Today Author Chat guest is E.J. Russell. E.J. writes wonderful, paranormal stories. Her Enchanted Occasions and Fae Out of Water series are fun stories that if you haven’t read any of them, you should. E.J. has a new release out this week, King’s Ex, which you can learn more about below.
With that, let’s chat with E.J. Russell.
ACwA Guest: E.J. Russell
- Origin: How did the first story you ever wrote influence your career as an author and how do you feel about that story now?
I’ll skew this question a little from “first story I ever wrote” to “my first published story,” because the first story I ever wrote was in second grade, about a cow who imagined herself to be a series of different animals and produced hybrid offspring (although, come to think of it, I write primarily paranormal books, so…)
My first published book was actually the second one I’d submitted to a particular publisher (whose catalog was primarily M/F). The first submission was a M/F contemporary novella, which wasn’t accepted. The second, however, was a M/M supernatural suspense (aka paranormal) novella titled Northern Light, and it was accepted and published in 2013. That publisher accepted a M/F contemporary book from me, but declined another M/M supernatural suspense, which I submitted to a publisher that specialized in LGBT romance. They accepted it—yay!—and offered me a two-book contract (and several more). I’d found a new focus as a M/M romance author—contemporary, paranormal, supernatural suspense, and historical—and I couldn’t be happier!
(P.S.—When I got the rights back for Northern Light, that second publisher accepted it and it found another life, expanded and re-edited, as The Artist’s Touch.)
- Which of your characters is most like you (or someone close to you.)
I suppose all of my characters have a little bit of me in them, but there’s one character I modeled on my Curmudgeonly Husband: Chef, the goblin berserker chef in my Enchanted Occasions series. While CH definitely has “resting curmudgeon face,” he’s ordinarily pretty laid back. One of our friends referred to him as having a pulse rate of 42; 43 in a real crisis. However, the one way you’re guaranteed to get him riled up is if something interferes with his cooking. CH is very serious about cooking and food, so I had a lot of fun channeling and, er, enhancing his behavior when I wrote Chef!
- What is your favorite trope and why?
I think my favorite trope is fish out of water—probably because, as a very socially awkward introvert, I can totally relate!
- How many half-written stories are on your hard-drive and what do you plan to do with them?
You want me to count? Yikes! There are a lot, in various stages of planning/drafting. I hope to get to most of them eventually, especially now that I’ve fully embraced hybrid authorship and have more control over my schedule!
- What are you working on next?
I’ve got my offering in the Magic Emporium series, Purgatory Playhouse, releasing next month. After that, my tentative plan is to work on the next Enchanted Occasions book, Capturing Air. However, there are some other projects burbling away on the back burner (see answer to previous question), so my mileage may vary!
E.J. Russell’s Newest Release
To escape an arranged marriage, the king needs a fake fiancé. Stat.
King Bastien’s father locked him into an ironclad betrothal contract with Lady Helena Rey when the two of them were only seven years old. Bas and Helena have never been friends—and not only because she marked their first meeting by dropping a frog down his shirt. He’s been unsuccessfully petitioning Parliament to annul the damn contract ever since he took the throne nine years ago. But with the deadline for officially confirming the engagement rapidly approaching, Bas is getting desperate.
Enter commoner Nico Pereira, manager of the Royal Crest Vineyards, who nurses a secret crush on the king. He’s at the New Palace to unveil a wine that’s the first joint venture between North and South Abarra. No problem, right? Except Nico has a secret: He has a superpower. Not a very strong superpower, but because powers are a privilege reserved for Royals, it still puts him at risk for arrest and prosecution. Nico can usually mask his limited foresight gift under the guise of being an incredibly efficient administrator. But when King Bastien asks him to be his fake fiancé?
Well. Nico never saw that coming.
Nothing if not loyal, Nico accepts the faux-posal, although close proximity to Bastien makes him more than a little… uncomfortable, and the increased scrutiny of government officials threatens to expose his illegal ability. Good thing this engagement is temporary, because being the king’s ex will be a lot less onerous than prison or exile.
Or, if the attacks from a shadowy conspiracy continue, with being dead.
King’s Ex is a 52,000-word M/M superhero rom-com featuring a fake engagement, class differences, improbably pristine clothing, dueling secrets, a guaranteed HEA, and a kitten.
Buy Links
| Amazon US | Amazon Universal |
Giveaway
Two lucky readers will snag a copy of their choice of eBook from E.J. Ruseell’s backlist! Leave a comment on this post, or click here to visit the Gallorious Readers Facebook Group and comment on the Author Chat with Andy post for a chance to win!
Free Book!
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About E.J. Russell
E.J. Russell (she/her) ), author of the award-winning Mythmatched LGBTQ+ paranormal romance series, holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she spent three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business intelligence consultant (as one does). She’s now abandoned data wrangling, however, and spends her days wrestling words across a rainbow of genres. Count on high snark, low angst, and happy endings.
Reality? Eh, not so much.
She’s married to Curmudgeonly Husband, a man who cares even less about sports than she does. Luckily, CH loves to cook, or all three of their children (Lovely Daughter and Darling Sons A and B) would have survived on nothing but Cheerios, beef jerky, and satsuma mandarins (the extent of E.J.’s culinary skill set).
E.J. lives in rural Oregon, enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.
Where to Find E.J. Russell
| Website | Facebook Group | Newsletter Signup |
I’ve loved all of EJ’s books that I’ve read so far.