Happy Pride Month everyone! Twinsie Tenise here. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to answer the questions for our pride month celebration. I thought hard about the questions and had fun coming up with them. I love that the authors seemed to have as much fun answering them. We will be celebrating all month with author spotlights as well as reviews for some of the LGBTQIA books we’ve read this year. Check back daily to learn more about that days featured author or book and add to your TBR piles. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little about all of these wonderful authors and their work.
🏳🌈 Tell us your name and a little about yourself?
Hi, I’m Ellie Ash! I’ve had a life-long love affair with books. A proud Canadian, I graduated from university with an English Literature Bachelors and Masters—as well as an avid appreciation for MM romance thanks to all the slash fanfiction I read and wrote. Around 2021, I realized that the kind of MM romance I enjoy was now being traditionally and indie published, and I haven’t looked back. From devouring ARCs to betaing and editing while writing in my spare time, I was inspired by a reader and writer conference in 2024 to take the plunge and put some of my own stories out in the world. In my spare time, I read, write, play D&D, and pursue other geeky interests.
🏳🌈 How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?
I’ve written a *lot* of books, but many of them are still in first draft format. 😉 I’ve self-published 6 novels and a novella so far, with more planned for the future! They’re all my babies, and I definitely can’t pick a favorite.
🏳🌈 Do you write one book and finish it completely before starting the next? If not, how do you keep yourself from confusing the projects?
I almost always write linearly and one novel at a time. Occasionally, though, something comes up and I need to work on more than one book at once. I try to immerse myself in the moment with whatever I’m writing. (And hopefully, the projects are different enough that there’s less likelihood of confusion, like different sub-genres, etc.)
🏳🌈 What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is it a default setting?
Arial or Calibri. I don’t have super strong feelings as long as it’s clear and easy to read.
🏳🌈 How do you ensure your LGBTQ characters feel authentic and mutifaceted, rather than just serve a plot function?
I try to make each of my characters feel authentic, and LGBTQIA+ characters are no exception. Their orientation is only one small part of them, and I’m bringing quirks, habits, background, motivation, desires, and so much more into the mix.
🏳🌈 Do you have a favorite piece of LGBTQ history or fun fact you would like to share?
The first-ever protest for LGBTQIA+ rights in Canada took place in August in 1971 in Ottawa. That’s why Ottawa Pride is in August instead of June like it is for much of the world.
🏳🌈 What is one of your favorite books or movies with LGBTQ representation?
Feel free to share more than one, I know it is difficult as a reader to pick one favorite of anything. Especially if its book related.
Yeah, totally impossible to pick just one, lol. Off the top of my head, a handful of my favorite books are: Honeymoon for One (Keira Andrews), How to be a Normal Person (TJ Klune), Widdershins (Jordan L Hawk), Dearest Milton James (NR Walker), A (Non) Comprehensive Guide to Sea Serpents (AJ Sherwood)
🏳🌈 What is something you have used for a bookmark that IS NOT a bookmark?
A $20 bill… and then I returned the book to the library. Suffice to say, I never made that mistake again.
🏳🌈 Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what are some of your favorite genres or songs?
Rarely. If I do listen to music, it has to be without words, or I get distracted. I like the epic fantasy vibe with movie or video game soundtracks (at least while writing fantasy. If I’m writing urban fantasy or contemporary, no music has fit my vibe so far).
🏳🌈 What is a super specific detail you know about one of your characters that has no relevance to the story?
I looked up actual apartments and street addresses using GoogleMaps for a short story where it absolutely did not matter exactly where the MC lived.
