This week in The Loft: Author Ella Braeme!

Joining me today in The Loft is author Ella Braeme. Ella writes sweet and steamy romance. Her books are small-town romances, reflective of her own life. She takes to cities only for concerts and galleries. Her books are meant to provide short vacations from your everyday life. Ella loves to read, and putter around in her backyard. Her dog helps greatly with the garden work by supervising everything Ella does and—for the most part—not digging up her flowers.

S:  Welcome, Ella!

Are you self-published or traditionally published? Why did you choose that path?

E:  I am fully self-published. As weird as this may be, I chose to do so to have less stress. Of course, a publisher would do many things for me, but I would have to write according to their schedule. I feel way better setting my own deadlines.

S:  I admire self-publishers. I just don't have the patience for that.

 
Do you write in other genres?

E:  I write small-town romance only. As much as I love to read other genres, too, I think that sticking to one genre helps me get better and better with each book. There is a science fiction novel cruising in my mind. One day I might give in to that temptation.

S:  Do you think romance books have become “too spicy?”

E:  There are very hot romances out there, and some are most definitely too hot for my taste. I like to read what I write--sweet love stories, interspersed with a couple of intimate scenes. But although I'd have to say there are some very spicy stories out there, I've also come across clean ones. There was one that I thought to be the slowest burn ever, but all of a sudden, the heroine was pregnant – without a single kiss ever mentioned. There are so many romances by gifted authors of all heat levels and I don't think there is a shortage of sweet romance. And if your taste is different than mine: Good for you. I won't judge.

S:  Exactly. Just because a story isn't for you doesn't mean it should judged as lacking or worse, banned. 

How do you determine the "heat level" of your stories?

E:  I've struggled for a long time. Not for what I want to write, but how to give a heat level for readers. There are scales from one to five, but they all are defined differently. Still, I think my books are a solid three. It's not full-blown erotica (5), and it's not a story with plenty of bedsheet action, nor anything overly graphic (4). I'm in the next level (3)--one or two scenes with physicality that are embedded in a love story. I do call things by their names, though. I would feel weird if my characters couldn't name their body parts.

S:  I think they call that "purple prose" in sweet romance. I find it hard to write like that.

How do you get in the mood for writing?

E:  That can be a struggle sometimes. Mostly, I sit down at the desk, read what I had written the day before, take a sip of tea, and start typing. Other days, it's difficult. I just stop trying and walk my dog instead. Or take a nap. Waking up is the most creative moment I could have. Or did you specifically mean naughty scenes? Same answer. More napping, though!

S:  What inspired "Butting Heads with Her Mountain Man?"

E:  I live by the sea and love it. But having read a number of mountain man romances, I wanted to give it a go myself. You can't have a mountain man on the coast, so I moved my new series to another place. A number of dog walks and naps helped me to come up with the story itself.

S:  Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Butting Heads with Her Mountain Man?"

E:  That's a tough question. It is a special book for me--the first in a new series, the grumpiest grump ever, a new place. I do hope readers will like it, too. There are so many steamy mountain man romance novellas, I fear mine is not anything special. And that's okay. It's meant to be a book that will give you a short breather from your everyday hassle. Nothing less, but then again nothing more, either.

Here's the blurb--

Could this grinch with his dark frown be the light of her life?

Grace

I need to start afresh in my small hometown. While I am happy to be back in the mountains, the efforts of my hapless family to help me settle in lead to me running zig-zag to avoid further disasters. Being scrutinized by the townsfolk doesn’t help either. Still, I set to work to establish my own accounting business with all the determination that I can muster.

I count myself lucky when I get my first client—only to find out he is as grumpy as they get—and yet, I can't deny the pull I feel towards him.

Lyle

I hate Christmas. And it shows. So I need help keeping my Christmas tree farm afloat. The accountant turns out to be an opinionated lover of all things Holiday. Still, I can't help but feel a spark of attraction for her. An attraction that I have no intention of owning up to.

(This is a heartwarming, small-town romance novella with a heroine who's determined to make her dreams come true, a grumpy mountain man who’s doing his best to keep her at arm’s length, and a nettlesome audience of townspeople buzzing with Christmas cheer, or in Lyle’s case: Christmas scowling. Light steam, HEA, no cheating, standalone.)

S:  Where can readers buy "Butting Heads with Her Mountain Man?"

E:  It is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCMWG8TY.

S:  Ella, thanks for joining me today. If you'd like to learn more about Ella and her books, please visit--

Website:  https://ellabraeme.com

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ellawritesromance

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