Heart-to-Heart with Elexis Bell, author of Annabelle, Gem of Meruna, Soul Bearer and World for the Broken

Posted on 27/12/2023 09:15:50

author : Bell, Elexis

The Magic Corner warmly welcomes today, the lovely Elexis Bell

Elexis is the author of several fantasy standalones that are already on this Magic Book Corner's list of favorite reads.

1. Hi Elexis and welcome to The Magic Book Corner. To begin could you please tell our readers here something about yourself?

My favorite animal is the octopus. I have tons of them in my library, both real and fake.

2. In a fantasy world dominated by series you choose to write standalones. Why is that?

First, I love standalones and hate how difficult it is to find them in fantasy romance. It just seems natural to write them, because I know I’m not the only one craving a solid standalone in this genre. Second, I just let my stories be whatever length they need to be. So far, with the exception of the sci-fi series I have in the works, everything has had a natural wrap up within one book. I write punchy, high-tension stories with very little fluff.

3. Let’s start with The Gem of Meruna. That was the first book I read of yours. And it made me want to get to know you better. Where did the idea for it come?

That one actually came from a dream of a girl journeying after a magical gem. The Stags were in the dream, as was Jezebella (which is why her name is a little out of place, I wanted to keep that true to the dream I had). Of course, the details and the ending had to be filled in. The world had to be built. But it started as a dream.

4. Your MC here is Kiluna - a Leey. With a whiter than parchment skin and silvery white hair. Why a Leey? And what is the inspiration behind them?

With most of my other books, I could give you more insight. But… The origin of the Leey race, as well as their largely un-pigmented appearance, is tied into the sci-fi series I’m working on. The Gem of Meruna is a standalone within that universe, but it would be a pretty major spoiler for The Regonia Chronicles to go into detail.

5. The giant stags that can leap from a planet to another are very interesting creatures. Why a stag? And where did this concept come from?

They were in the dream that inspired the story, and I absolutely loved them. Their origins also tie into The Regonia Chronicles, though. So, I can’t say much more than that.

6. Your novella Annabelle - One part catharsis, one part harsh scream into the unforgiving wind, this story broke my heart! Could you please tell our readers a little bit more about it?

Annabelle holds SO MUCH of my heart. I went through quite a lot when I was younger, and she endured… similar atrocities. Yet, she was inspired by a figurine made entirely of shaped/starched doilies, and I wrote the novella in roughly a month.

7. What is the message this novella wants to convey?

That we need to stand up for victims. Sexual abuse happens all the time, and it gets minimized and normalized. Victims get blamed because people can’t stomach the idea of living in a world where someone they know could do something so terrible to another human being. But we need to change that. We need to speak up, and it needs to be taken seriously.

8. Your novel Soul Bearer practically stole my heart. Where lies the inspiration for this tale?

This one was a combination of things. Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I think up a couple of characters. I throw them together and see what happens. It helps me clear my mind. When I find a character I like, I file them away in my mind for later. That’s how I got Aurisye, though she didn’t have any magical abilities when I first thought her up. Then, a few months later, I dreamed the prologue of Soul Bearer. None of the characters in it were meant to be a main character. But Aurisye was a perfect fit. She just inherited more abilities than I originally gave her.

9. Your MC here, Aurisye is half-Orc. Why Orc?

Partly because I love underdogs, and partly because I like characters that are inherently strong. When I play Skyrim or Dungeons and Dragons, I always end up playing as a stronger build. And the world/plot demanded a race that’s almost universally looked down upon as being barbaric. Orc fits that bill, very well.

10. All your books seem to have as lead an outcast. In different circumstances and degrees. Why choose this theme?

There are a few reasons. Of course, I love underdogs. They have such potential for growth, and they’re just fun to root for. I also tend to relate to outsiders. I’ve struggled with intense social anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder since I was a kid, and those tend to isolate a person. I’ve been working to overcome them pretty much my entire life. And I know I’m not the only person facing these struggles.

11. You highlight in all your books injustice, racism, prejudice, as well as human nature in general. Is there any reason behind it?

