Interview with Jennifer Ellision, Author of Over Raging Tides - *****Giveaway*****

Over Raging Tides
Jennifer Ellision
(Lady Pirates, #1)
Publication date: March 20th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult


The pirate crew of the Lady Luck lives by many rules, but chief among them is this: they do not allow men on board.

That’s a rule that quartermaster Grace Porter is willing to break when a shipwrecked young nobleman offers her information of an omniscient map, stolen from his warship by an enemy vessel. Until now, the map was only the stuff of legend… but with its help, Grace may finally be able to hunt down the Mordgris, the sea monsters who stole her mother away from her.

Unfortunately, some members of her crew have other plans…

To find the map and face the Mordgris, Grace will have to confront her past, put the Luck between warring nations, and uncover treachery aboard the ship. And ultimately, her revenge and the destruction of the Mordgris will come at a hefty price: the betrayal of her crew.

Grace promised them they wouldn’t regret this.

She just isn’t sure that she won’t.

Goodreads / Amazon

An Interview with Jennifer Ellision 

Author of Over Raging Tides

Welcome to Character Madness and Musings
Thank you! Happy to be here.

Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Jennifer Ellision, author of young adult fantasy, the Elementals: The Threats of Sky and Sea series. I’m a former book blogger who lives in South Florida. I cultivated my love of writing through writing Sailor Moon fanfiction and then went on to obtain my Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing!

Tell us about your newest book.

Over Raging Tides is the first book in the Lady Pirates series, about a female-led pirate crew. Over Raging Tides tells the story of Grace, her ship’s quartermaster and first mate, who lost her mother to murderous sea creatures called the Mordgris. But a shipwrecked nobleman who knows where to find an omniscient map could be her key to revenge…

Is it available now?

Yes! Over Raging Tides released on March 20.

Have you published any others?

I have! While Over Raging Tides is the first book in this new series, I have another complete YA fantasy trilogy called Elementals: The Threats of Sky and Sea series. I’ve also written and published a standalone New Adult contemporary romance called Now and Again.

How long have you been writing?

As long as I can remember. The earliest “story” I still have of mine basically amounts to Nancy Drew fanfiction, starring my parents as “Nancy” and “Ned.” I think I was about eight years old. As I grew older, I discovered the great, wide world of fanfiction in my teen years and cultivated my writing in those communities before working on short works in college as I pursued my Bachelor of Arts degree. I started writing Now and Again after graduation during NaNoWriMo, trunked it for a while, and then got to work on Threats of Sky and Sea, which was my debut novel.


What inspires your stories?

The one thing all of my books have in common is that they all started when a random scene jumped into my head. For Threats of Sky and Sea, that scene didn’t make it to the final draft, but it’s the reason I wrote the entire series. For Over Raging Tides, the inspiration grew stronger when I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl one day and realized there was only one central female character. After that, there was no stopping me from writing this book.

Titles are tough. How did you come up with your title?

Titles are tough! The early working title of Over Raging Tides was Hoist the Colors, but I wasn’t altogether happy with it. For starters, I didn’t think that it was a title that could carry over well to a sequel (Grace’s story is a planned duology) and secondly, the fact that the crew of the Lady Luck goes into battle from time to time isn’t a key part of the story for me. My critique partners and I did a bunch of ‘pirate’ and ‘sea’ word association and eventually they helped me land on Over Raging Tides.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Hmmm, as a voracious reader, I’ve almost always known that I wanted to be a writer of some sort. Pretty much since the idea clicked that “these words that I’m reading were written by someone. That’s their job.” But in high school, I was a devoted member of my school’s yearbook staff and I thought for a while that I might like to pursue magazine journalism.

I quickly realized that I like making stuff up better and haven’t looked back since.

Is theme an important concept in your stories? If so, is it personal for you, or something you feel strongly about?

Not particularly. For me, reading has been an escape and distraction when I’ve needed it, or just a fun pastime and that’s what I want to provide for my readers. If there’s any theme to Over Raging Tides it’s that women can dominate and succeed in traditionally male fields… which, yes, is something that I feel strongly about.

What do you look for most in a book when you’re reading, and how do you incorporate that into your own writing?

I suppose what I look for most is immersion, so that comes down to the writing itself. I read a great deal of genres… romance, sci-fi, fantasy. I gravitate most toward fantasy, female-led worlds, but don’t solely read those works. What I want is to be able to lose myself in another world, or other characters for a few hours before I return to my own life. I do my best to provide the same experience to my readers.

What can we expect to see from you in the future, any books on the backburner?

Next up is the sequel to Over Raging Tides, currently titled Through Fathoms Dark and Deep. After that, it’s a toss-up. I’ve got ideas for other Lady Pirates stories, but also have a ghost series on the backburner. We’ll see which way I lean next!

Is there anything you want to add before we close our interview?

No, but thank you for having me on the blog!

Thank you for being with us today. Good luck with Over Raging Tides.

About the Author

Jennifer Ellision spent a great deal of her childhood staying up past her bedtime with a book and a flashlight. When she couldn’t find the stories she wanted to read, she started writing them. She loves words, has a soft spot for fanfiction, and is a master of the fangirl flail. She resides in South Florida with her family, where she lives in fear of temperatures below 60 Fahrenheit.

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