Interview with Ellis Mae, author of THE HILLS WE RUN FROM

 

It's another interview and this time our interviewee is Ellis Mae. Mae's debut book, The Hills We Run From, releases on February 10th and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I read it and became just a little obsessed with it. It was an amazing read and I am so looking forward to reading more by this author.

Continue on to find out what Mae's writing process is like, how they come up with their ideas, and the key message that Mae wants readers to take away after reading this book. At the bottom of the page, as always, will be links to Mae's social media accounts and a link to preorder this wonderful book.      

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When did you first start writing? What inspired/drove you to want to write a full-length novel?

I first began writing as a kid. I had undiagnosed ADHD and class was monotonous. Instead of writing notes, I was writing full-length stories in my notebooks. I first started seriously writing one summer during college though. It was the first time in my life when I had a routine-including going on eight-mile runs. I'm not sure if you've ever done long-distance running but it gets pretty boring. My brain filled the time with stories and that's how Emmylou and Saatchi were born.

Ooh that's amazing! I definitely relate to writing stories instead of notes during class, less so running eight miles.
What is your writing process like? Do you tend to plan out your book or just write and see where it leads you?

My writing process for my debut novel was very different than the process I've adapted for my second and third novels. Before, it was writing down key scenes and piecing them together. It was hectic but, since my ADHD brain is so active, I was never really at a loss for ideas. Now it's more storyboards and outlines and NOT EDITING the draft as I'm writing it (probably the most important skill I've learned.)

It's great that you'v learned what might help you with your future novls. I definitely have to agree that not editing is probably a very important thing.
How did you come up with the idea for this book and these characters?

I wish I knew. I'm just fed by an overactive imagination and a deep love for these characters. It feels weird to know they only exist in my mind and on paper because they feel so real to me. I'd go about my day and think "Saatchi would do this if she were in my shoes." Now that I'm done writing their story, it feels kind of lonely without my radge bunch.

That makes sense. You've spent so much time with them and now they aren't there anymore.
When did you first start writing this book? How long did it take you to write?

I started writing this in 2019. It feels like a lot longer just because so much has happened since then. It wasn't committed writing because I work three jobs and I'm a social butterfly but once I decided to actually write it, it probably took a few months to edit, draft, edit, draft and finally get it to a professional editor.

Thanks for sharing! That really does sound like a long time, but I definitely understand how jobs and a social life kept it from being constant writing.
Did you have to do any research for this book?

HA! So much but it was so fun. I'm not Scottish but I have been to Scotland and I fell in love with Edinburgh. I did a lot of research for dialect by watching YouTubers and Vloggers from Edinburgh. I have a good friend from Scotland that also screened my dialect usage for me.
I did a lot of research for a lot of the mental aspects as well. Disappointingly, it wasn't hard to write a bad parent. My parents are great which has actually helped me realize how many other parents are terrible or downright emotionally abusive. I did research a lot of the effects of emotional abuse on a child just to make sure I had all my t's crossed and i's dotted.

I was wondering! I'm not Scottish nor have I been to Scotland, and I was wondering how much of that was your experience or research. It definitely fits that there might be a lot of research into the mental aspects.
There are poems scattered throughout the book, most prominently at the start of each chapter. Why did you decide to have these poems be part of the story? Also, did you always plan to have them as part of the novel or did they come in later?

They definitely came in later but they're inspired very much by my own life-the act of writing poems, not the poems themselves. Whenever I can't process my feelings, I write poetry. I figured someone going through a lot might find the benefit in it as well because even if someone reads it, it's still hard to understand which gives you a lot of privacy to just feel.

I am very glad that you decided to add them in. Especially because I think they added quite a bit to the story! I might have to start writing poems when my feelings are too much, it sounds like a great plan.
There are quite a few scenes in this book that I thought were quite emotional/difficult to read. Were there any parts that were difficult for you to write?

The hardest parts for me to write were definitely the ones I related to the most. I'm two years sober and got diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder in 2017. Writing those scenes with substance abuse and depression were the hardest because I always felt like they fell short in how impactful it is to be in those shoes and suffer in that way.
I'm sure a lot of people will find it hard to read the scenes that talk about the past SA but I felt like it was really important to include. In the first draft I ever had, the SA is an attempt but I felt like that was unfair. The statistics are kind of confusing but it's something like 1 out of 3 women are SA'd and 1 in 27 men. How could I not represent a very real thing? I once watched this TV show, Veronica Mars, where the MC thinks she's been SA'd the whole story, only to find out that nothing happened the night she was too drunk to remember. It always made me feel robbed of real pain-like the erasure of survivors and the very real issue society has. You can't just sweep that under the rug because it makes you "uncomfy" or because it isn't palatable. It's horrible for it to happen, yeah, but it doesn't make anyone less strong and I really hope I get that message across the right way.

It makes sense that you would feel that way but I thought you did a great job at capturing that. No one will be able to capture it 100% because of the differences between people, but your book did a great job. It also makes a lot of sense why you'd want to include that. Bad things happen and sometimes it needs to be included.
I loved so many different parts of this book, so I have to ask: what are some of your favorite scenes in this book?

My favorite scenes. That's easy, anytime Finn and Saatchi are just insane. When Finn punches the mirror I just relate to it so hard. I am the loose cannon of my friend group half the time-even with sobriety-so he was so fun to write and their relationship is one of my favorite things in this book.

That is completely fair! I love Finn and the friendship between him and Saatachi. They were great together.
Is there a key idea/message that you'd like readers to take away from your book?

You're strong. Stronger than you think. Don't be afraid to challenge the world and show it what you're made of. Do what you want. Live how you want. Be happy.
That's what I want the reader to know afterwards. I want them to know, whatever you've been through, whatever comes next, you're strong enough to get through it. I believe in you, just unlock your inner Saatchi/Emmylou/Finn/Drew/Kirsty/Sai and power through.

That is such an important message and I truly hope people get that. I also love your last line, of unlocking your inner whoever. All these characters are amazing, but they're also different. It's important to find your inner who, whoever that may be.
Do you plan on doing, or have you already done, something to celebrate the release of your debut novel?

Nothing, honestly. I've started my next novels and I want nothing to do with this one once it's published. I think it's good, I hope others think it's good but I have no desire to read reviews or know how much it makes. My validation just comes from loving my characters and their stories.

That's fair! Possibly even a great idea so that you can't be discouraged if things don't come out exactly like you were hoping. Consider this my utmost congratulations on the release of this book. I know I'm early, but that's okay!
What are some of your favorite books and/or books that inspire your writing?

My favorite books are The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells, and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. None of those books are in my genre but I'd say Maggie Stiefvater is a huge inspiration to me. She writes like poetry sounds and I can never get enough of it.

I don't think I've read any of those books. Might have to check them out now.
What does your future in terms of writing look like? Do you have anything else in the works?

I want to cover EVERYONE in the LGBTQ+ spectrum. That's not an easy task but I'm chugging along. I've currently got an MLM book in the drafts and another FTM L M in drafts as well. However, I know what my story for Ace/Aro is going to be and my story for Genderfluid, I'm just trying to not get ahead of myself by spreading myself too thin.

That's a lofty goal! I wish you the absolute best! I can't wait to see what else you're going to put out!

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You can find Ellis Mae on their website, Instagram, and Twitter.

You can buy Ellis Mae's books from Amazon.

If you can't buy their books but you still want to read them, consider requesting them to your local library or suggesting them on Overdrive!