Psychology and sociology are just interesting to me. I actually have a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and I love using it to build well-rounded, realistic characters. And to make a character or a world truly realistic, those problems are going to factor in, at some point, in some way.

12. You have recently published another book – World for the Broken. Could you please tell us a bit about it?

It’s a brutal dark post-apocalyptic romance. It pulls nearly every trigger, though that certainly wasn’t the intention when I started writing it. Here’s a short description: Christian has one hope to rescue his sister-in-law and nephew from a violent thug. Trust the stranger who just saved him from a snowy grave. Not exactly smart after the apocalypse. After all, Chloe has a past of her own and plenty of reservations. Now, she must choose. Condemn his family to a slow death or risk her own life to help save them?

13. Are you working on any other WIP right now? If yes, what is it about and do you have any release date in mind?

I’m working on several, actually.

Where Darkness Leads and Allmother Rising are both dark high fantasy romances, and they’re both in editing.

I have book one of The Regonia Chronicles written, with book two and the prequel started.

I just started writing Second to None (dark romantic thriller) last week. I also have a number of short stories in editing.

And last but certainly not least, A Heart of Salt & Silver is currently being proofread. I’m aiming to publish it in fall of 2020. It’s a dark supernatural high fantasy romance. Here’s the unofficial blurb:

Ness, a demi-demon with a conscience, just wanted a peaceful afternoon in the Forest of Immortals. But Elias, a reckless mortal, went and spoiled it. Not that he wanted to be chased by psychotic vampires. After saving his life, Ness agrees to help him find his estranged werewolf father and the Pack. But facing the Pack means facing Nolan, the werewolf ex that holds her heart. Now, Ness must decide. Use Elias to forget Nolan at the cost of his soul or crawl back to her ex and hope he still wants her even though she broke his heart. But in a world sprinkled with immortals, broken hearts might be the least of their worries.

14. Speaking of planning, are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a hardcore pantser. If I know too much of the book ahead of time, I lose interest in it. For instance, with A Heart of Salt & Silver, I knew about 2% of it at the start of the book. About 40,000 words in, the characters were so different from who I thought they were at the beginning that I had to go back and rewrite everything I had.

15. What readership in particular would your books appeal to and why?

People who want real emotions and relatable characters. People who are tired of things being prettied up in books and aren’t afraid to see the main characters stumble and struggle.

16. Is there any message that any of your books intends to send?

Annabelle is probably the most message-driven, as I mentioned above. I don’t start any of my books with a particular message in mind. Once I get a feel for the world and the characters, though, they all end up with deeper themes.

17. What should a reader expect when picking up your books?

They should expect to feel something. They should expect a character they can relate to or root for. And they should expect my books to never pull punches.

18. As an Indie author, have there been any difficulties you encountered in your writing career? And how did you overcome them?

My writing career thus far has been a minefield. It started with a vanity press scam, which is a huge obstacle right off the bat. Once I saw it for what it was and got over the embarrassment of it, I got the book back and re-released it through a reputable self-publishing company. Social anxiety has been a huge obstacle as far as marketing is concerned, and I’m still working on that, every day. And then there’s the dreaded Imposter’s Syndrome. I’m also still battling that one, off and on. Getting feedback and studying up on writing tend to be the best remedies for me.

19. Do you have any advice for other Indie authors out there? Or perhaps a message to the readers?

For Indie Authors, I’d say find your own writing process. Every writer is different, so if someone else’s process doesn’t work for you, don’t force yourself to stick to it. Outline or don’t, make mood boards or don’t. Whatever works for you. Also, study psychology. It helps a lot with character development.

For readers, keep being awesome. Reading makes people and the world better.

About the author: Elexis Bell

I'm a nerd with a lot of hobbies and enough sarcasm and swear words to make a sailor blush, though, you'll never hear a word of it if I'm not comfortable around you. I've been an introvert since birth. When I'm writing, though, words come easily. At the end of the day, I just want to write stories that make people feel something.