Today I am speaking with Ellen Ashe.

Hi Ellen! I would like to take this time to welcome you to Fallen Angel Reviews! I appreciate you taking time from your busy schedule to speak with us. The readers would love to hear something about Ellen Ashe.

Thank you, Linda! It’s a pleasure to be here!

I wanted to tell you that I absolutely love your cover for Lady Outlaws. Why don’t you begin by telling us something about Lady Outlaws, and perhaps a little about Midnight Tryst and The Sorcerer’s Mark.

Lady Outlaws is my own personal obsession with the Wild West. This part of history tugs at my heart and by creating the book I have gone there! Midnight Tryst is as close to horror as I’ll ever go- and it all started with a dream about swimming in a black ocean filled with stalagmites- and then my imagination stole the rest. The Sorcerer’s Mark, well, Wyldelock is my pride and joy; he is pure sexuality wrapped in those delicious masculine vulnerabilities. The book is romance but it also delves into dark fantasy- Wicca, secret Brotherhoods, Mythology, the Tarot- and what rules we mortals would break if we had the power to so. Especially if love was the goal.

Did you have fun writing these stories? They all three sound exciting.

Fun? Formulating the ideas is a comfortable challenge but sometimes getting the words just right, even what appears to be simple dialog, can be excruciating. Then sometimes it all flows together and I simply go with that. A birthing process, I guess. As long as I can exorcise the voices I’m happy!

What is your favorite genre to write when you are composing?

Paranormal. Everything I write has to have some aspect of that. There are so many unanswered questions about all things mystical that I’m spoiled for choice. The realm of the unknown has plenty of elbow room for creativity. Add to that a smoldering passion… well, need I say more?

When did you decide that you wanted to be an author?

1999. I wanted to create a special Christmas gift for my best friend. I started to write a short story- our favorite actors the heroes and we were, of course, the heroines. By the time I finished, the ‘short story’ was 90,000 words long. Writing instantly became an addiction. But since then I’ve changed the names to protect the guilty.

Would you like to tell the readers what a day is like in the life of Ellen Ashe?

Prepare to yawn. I’m a country girl. I get up early (usually around 4am), start the fire, feed the CATS, make coffee and go to the computer. There I am until about 9am. Then the day crowds in. My elderly mother is with me during the day, and there are meals, baking, gardening, CATS, shopping, washing, ironing, dishes, CATS… and between chores I check email, answer email, maybe jot down an idea or two for a story or website or contest, then it’s back to CATS, meals, bring in wood and so on and so forth. My brother says: “Gee, Sis, how come you go to bed so early?” Like, dah.

Do you ever listen to music or watch television when you are working on your stories for inspiration?

Music, most certainly. Smooth Jazz is best for love scenes and Ambient is perfect for all things eerie.

What is the best thing you enjoy about your writing?

Creating beautiful children. All characters rely on me to tell their story and as a proud parent I do the best I can before sending them out into the world. My hope is that those who discover my creations love them as I do.

What do you like most about your writing?

Most of all I adore the fantastical worlds my characters take me. By following them into their hazy existences I leave my own. Most people call this fantasizing; I call it the writing process.

Do you start from scratch when composing or do you follow an outline to start your stories?

I close my eyes and ‘talk’ to one lead character. Once I can see their face, hear their voice, and am ‘told’ the problem they want me to help solve, then I’m off. No outlines. Never! I sit at the keyboard and let my characters tell me where they want to go. The ending is always a surprise until I get there. (And yes, I’ve gotten some weird looks when I tell that to people!)

Any advice for the novice writer just beginning?

Write every day. Something. Anything. Doesn’t matter if every word is spelled wrong. Just work on getting the voices out, including your own.

Do you get along with your publisher and editors?

I have very little contact except for what’s necessary. Publishers are bosses and like most jobs the employees are more comfortable frolicking about with each other. Or so I think. I really love the other authors I’ve come in contact with. But it’s strange- like the worlds I create- everyone is… beyond. No voices, no faces, just these messages over a computer… Spooky.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to share?

I’d like to, but I daren’t. I don’t want to upset the characters by putting too much pressure on them. Let’s just say they’re struggling with a few unique problems, both natural and… supernatural.

Do you have another website other than this one that you would like to share?
http://www.ellenashe.com/

Oh, dear, no! One is enough… although I have started a blog. Does that count? http://ellenashe.blogspot.com/

Is there a link that you would like to make known to purchase your great books?

Please, through my website! Drop by my ‘Kitchen Table’, check out a current contest, read excerpts and do sign my guestbook. My website is the Welcome Mat to my world! Everyone is cordially invited! Really, really!

Thank you so much for stopping by Ellen. Anyone interested in reading more about Ellen and her fabulous books, please visit her website or her publishers website to read more about her outstanding works. It has been a pleasure talking with you, Ellen, and I wish you the best in your writing career.

Interviewed by: Linda