Ella J. Smyth, writer of steamy paranormal dark fantasy romance
The Creative Council
Welcome to The Creative Council, where I interview creatives about their lives and work and the ups and downs of being a creative soul.
Today’s interviewee is Ella J. Smyth!
Ella always had a passion for myths and fairytales. No surprise then that she married an Irishman and lived six years in Ireland, the country of Leipreachán, Sidhe, Púca, and other fascinating creatures. There’s nothing like walking at night through a deserted laneway, fog swirling around your feet, knowing that maybe, just maybe, on the other side of the hedge, there might be some old lady in a black cloak waiting for you...
If you got the shivers right now, you know why she feels compelled to write stories around the supernatural and paranormal. There’s nothing like a delicious shudder making you enjoy life just a little more.
Ella is the author of the paranormal dark fantasy romance reverse harem series Second Chance Academy, Hidden Fae, and the Zodiac series.
The Interview
Hi Ella! It’s been a while since we had a chat! Let’s get started, shall we?
· When did you start creating? Do you remember what pulled you in?
As far as I can remember, I’ve always been creating. I remember my parents taking me to a kitchen design studio back in the 70s, and I was fascinated by the technical drawings the salesman produced. At five years of age, I copied them as well as I could and had a blast doing it.
As my schooling progressed, I found myself stifled under the onslaught of Latin and maths, lol. I got too busy with school and stopped writing and drawing for fun. There just didn’t seem to be any point to it.
· When did you start pursuing your current craft for real? As in, when did you begin to take yourself seriously as a creator?
That didn’t happen until my late forties. I listened to The Creative Penn podcast. The host, Joanna Penn, explained how technology opened up the possibilities for independent creators to be self-published and earn money with their craft. I was blown away.
Up until then, I had believed I had to go through an agent and find a traditional publisher to be successful. Turned out, that wasn’t true anymore. Which was just as well, because I wasn’t interested in some rando person I’d never meet judging my writing rather than readers whose opinion, as it turned out, counted more.
· How long did it take you to complete your first work?
I wrote Spirit Hunger, my very first novel, in three months. By the time it was edited and revised, another two months had passed. The second book, Spirit Elfen, only took two months from writing to publishing.
· How long does it generally take you to complete a work?
I honestly don’t know. I aim for three months for my first draft, but, lately, I’ve been slowing down a lot. There’s a lot going on in my personal life that takes most of my attention. I’ll be happy to publish a second novel this year.
· What do you struggle with most as a creative person?
Imposter syndrome is a huge one. It is crippling on its own and makes me doubt myself all the time. That results in bellyaching over my past books and hesitancy to start new ones.
There are other distractions as well. My husband and I are under huge stress because of our parents’ declining health, as well as our kids starting college while we’re preparing for an international move next year.
These are all distractions that have a huge impact on my productivity. I believe the only way to catch my muse is to hunt her down and drag her to my desk, but, sometimes, I’m too tired to do that.
· Have you always had that struggle or has it changed over time?
It has definitely changed over time. When I started, I was so excited about being able to get my stories out there and share them with the world.
The excitement is still there, but I’m so torn into different directions, it blunted my joy in writing. I tell myself this is temporary. Our parents won’t be around forever. Our kids will find their own path. My husband and I will settle, and I’ll be able to focus on finding my joy again.
· What advice would you give to creatives dealing with the same?
Remember why you wanted to create in the first place. Earning money is awesome, but there are other drivers. Losing myself in words or in my drawings settles me and makes me happy. It’s like a runner’s high (I imagine, lol), and I can’t wait to find that feeling again.
Also, being writer might be lonely, but you don’t have to do it alone! Reach out in writers’ groups on Facebook etc. and find your tribe. There’s nothing like working with other creatives, exchange ideas, bounce concepts off each other, and just connect.
· What do you do to stay inspired?
Finding a group of fellow writers in 2019 at the 20Books conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, was the best thing that happened to me. We connected through Zoom during the pandemic years, and most of us are still close.
Every time I want to give up, this group encourages me and keeps me in the game. Even through we’re spread across the globe, from Germany to the UK to the States, we meet regularly at conferences or visit each other IRL.
Seriously, even if your friends and family encourage you, they don’t truly understand what makes us tick (unless they’re also creatives.)
· What’s the best creative advice you ever received?
Don’t wait for inspiration. It’ll come when you buckle down and start writing.
Find your own process. It’s great to learn how other creatives approach it, but we’re all so very different. Different personalities, different learning styles, different creation styles.
Be prepared to kiss an awful lot of frogs before you find your prince!
You can find Ella and her work here, and on Goodreads and Bookbub.
Are you a creative and would you like to be interviewed next? E-mail me at marielle@mswordsmith.nl and we’ll make it happen!