

The joy in writing I've found is I do it for myself, and then I'm happily surprised when other people enjoy it. So my advice is for you to write for yourself first, and not focus on what other people might think.

What is something you’d like to write, but haven’t yet?

I'd like to write a true Romantasy with all the enemies-to-lovers angst I enjoy, or do a complete pivot and write a middle-grade book (not as Elsie, of course).

Which parts of yourself are reflected in your characters?

I tend to write type-b bisexuals, so it would have to be that.

Which of your characters have special meaning to you?

I have a character from an unreleased book that I'm going to struggle giving up to the world, so him. As far as released work, JoAnn from Squashed. She was my first main character; and my loved ones constantly ask me about her, and what she's doing now. She has become a sort of mascot character for me. She's much more confident and blunt than I am which inspires me.

How do you come up with character names?

Usually, the characters are a pun or some niche reference that makes sense to me. For example, all the main human characters in Hornicopia are based off grocery stores Sam (Sam's Club) JoAnn, (Trader Joe's), and soon Marty/Sam (Walmart/Sam's Club). In Defined & Defiled, Shirley was a nod to Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables.