Magic and mystery and murder . . . oh my! So are the themes of the books of today’s featured author, Elle Hartford. In the interview below, Elle and I chat about her blending of genres, short stories versus novels, and writing a regular newsletter.
Connect with Elle on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, and her website. Grab Beauty and the Alchemist today from various retailers or shop direct on Elle’s website.
Hi Elle, thanks for joining! Your new series, The Alchemical Tales, blends fantasy with mystery. Book one, Beauty and the Alchemist, follows traveling alchemist Red as she investigates a beastly criminal. What do you love about both mystery and fantasy? What do you think these genres have in common (or not in common)?
Hey Manon, thank you so much for having me! And what a good question. I think mystery and fantasy are complementary. To me, the whole point of fantasy and fairy tales is to explore aspects of ourselves and our beliefs about the world.
For example, Beauty and the Beast—the fairy tale basis for Beauty and the Alchemist—is often an exploration of how love can help us grow up (or not). Meanwhile, mysteries dive deep: stories about crime get into our dark emotions and motivations, of course, but cozy mysteries also dive into what it’s like to be part of a community and to work together. So in combining the two, we get a blended genre that really shines a light on hidden aspects of humanity while also being creative and welcoming to read.
You’ve also written several short stories in this world, now published in an anthology, The Carousel Capers. How do you like writing short-form mysteries versus long-form mysteries? Do you have a preference for either length? What are the advantages or disadvantages of each type of storytelling?
Oh, this is tough! So, I started out as a novel writer. I usually prefer to read novels, so that structure feels most natural to me. (Plus, I have such a hard time whittling down my cast of characters to fit short stories!)
That said, with each new Carousel Caper that I wrote, I had more and more fun. The truly wonderful thing about short stories, I’ve found, is that they’re the perfect way to try out a new idea or a particularly “out there” plotline without having to commit to something novel-length. For example, in one of the Carousel Capers, the characters end up riding a runaway mine cart through spooky tunnels—the kind of escapade that the Scooby-Doo fan in me adores, but that might stretch believability a bit in a novel, especially if that sort of thing was happening in every chapter.
I’m a big fan of your bimonthly newsletter, Books & Beyond. Can you share your writing process for your newsletter? Do you have tips for authors looking to ramp up their email marketing?
Aw, thank you so much! I put a ton of thought into my newsletter before I even began collecting emails, and now it’s almost become second nature. I think the best advice I can give is to make sure that your newsletter works for you first and foremost, and that it reflects who you are as an author. For example, as a person I’m a bit introverted and very conscious of peoples’ time—and I know I have a tendency to overschedule myself. ;) So, I opted for a twice-monthly newsletter as opposed to a weekly one, because it was important to me not to feel like I was annoying people and also to choose a schedule that I knew I could keep up with consistently. (That’s not to say that weekly newsletters are necessarily annoying, of course! It simply depends on you and your sharing style.)
As for content, I thought for a long time about what readers might enjoy, what I like in newsletters I follow, and what would relate back to my work. Then, because I’m the sort of person who thrives with a balance of organization and improvisation, I created a barebones structure for myself to use. Now I know that each newsletter, I’ll include a personal note, I’ll have a round up of my latest blog posts (I’ve been an avid blogger for years), I’ll include something useful to readers (like a schedule of events), and I’ll add in something just for fun. But exactly what content fills out those categories will depend on what I have going on that week, what season it is, and what’s on my mind.
I think, too, that part of the reason I enjoy my newsletter (and hopefully others do as well!) is that I make an effort for it to look cohesive and just nice. I know that sounds a little trite, but it really does add to my satisfaction, and it helps convey the “vibe” of me as an author—whimsical, but also thoughtful. And on that note, let me end by saying that I definitely recommend Canva to authors looking to create professional graphics of any type!
Your short stories have also appeared in a few multi-author anthologies, such as A Cauldron of Deceptions and An Aquarium of Deceit. What has your experience been in participating in these collaborations? Do you have advice for authors looking to do a similar creative venture?
Try! Just try sending out your stories, haha. Even though I consider myself primarily a novelist, my career as an author began because of anthologies. A Cauldron of Deceptions contains the first story of Red and her friends that I ever wrote!
Of course, the competition to get stories into anthologies can be very steep. I’ve found that you do need to make sure that your story matches the theme and tone of the anthology, and you’ll need to be ready to pitch in on marketing efforts, too (so make sure it’s an anthology/publisher you’ll be happy to share and support). Even though you do end up with more rejections than acceptances, I believe submitting short stories is very worthwhile—the acceptances you do get will build your confidence, increase your list of titles as an author, and also introduce you to other authors in your genre who may become some of your biggest supporters and teachers.
Lastly, I know you have a couple more installments in The Alchemical Tales on the horizon: Cold as Snow and Mermaid for Danger will hit shelves in the next few months. What can you tell us about these fantasy-mystery tales?
Yes! We’re in the middle of “rapid release season,” as I’ve taken to calling it, and I am so excited. 🙂
Cold as Snow is the second novel in the series, and in it, Red becomes entangled in the drama surrounding a conflicted young fairy named Snow . . . who’s just lost one of her dwarven coworkers under suspicious circumstances. In the third book, Mermaid for Danger, Red and William (her magical talking dog!) take a break from Belville to attend a merfolk friend’s seaside wedding–only to learn that love is harder than it looks, when a member of the wedding party dies. What makes me especially happy to share these stories is that through them all, we get to see Red grow as a protagonist and her relationships with her new friends in Belville deepen (particularly her relationship with a certain special someone who will remain unnamed!).
Thanks so much to Elle for the interview. Sleuths, I hope you enjoyed it! If you aren’t already subscribed, please be sure to sign up for the Cluesletter and get author features like this alongside other mystery goodies, delivered to your inbox every other Tuesday.