Author Interview: Elle Strauss

Welcome back for another stop on the Clockwise blog tour! If you haven't read my review of Clockwise, then click here to check it out. (You can also click here to see the list of other bloggers involved with this tour.) 

Today I have a special interview with the author of Clockwise, Elle Strauss!

Meet the Author...

"Elle Strauss writes Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. She's a married mom of four, and lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, famous for beaches and vineyards. She's fond of Lindt's sea salt dark chocolate and hiking in good weather. Her Young Adult rom/com time-travel CLOCKWISE and contemporary/otherworldly Middle Grade IT'S A LITTLE HAYWIRE are now available on Amazon." (via her website)

Find Elle On

Twitter: @elle_strauss

Facebook : Elle Strauss - Author

Goodreads: Elle Strauss Goodreads Author

Google+: Elle Strauss

Wattpad: Elle Strauss

The Interview...

What inspired you to become a writer?

I actually used to be a painter, but when I had four little kids at home, I didn’t have the space to set up paints without them getting into everything. I switched my creative outlet to writing and haven’t looked back.

How does it feel to be a published author verse unpublished?

It feels great!

Are you a plotter (outlining, planning before writing) or a pantser (writing where the story takes you)?

I used to be a pantser but now I’m more of a plotter. 

Do you prefer listening to music as you write or silence? If music, does your story or characters’ have a “theme song”?

I write in silence, but there is a song that runs through my head when I think of Clockwise and the sequel, Clockwiser: Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People

What book/author had the greatest impact on you as a child/teen?

As a child/tween I loved Nancy Drew. I’m still partial to mysteries and believe all good books, regardless of the genre, have an element of mystery to them.

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what 5 books would you want with you?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin, Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, Sophies Journey by Sophie Thurnham and the Bible

In your book, your main character Casey can travel back in time to the 1800s. Why did you specifically pick that century verse another or even multiple time periods?

 When I started Clockwise I had just moved away from the Boston area, so was feeling nostalgic, plus there’s a lot of great history there. I wanted to choose a significant/interesting timeframe and the war of Independence felt too far back, so I chose the civil war era.

Why did you choose to write a story about time travel?

 I don’t know. Clockwise isn’t my first time travel story. I wrote one years earlier and though it wasn’t publishable, it did have some merit and those bits inspired Clockwise.

If you could travel anywhere in time, where and when would you go?

 I think if I could do something over, it would be high school. I’d focus more on my friends and education and far less on boys. =) They’re fun to read about in YA but in real life at that age, they are kind of a waste of time, at least they were for me. 

Do you have any advice to share with aspiring writers?

 Keep writing, keep reading and don’t put all your eggs into the writing basket. Keep balanced in life and keep it fun.

Big thanks to Elle for doing this interview! (And to Missy for hosting this tour!)

And we still have our Clockwiser giveaway going on! (You can enter either on this post or on my review post, but please enter only once. Thank you!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Namárië

(Elvish Farewell)