STEPH: Welcome to the blog, Ella. I
don't know much about your latest release, Pier Lights. What's it about?
ELLA: Let me share the blurb:
Caroline was a relevé away from
becoming prima ballerina when, partly due to her own actions, she was damaged
enough to never be allowed en Pointe again. Returning to her hometown area, she
finds a grittier dancing job and determines to land on top this time.
Dio hides away on his farm near Charleston, South Carolina, and ventures out
only when he can be in disguise. He uses his swordsman skills to work out
aggression and connect with others while he maintains distance. When the two
collide on the beach in the glow of the lights from the pier, their personal
scars push them away, and pull them in, just as the ebb and flow of the
Atlantic.
STEPH: How
long did it take you to write?
ELLA: I wrote it for Nanowrimo 2012, so the first
draft was done during the month of November. Of course, then there came the
filling in, rewriting, and editing. Overall, about three months. It’s a short
novel.
STEPH: What
was the inspiration behind the story?
ELLA: I found a photo of a gorgeous lighthouse at
sunset last year and I knew it had to be a story setting. As it turns out,
Folly Beach, South Carolina has been the setting for other fiction in the past
and it’s a well-loved spot for both locals and tourists. Someday, I’ll get
there to visit!
STEPH: Did
you have to do a lot of research?
ELLA: I did research the area and its local
businesses, as well as the unintentional landmark of the Folly Beach Boat,
which is a little rowboat washed ashore during a hurricane. It’s now used for
graffiti of varying kinds. The dance scenes didn’t need research since I have a
dance background.
STEPH: What's
the theme of the novel?
ELLA: Recovery and adaptation after personal injury.
This theme will be prevalent in some form throughout the lighthouse series, of
which Pier Lights is the first.
6.
How
does the cover reflect the novel?
The cover shows Morris Island Lighthouse, which
has been decommissioned due to the water coming up over it so far there is no land
access. It’s deteriorating and there is a group trying to restore it. It’s the
perfect metaphor for Dio and Caroline who have also been knocked out of
commission and need restoration. The sword in the sand shows part of Dio’s
trade, and the little rowboat is a large part of the story.
STEPH: How
long have you been writing?
ELLA: Ella M. Kaye is a pen name. Under my other name,
I’ve been published for nearly ten years, have eight books released, and I’ve
written in some form since childhood. Pier Lights is my first novel under this
line.
STEPH: Do
you have any advice for aspiring authors?
ELLA: Read a lot, in many genres. Listen to
established writers. Network. Be determined and develop thick skin. Get
critiques outside friends and family. Realize that the first draft is the easy
part and there is a long way to go from there. Study the craft of writing.
Talent is nothing without the hard work of learning the trade. If you can give
up on writing, you should. If you can’t, give it your all.
STEPH: Do
you have an ebook reader? If so, which ones?
ELLA: I have a Sony that’s several years old and still
suits me fine.
STEPH: Fun
question: Do you have any plans for St. Patrick's Day?
ELLA: I have a lot of Irish heritage, so I have a
brisket marinating to become corned beef. It’s much better homemade than from
the store! I may try to make Irish soda bread to go with it this year, and
we’ll have a simple dinner with family and maybe a couple of friends.
Thanks so much for having me, Stephanie! I have
a new blog, and I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Pier Lights is on
Goodreads if any of you review there. Find my links on my blog:
http://ellamkaye.blogspot.com
Excerpt
She
moved back down the beach, out from under the pier, still along the water as it
splashed her ankles. Just before she turned off to head back to her room for
the night, a flicker of light over the water caught her eye. It was a moving
flicker, similar to the lighthouse off and on glow as it turned its continuous
circles around Sullivan’s Island, but far smaller. And far closer. She headed
that direction. Caroline had always been too curious. Her mother had told her
she was many times. It killed the cat, so the story went. Caroline figured she
was safe enough since she wasn’t a cat. She’d gone well past her nine lives of
curiosity and it hadn’t killed her yet.
As
she got close enough to find the source of the flicker, out on the water but
not too far out, she decided it might not be all that safe. A man. With a
sword. On a small boat. Alone.
And
mostly naked.
Her
gut told her to turn away, to go back to her room, to shower and redo her toe
nails and sleep, in case her answer would be yes. Although in all truth, she
expected it not to be. She only wanted the option.
The
flicker came from the sword as he twirled it around his body. Twirled wasn’t
the right word. That was what Caroline did. Or what she used to do. It was a
delicate, graceful movement. But then, so was this man. He was a delicate,
graceful movement, if she could allow herself to stretch the definition of the
word delicate. His precision was. As far as she could tell, the sword moved in
exactly the same path, repeated, smooth, strong, graceful. It moved like a
dancer, but more deadly.
Depending
on its intent.
BUY LINK:
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