Author
Real Life Romance, a Little Revenge, and Spicy Books
Emelle Gill shares her journey as an indie author, from writing and publishing to navigating the industry and building a supportive community.
Episode notes
Emelle Gill writes contemporary romance with interconnected characters, and each book can be read on its own. Her novella Love on the Road was inspired by how she met her husband: on a group camping trip about 30 years ago, he threw a fit over who could drive his family's van, and she wanted nothing to do with him. In the book, the man who insists that nobody drives his van gets food poisoning, and the woman ends up behind the wheel. Willow crowns her the queen of petty, and she accepts.
Squeeze the Day came next, loosely based on Emelle and two of her girlfriends, with supportive friends who will tell you when you're being stupid. The Path to You was set for release in October, and she has started another book while weighing a friend's request to write a lesbian romance next. Her long-time dream is a Christmas book inspired by Wham's Last Christmas.
They also talk about spice levels, the importance of banter, and her favorite inspirations, Meghan Quinn and Lauren Blakely. Emelle explains how she trained herself through querying and self-publishing, and why she hired narrators Kelsey Navarro Foster and James Anderson Foster for a duet audiobook. When she isn't writing, she works as a flight attendant.
In this episode
- Turning a real love story into enemies to lovers
- Interconnected standalone romances
- Finding the balance of plot and spice
- Hiring audiobook narrators
- Querying, then self-publishing
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Books mentioned
- Love on the Road
- Squeeze the Day
- The Path to You
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