Ellen Fisher

Welcome to Karen Find Out About New Books, I like to thank you for taking the time out
of your schedule to answer a few questions.

Ellen - Hi, Karen!  Thanks for taking the time to talk to me!

How Long did it take you to get your first book published?

Ellen - A long time!  I submitted my first historical romance (THE LIGHT IN THE
DARKNESS) to every New York publisher out there.  (This was in 1997, before the
epublishing industry had really gotten established.)  I got rejections from almost
everyone, and had just about given up hope, when I got a request from Bantam for the
full.  Before long they'd bought it.

How did you feel the day your book was released?

Ellen - I was thrilled when THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS was released in 1998. But
Bantam didn't buy my second book, which put me back to square one.  I spent four
years unpublished, while I tried to sell my second historical romance (LOVE
REMEMBERED) and wrote another (my upcoming contemporary, ALL I EVER
WANTED).  Eventually I accepted that LOVE REMEMBERED desperately really
needed a rewrite toward the end, and I totally rewrote the last fifty pages. New
Concepts Publishing bought it not long afterward.  After four years, I think I
was more excited about selling LOVE REMEMBERED than my first one!

Do you have a strict writing schedule?

Ellen - I have three kids, ages eight, five, and two, which means my writing has to be
structured around them.  The two oldest ones are in school much of the day, and when
they're home they can usually be trusted to play by themselves.  The two-year-old, on
the other hand, considers me his personal playmate, and he doesn't think I should be
allowed to use the computer... it interferes with his plans.  So I usually get up around six
a.m. and write in the morning, before the kids get up.  If I'm working on something
specific, I sometimes write in the afternoon, while the toddler is sleeping, and in the
evening, when Dad is home to keep the kids under control.

What are some of your hobbies?

Ellen - I love to listen to music (classical, classic rock, jazz, world music, eighties pop).  
My big escape from the kids is singing with my church choir-- it gets me out of the
house every Wednesday.  I enjoy singing, although I don't have a fabulous voice by any
stretch of the imagination. I also do a whole lot of reading.  I love dogs and have always
wanted a collie, but my husband is not a dog person.  After twelve years of marriage,I
finally talked him into a pet, a black-and-white Mini Lop bunny, who is the sweetest pet
imaginable... even if he does like to chew on the baseboards!

Have you ever had writers block?

Ellen - Not really.  Sometimes I can't think of the best way to resolve a story, so I work
on something else instead.  (This is the reason that I like to write in two different
subgenres at once-- if I get bored writing a historical, I can switch to a contemporary.)  
Sometimes I don't feel particularly inspired, so I don't write much for a while.  But I think
of that as "taking a break" rather than writers' block!

Are you working on any writing projects right now?

Ellen - I have completed one of my upcoming books, ISN'T IT ROMANTIC?, a
contemporary romantic comedy novella that will be available from New Concepts
Publishing in May.  I have another book scheduled-- NEVER LOVE A STRANGER, a
sci-fi romance scheduled to be released by NCP in August.  But that one isn't finished
yet!  So that's where most of my writing energy is going right now.  I'm also
playing around with a couple of comedy novella ideas, but I haven't queried my editor
about them yet.

What stories do you have out now?

Ellen - My colonial Virginia romance, LOVE REMEMBERED, was released by NCP in
October, 2003.  In February, 2004, I will have two releases from NCP: THE NERD
PRINCE, a contemporary romantic short story, and ALL I EVER WANTED, a
contemporary romantic comedy novel.  ALL I EVER WANTED was Sizzling Romances'
Reviewer Choice for January and received a five-flame review from them.  I also just
got a terrific review from Debbie at Romance Reader at Heart, who called ALL I EVER
WANTED "a breezy, sexy and fun effort with a really dreamy hero."  Since my earlier
books were historicals, I'm thrilled that reviewers seem to like ALL I EVER WANTED-- I
hope readers will like it too!

How can your readers contact you?

Ellen - My email address is ellenfisher@erols.com.  I love to hear from readers!

What is your web site addy?

Ellen - My website is www.erols.com/ellenfisher.  I have excerpts and covers posted
from ALL I EVER WANTED and my other upcoming books.

Who are your favorite authors?

Ellen - Some of the historical authors I love are Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, and Gaelen
Foley.  Some of my favorite contemporary authors are Susan Andersen, Rachel
Gibson, and Elaine Fox.  In futuristics, I enjoy Susan Squires' books, as well as NCP's
own Jaide Fox.

How long have you been writing?

Ellen - Since I was in fourth grade.  At around nine or ten I wrote a seventy-page novel
about dogs, and at around thirteen or fourteen I wrote a two-hundred page novel about
horse racing.  (Both these books tragically remained unpublished.)  When I started
reading romances at sixteen I switched to writing romance, and I wrote a full-length
historical romance in college.  Unfortunately, it was BAD.  Really, really, really bad.  I did
try to sell it, but three form letter rejections later I came to grips with the awful badness
of it, and I quit bothering publishers with it.  It took me a long time to
complete my next romance, but I did manage to sell that one!

Do you have any thing to add?

Ellen - I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Karen, and to everyone else
for taking the time to read this!  You've built a great group here, and I always look
forward to messages from this group... to say nothing of the chats!

Thanks so much Ellen!

Karen