Elle Lewis Interview
Welcome to Ink & Magick. I'm your friendly neighborhood witch. What kind of spell can I get for you (or your character) today?
Me and my character both need a spell (That is...if the witch is so kind to grant two!) I would love a spell to freeze and unfreeze time at will so I can get caught up on my TBR list. I have so many amazing books waiting for me, world's to jump into! The Black Rose (publisher) group is so talented, many of their books have made it onto my list as well. My character, Sloan, desperately needs a potion to make her sleep at night without dreams. There is a terrifying being with black eyes stalking her, and he enters her dreams at night. The poor thing can't obtain a moment of peace!
It is irresponsible to mess with time. However, I think i can help your friend Sloan. For nightmares, she can place a holed stone (a witch's stone) under her bed or tie it to the bedpost, or she can hang a broom on her bedroom door and put garlic under her pillow. But this problem sounds more serious...
Might I suggest protection charms and spells? She should always carry pieces of iron and silver in her pockets and a protective binding may also be beneficial: Take a white cord and tie nine knots into it, visualizing yourself being shielded from whatever you need protection from. Wear or carry this cord with you.
Your character sounds like she is in great danger. Tell me about your new urban fantasy Dark Touch.
Sloan left home a year ago, hoping to escape her past.
One night, a chance encounter will change her life forever. Sloan crosses paths with a dangerous being. He is ancient. Evil. And she has caught his attention.
Sloan attempts to continue with day to day life but soon realizes that she has become his obsession. Not only does he stalk her by day, but he can enter her dreams, tormenting her while she sleeps.
Desperate, Sloan searches for answers. What is he? And more importantly, what does he want with her?
Time is running out. Will Sloan be saved before she is consumed by darkness? Or will her horrifying nightmares become reality?
Excerpt:
Standing next to a cherry tree was the man from the intersection. His appearance was drastically altered, but I knew it was him. The guise of an emaciated homeless man was gone, replaced by an impressive physique. The man that stood before me was easily six-nine, and wearing only a pair of black jeans, revealing a body of perfectly sculpted muscle. His short hair was still that odd shade of white, like snow, but his face was different. He had a square jaw, a strong nose and thick eye brows. It was a face that could have been considered handsome if it wasn’t for his horrific black eyes. A set of massive ebony wings extended from behind his back, the feathers like dark silk. He folded them in, tucking them neatly behind his back.
“Hello again.” His voice was unnervingly smooth, like dead fur caressing my skin. He pointed at me. “You and I have unfinished business.”
A scream was building in my throat. This couldn’t be happening. I had to be hallucinating. I stood frozen, my mind in shock.
The man took several steps forward, his movements silent and lithe, the way a very large predator moves towards its prey. His face filled with hunger as he inched closer.
How mysterious! Mind giving us a hint to what type of evil this guy is?
Sloan has encountered a very dangerous entity. I wanted to do something very unique in this story. As much as I love traditional monsters (werewolves, vampires, witches, etc.)… I did not want to reuse or reimagine the traditional monsters of literature. Dark Touch features a new breed of supernatural creatures. You will have to read to the end to find out what he actually is. But I will tell you that he is sentient, powerful, and as evil as they come. And he will not stop until he has consumed every last inch of Sloan. I hope readers will enjoy the journey to discover what he is, and also get a few scares in the process.
So is this a "beat the bad guy" book or a "stalker turned lover" book?
Definitely beat the bad guy! Sloan takes things into her own hands and tries to unlock the mystery of what he is and what he wants with her. The book follows her journey as she races against the clock. Her life has become an unrecognizable nightmare. But her quest for answers leads her to someone that provides unexpected help and comfort. And...oh yes...love. <3
Which one of your characters surprised you?
James, the person Sloan meets in her search for answers. Originally, I wanted Sloan to be isolated and totally alone. James was in fact suppose to be an old man. Someone that simply gave her a few pieces of information and then sent her on her way. But that wasn't meant to be. It was almost as if James knew who he was suppose to be, knew his place and importance in the story, and then shouted at me from the page. He blossomed into a character that I absolutely adore. Sloan wasn't meant to endure this journey alone. She was meant to find James.
Who is your favorite (or least favorite) character and why?
I love them all so much! I adore my protagonist, Sloan. She pulls on my heartstrings. But James and Cato are probably two of my favorites. James because I love his journey, and I admire his choices. He is to the core a good person, despite the hardships he has endured. Cato has a special place in my heart. He is one of the supernatural creatures that appears early in the book (chapter three). He drops to the background and then shows up again at the end. He only has a few small parts in the first novel, but he is an integral part of book two and is one of the dominant characters in that book. I love how he handles situations, his viewpoints, and his interactions with Sloan.
If you could time-travel, would you travel to the future or the past? Where would you like to go, and why would you choose that time period?
Oh the time travel question! I'm going to have to say the future. Like, blast me way ahead. Year 3,000. 4,000. I want to enter some crazy city skyline, Blade Runner status, with flying cars, massive skyscrapers and bright lights. The science fiction nerd in me wants to see if AI has been developed. Maybe some enhanced humans walking around. Clones. Medicine would be insane I imagine. Maybe scientists have figured out how to cure cancer, create whole new limbs, repair the spinal cord. But with my luck the world would have dissolved into some post apocalyptic wasteland like in Mad Max. That would be disappointing. In that case, send me back to the fifties so I can go to some cheesy high school dance. "McFly!"
What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
Talk about it. Word of mouth is a powerful thing, especially in the literary world. If you love the book, tell your other literary friends about it. Post about it. And please, write a review on Goodreads or Amazon. I genuinely want to know what readers think. To me, it is an honor to have someone read my book. I want to create a captivating world for readers to escape to. Readers—please let me know if I have done so. I want to hear from you!
What can we expect from you next?
Dark Touch is book one of The Glass Star Trilogy. Book two is finished to completion, but needs a little polishing and editing. Book three has been started. My current focus is on completing The Glass Star Trilogy. My next project is a genre crossover into Horror. My horror novel is already outlined, and I will begin work on that as soon as The Glass Star Trilogy is finished. Then I want to write another Urban Fantasy. And also a high fantasy novel. So many ideas and projects! I would tell readers—if you like my work, please follow me on social media and on my blog. I will keep you upraised of what I have in the works.
Elle Lewis lives in Florida with her husband, son, and a phenomenal orange cat named Cheddar. She is a nurse by profession, but her heart belongs to monsters, fictional worlds, and all things conjured up by the imagination. She dreams of one day moving to the mountains and living in a small town that resembles The Shire.
You can get your copy of Dark Touch on her publisher's website or Amazon.
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