AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: ELLEN SMITH
INTERVIEW WITH ELLEN SMITH
Ellen Smith is a freelance education writer and speculative fiction author. Her published works include Reluctant Cassandra (2015), Every Last Minute (2017), and Any Second Chance (2020). When she isn't busy writing, Ellen can be found reading, dabbling in various crafts, and generally avoiding housework. No matter what she is doing, Ellen is always wondering, What if? Ellen lives with her family near Washington, DC. She can be reached through her website: www.ellensmithwrites.com
Did you find writing or writing found you?
Oh, writing found me! I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t enthralled by reading and storytelling. Books have this incredible ability to transport us to another place and time while also, somehow, helping us connect more deeply with the world around us. For me, writing is an extension of my love for reading.
What has your writing journey been like and how has your writing changed over the years?
I started out doing mostly short stories and humorous essays—my favorite influences were Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck. After college, I gradually started adding more science fiction and fantasy elements and writing novels. These days, I would call myself a speculative fiction writer.
What is the singular biggest push you've ever received from others for your writing?
In elementary school, my teacher returned one of my writing assignments with the words “Ellen, you are a great writer!” written in red ink across the top of the page. I never forgot that. I don’t even remember what the assignment was about, but my teacher’s encouragement meant a lot to me.
What is the best decision you ever made for your writing career?
Even though I loved writing from a young age, there was a period of time when I didn’t want to take the risk of sharing my stories. In my mid-twenties, I finally found the confidence to pursue publishing. I knew I couldn’t write a story that everyone would connect with, but I believed that there could be just one reader somewhere who would love reading my book as much as I enjoyed writing it. The confirmation came for me the same week my first book was published—a reader who had won a copy of the book on Goodreads wrote to me and told me how much she connected with the story! That was a very special moment that confirmed my decision to be brave and continue sharing my stories!
If someone were to read all your works, would they find there's a common theme through them and what will it be?
I realized halfway through writing my second novel that time is a major theme in all my books. My first novel is a standalone story, Reluctant Cassandra, in which the main character has visions of the future but is powerless to change them. Her story takes place as her father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and mirrors the emotions that a family faces when coping with a chronic or progressive illness. Then I began writing my Time Wrecker trilogy, which is built around the premise that time travel is legal and available in the United States as a means of criminal justice. Victims of a crime and the criminal must decide whether to “go back in time and undo the crime,” as the motto goes, which is quite a loaded decision. My stories tend to circle around questions about how much power the past holds over us, and how much agency we have to change our own future.
Who's the most You-like character you ever created and why is it so like you?
One of the two main characters in my time wrecker trilogy, Will Sterling, has a similar path of finding himself and looking for meaning in his life in ways that don’t seem to fit neatly with his childhood faith or his adult understanding. His wife, Mara, is less similar to me—she is much more ambitious and analytical in her approach to life than Will and I are. And Arden McCrae, the main character in Reluctant Cassandra, is more timid than I am, although she does become more sure of herself over the course of the story.
Have you written any book that you feel like you will never ever publish? If yes, what is it about and why?
Yes, I have a short story I don’t believe I’ll ever publish. I started writing it nine years ago, after my baby boy passed away—the story is about a personification of grief moving into the family home and how the relationship between the narrator and grief evolves over the years. As you can imagine, this story comes from a deep well of emotion, so it’s a piece of writing that resonates with me but probably isn’t “good” in the professional sense.
Which of your books do you have the most sentimental attachment to and why?
Oh, the one I’ll never publish! As a reader, I know that when I am absorbed in a book, I form attachments to the characters and draw meaning from the story that the author might not even have intended. It’s still the author’s story, but it also belongs to me as the reader, and to all the other readers that connected with the book. So as a writer, before I send a piece out into the world, I have to be in the frame of mind that I’m ready for readers to “meet” my characters and go through the events of the story, knowing that their experience will be just a little different than mine. I put a lot of my heart into all my books, but by the time I publish, I am ready to let them belong to the readers, too. Something with a great sentimental attachment, such as the story inspired by my son, I would keep just for myself.
Do you have any writing routine or rituals? What are they?
At this phase of my writing life, I don’t—although very often I’ll have a cup of coffee with me! When my children were babies, I would dedicate time to sneak down to my home office and write. Then the rhythm of our home life changed: my children have outgrown naptime and love to spend their time creating and crafting as well. I moved my writing desk upstairs to a main hallway of our home so that we can be creative together, whenever the mood strikes or we have a bit of extra time in the day.
What's your go to writing advice for when you feel stuck?
Enjoy another creative hobby! I love dabbling in all sorts of arts and crafts—sewing, playing piano, origami and crochet to name a few. During the pandemic I started gardening, too. If I’m stuck on a scene or a piece of dialogue, the answer will generally come to me when my brain is busy with another creative activity.
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