Today I welcome author, Esri Rose.
Esri Rose lives in Boulder, Colorado, where elves could walk the streets without undue attention. Esri lives with her husband, Angel Joe, and her cat, Musette La Plume, only one of whom has pointy ears.
Welcome! Please tell us about your book, Bound to Love Her.
It’s the story of Erin, who owns a New Age shop but doesn’t believe in the supernatural, and Galan, a Tolkien-style elf who has good reason not to trust humans. Erin accidentally saves Galan from death, and the two are bound to each other in a mysterious way. Can they defeat the dark elf Fellseth, who wants to finish Galan off and turn Erin into a mindless slave? Probably they can, but you’ll have to read the book to know for sure.
What inspired the story?
Orlando Bloom as Legolas. That hair. Those ears.
How would you classify or describe, Bound to Love Her?
I call it an urban-fantasy, romantic-suspense comedy. It’s really all those things, and in about equal parts.
Can you share with us your “Call” story?
I don’t have a good call story, so I’m going to make one up. You heard it here first.
I am at a large and noisy Halloween party, wearing pointy latex ears and a glittery green leotard and tutu, when my cell phone rings. I hand my gin fizz to Angel Joe and answer it.
“Esri, you got a two-book contract on the elf book!”
“What?! I can’t hear you!”
“Your elves! They sold!”
“I know I am, but what are you?” I hang up, laughing hysterically.
“Who was that?” my husband asks, giving me back my drink.
“I don’t know. Some weirdo.”
When we get home, there’s a big box of money on the doorstep.
Who has inspired you as a writer?
Ann Patchett, David Sedaris, Laurie King (her Mary Russell series), Terry Pratchett, Nicholas Christopher, Dave Barry, and all my writer friends in the Wet Noodle Posse, who taught me that not giving up is the only sure way to get published. Also, every romance writer that ever made me feel the longing and magic of new love while telling a ripping good yarn.
What would you like to tell aspiring writers?
I’m going to assume we’re talking about commercial-fiction writers. If we’re talking literature, I usually just say, “Go to a fancy school and drink a lot.” But for populist writers like myself, I have come up with a helpful formula which I didn’t follow at all.
Write first drafts until you develop your voice and find the genre you like most. Then write two books in it. Polish them in such a way that they aren’t completely out of line with current trends. Now present yourself to agents. Don’t give up. When you sell, you’ll have two books that just need some editing, you can get them on the shelves close together (which builds readership), and you can spend some time promoting instead of scrambling to write more.
What do you like to read?
Biographies and history, romance (especially historicals), books about/by illusionists (Ricky Jay!), books on stuff (like buildings or tea), humorous essays by folks like Sedaris and Bill Bryson, occasional lit titles that people recommend, kid’s books, mysteries, and The New Yorker magazine.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Curious, confident, and communicative. (Today’s adjectives are brought to you by the letter ‘C.’)
What is next for you?
I’m finishing the second book in the Elves Among Us Universe. Bound to Want Him will be released in May 2009 and has a lot of the same characters. I also have the first book in a mystery series that I need to polish and send to my agent. If enough people read me and my career doesn’t disappear with a tiny “gloop” sound, I’d like to have two series going at once.
Is there anything you’d like to ask readers?
How do you feel about bare-torsoed guys on book covers?
Thank you, Esri, for that fun interview!
You can learn more about Esri by visiting her website: http://elvesamongus.com
Now onto the contest…
Esri donated two copies of Bound to Love Her to two lucky winners!
This giveaway is going to require a little work.
I am going to ask some trivia questions…all answers can be found on Esri’s website: http://elvesamongus.com and they are pretty simple so don’t worry.
I will post two questions today and two more tomorrow and for every correct answer, you will get an entry into the giveaway…so if you answer all four correctly, that’s four entries!
You can send the responses in separate e-mails or answer all 4 in one e-mail.
DO NOT POST THE ANSWERS HERE, PLEASE!
If you have any questions, please ask!
Here we go…
Day 1’s questions:
- Watch the video of Esri Rose’s interview with “Colin” the “incubus-possessed ring,” (found on the Audio/Video page of her website) and tell me, which actor does “Colin” resemble in his owner’s dreams?
- According to Esri’s bio on her website, she once sold personalized letters from who?
E-mail your answers to jennifersrandommusings @ gmail.com (without the spaces) with “Esri Rose Giveaway” in the subject line!
All entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST on May 22!
Two winners will be randomly selected, notified, and announced here on the blog this Friday, May 23!
Please, DO NOT post the answers here!
Good luck to all!
Remember to check back tomorrow as Esri completes the sentences and for two more chances to enter as well!
How about answering Esri’s question for readers…How do you feel about bare-torsoed guys on book covers?
*and don’t forget to check yesterday’s post to see if you were a winner!
My upcoming release, Red-Hot and Royal, is about three modern-day ordinary women who would never meet the requirements for fabled princesses. There were a couple of things that inspired this story, but a lot of it had to do with traditional fairy tale heroines. 
