An Interview with Chelsea Elliott
Chelsea Elliott grew up on a steady diet of monsters, magic, and heartbreak. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural reruns taught her that the villain always has the better lines. Her love for Spike sparked a lifelong fascination with morally grey characters and the kind of dark romances that blur the line between ruin and redemption.
When she isn’t writing about angels, demons, and beautifully broken things, she’s probably rereading her favourite romance novels, living on pumpkin lattes and mochas, or rewatching Buffy for the millionth time.
She also pole dances – because every heroine deserves her moment in the spotlight.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
I’ve always had snippets of Songbird in my head, but I never had the time or confidence to write it all down. It wasn’t until I had some health issues, which resulted in me taking time away from work and a lot of sleepless nights, that I finally had the time to put into Songbird. I became really close friends with an indie author after I ARC read her debut, and it was talking to her that convinced me to write it all down, and she even read my early draft and loved it.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
I think as soon as I had the main storyline, and I knew the full prophecy, I knew what the title would be. It wasn’t until about halfway through writing Songbird and Hellfire that I decided to make it a series, and due to the themes surrounding the book, I knew it would call the full series the Book of Chains.
Describe your dream book cover.
It would stand out from the current romantasy styles, which are quite dark. I love the thought of purples and blues and greens to match Seraphina’s iridescent hair, but also the book is surrounded in black smoke, with her blade front and centre, with both main characters’ wings on either side. Pretty much the version I created myself.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
As someone who struggles to read and write with songs that have lyrics, I have no idea. But this is a really great question, so I will definitely be researching songs to create my own soundtrack that matches parts of the book!
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
I am trying to get through my current physical TBR, so I am reading Bloody Black by Rhiannon Hargadon at the moment. It’s a dark pirate romantasy that deals in a lot of feminine rage and trauma – it is brilliant, I’d recommend it to anyone. I do a lot of audiobooks too, so I have just finished The Addict by Charlie Noir, which was heartbreakingly beautiful, and the voice actors were fantastic, and I’m now on a very smutty listen of Men of Mayhem and Vengeance by Lauren Biel, which I am also loving.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I have worked from factory warehouses to Halfords. I was a TA in secondary schools for a while, which I really enjoyed, especially when I was tasked with creating a reading intervention for students who needed extra support.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I guess I’ve always been writing. I used to write my own stories as a child, and then as a young teenager, my friends and I would write stories on my computer, which then turned into writing Buffy/Supernatural fanfiction when I finally got the internet. I wouldn’t say there was a particular person who inspired me, but Jade Lamb definitely gave me the confidence to believe in myself and try it.
Where is your favorite place to write?
I like to sit in my reading corner in the living room with my laptop.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
Don’t think less of yourself. Maybe some won’t like it, but that’s okay; that shouldn’t stop you from trying anyway. You don’t want to have ‘what ifs’ when you’re too old to try.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I hope they love the characters as much as I do, and I hope that they would like to carry on reading the rest.
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