Award-Winning Romance and Suspense: An interview with Ellen Gable

I recently did a posting about the award-winning historical romance, In Name Only and I said at the end of it that I was hoping to interview the author, Ellen Gable. Ellen has not only agreed to do an interview with me, but she has also very kindly offered to give away a FREE copy of her novel (more about that later)! First of all Ellen, thank you very much for doing this interview with me.  Can I start by asking you how you became an author?

I actually began writing in a journal 20 years ago to ease my grief during miscarriages.  That journal became my first published article in 1995 called “Five Little Souls In Heaven.”  Six years later, I began writing my first book because I wanted to share the parallel stories of myself and my great-grandmother.

 

However, I knew I would have to fictionalize the stories, amalgamate incidents and change names so that’s how my first novel, Emily's Hope, was born. I couldn’t wait to write more novels and my second and third novels are totally fictitious and I had a lot more fun writing them.


That is a very sad start to writing, but it has had amazing results. I believe your novels, such as In Name Only, have been hugely successful.  Could you tell us something about your success?

In Name Only is my second book.  It is a Christian historical romance which has been in Amazon Kindle’s Top 100 of Religious Fiction on and off for the past six months. It also won a Gold medal in the 2010 IPPY Awards. My third novel, Stealing Jenny, is a suspense novel about the kidnapping of a pregnant woman and it has been in the top 10 of Fiction/Drama/ Religious on Amazon Kindle (actually making it to #1 three times during the past couple of weeks!)

(To win a FREE copy of In Name Only, please see below)


When you are not writing novels, I believe you also write reviews for Catholic Fiction, a monthly column for Amazing Catechists, articles for Catholic Mom, as well as regular postings for your own blog.  How do you fit all this in with being a mother to five boys?

Some of my “boys” are not boys any longer. I have three adult sons ages 19, 22 and 24 and my two youngest sons are 15 and 12. With regard to fitting everything in . . . I don’t sleep as much as I’d like to.  Seriously, I pack a lot into each day.  I make lists and try to follow them closely.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on the sequel to In Name Only. It takes place 15 years in the future and the main characters are Kathleen, Will and John, the three oldest children of the main characters of In Name Only. I am also working on a Christmas ebook romance to be published next October.

When you are not writing, what do you like doing in your free time (if you have any!)?

I enjoy walking on my treadmill and, not surprisingly, I love to read (mostly fiction)!  There’s nothing I like to do better than immersing myself in a great story!  I enjoy watching classic television shows (like I Love Lucy and The DickVan Dyke Show) and old movies and musicals.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Be humble, use an editor, don’t give up!  Write because you love to write.

That’s great advice. Where can we buy your books?

All my books are available on Amazon.com in print or Kindle and each book has its own website.

Stealing Jenny

Amazon

www.stealingjenny.com

In Name Only

Amazon

www.innameonly.ca

Emily’s Hope

Amazon

www.emilyshope.com

However, if you would like to have a FREE copy of one of Ellen’s amazing books, just leave a comment below.  One lucky person will be selected to receive a FREE copy of the award-winning historical romance, In Name Only!