I decided to write Ava In Chains because I was often given the advice, write the story you want to read. As a young black girl, I never read books about girls like me. I loved romance novels, but there was always this disappointment that came with realizing that the heroine wasn’t like me, and I felt that was wrong. Everyone should be able to see themselves in a story. I wanted Ava to be desirable, smart, pretty and talented. But I also wanted her to have self-doubt despite how hard she works at succeeding. I wanted her to be realistic. Most of all I wanted Ava to be relatable. And have agency. I was tired of reading books where things happened to or for the character for no reason related to who they were. I wanted to read a book where the character had a goal and worked to achieve it and by the end of the story, have that goal still matter. In Ava’s case, she wants to be a ballerina and choreographer. At the end of the story, she still is the same person, falling in love doesn’t change that.
Current Works in Progress?
I have several books that I’ve been working on but four that are close to being finished.
The Exploits of Isabella and Lone Wolfe is one of my darker works. It’s about a seemingly non-consensual relationship that takes place over 18 months. It was hard to write, because it came from a real encounter that ended differently, but shaped my feelings and understanding of con non-con situations.
Callie’s Strength (sequel to Sebastian’s Weakness) This is my baby project. I wrote Sebastian’s Weakness pretty quickly and forced myself to quickly publish it. I’ve taken more time with Callie’s part of the story, working on explaining why Sebastian’s actions were a huge part of her life. I also wanted to tell more about the relationship she has with other people. There are aspects of BDSM and D/s in both stories, but
Callie’s Strength focuses more on that.
This is how I disappear is more of a fantasy story. I really liked the idea of mythology, but hated that it never seemed to go beyond a few stories in each culture. So I explored the stories of Norwegian and Japanese legends and made those a part of who these modern characters. My mains, Katja “Kai” Cutter and Jace Cutter are mythical beings and they realize that just because they’re destined to be together doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.
Saving Ivy is a spy story. I’d been working on this one for years, and the original version included some heavy themes, but no one really liked it (or I should say, certain aspects of it). So I took the parts of the story that everyone loved and wrote a new story from there. It still needs some retooling, but I think the concept works a lot better.
What influenced your writing style?
Reading influenced my writing style a lot actually. In so far as I fell in love with Shakespearean plays before I was old enough to even understand them. There was this idea that you could meet and fall in love with someone before you ever knew them and it was okay (mostly). That influenced me a lot. I wanted to write about an instant attraction, but then once the pixie dust wore off, I wanted to examine what was left.
In the case of Ava, a part of that Shakespearean influence is that she isn’t perfect, no matter how much Milo builds her up to be. And Milo thinks she’s perfect within seconds of seeing her, much like a love-struck Romeo. There’s a nod to this in the fact that the first time they meet, she’s performing as Juliet in a ballet. When we meet Ava, she’s practicing, because even though she’s the lead, she can always be better. I wanted her to have self-doubt, even while succeeding in most things, I wanted her to question herself and her relationships and her place in it. My goal was to write Ava as realistically as possible. She’s a ballerina, but that doesn’t mean she won’t slip and fall or trip over her feet. I wanted the audience to get inside of her head and see that she’s dedicated and strong and appears fearless even when she’s terrified. I wanted the reader to see that she struggles and doesn’t have the world handed to her, that she works for her progress. I wanted Ava to be relatable to anyone.
I love erotica, but one of my ‘complaints’ is that sometimes it seems like the story is sacrificed for the sex. I wanted to change that. I really wanted to write a story, that just so happened to be erotic at the same time. That’s how most of my stories go if they have a sex scene on page 3 or page 100 that’s the progression of the story.
Why did you start writing Erotica?
I started writing it for two reasons. One, I really wanted to branch out and write something crazy that I could never say aloud. Writing was easy, it was safe and getting those words typed out was a release for me. And two, I was tired of reading all the same types of stories. I wanted something more than just a sex story. I wanted intrigue and thoughtfulness and lust that was built on love, not the other way around. I wanted characters that were developed and that you would miss and think about long after the story finished. I wanted my readers to go “oh, that was a great book and freaking hot!”
Have you ever dealt with a stalker because of your work?
No, I haven’t. However, funny story, for some of the details in The Lone Wolfe and Belle I sort of stalked a minor internet celebrity to figure out his story. I felt bad about it afterward, but at that time, I really wanted to figure him out. He was a fun mystery, and once I solved it, I was done with him.
How did you pick your pen name?
I published because I promised my mom I would. So I choose my pen name to honor her in a way. It’s my initials S.L. backward and her last name. That became Ellis Lightfoot. After I picked it and published my first book the first copy was bought by a woman who shared my mother’s first name. It was the best sign that I was doing the right thing.
Do you have any final thoughts?
I’m so happy to be able to say I published my second book. I’m not a bestseller by any means, but I did something I only dreamt about for years. I’m hoping that someday I’ll be more widely read, but even if it never happens, I’ll probably never stop writing.
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