David Ellis & Cendrine Marrouat interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

David Ellis is a poet, multi-genre writer/author and co-creator of literary forms, with a fondness for found poetry.

He has released several poetry collections including Life, Sex & Death (which won an Inspirational Poetry Award), Soul Music the Colour of Magic, Lemons, Vinegar & Unvarnished Truths, See A Dream Within (based on the entire collected poetic works of Edgar Allan Poe), along with a Fifty Shades of Grey parody 50 Shapes of Cakes.

Think of him like a thriller novel - fast paced, relentless and impossible to put down!

Cendrine Marrouat is a poet, photographer, fiction writer, podcaster, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms, a platform dedicated to inspirational art. I have authored and co-authored more than 40 books in several genres, including poetry, photography, and theatre.

She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.

When did your love of books begin?

David Ellis: When I was a teenager, I really got into Fighting Fantasy/Choose Your Own Adventure books. I was enthralled by the different worlds that you could escape to when playing the games in these books. From there, I developed a huge fondness for the novels of Terry Pratchett and since then I have always had a passion for language and literature, when it comes to both writing and reading.

Cendrine Marrouat: My love of books started early.

My mother, who was a math teacher, taught me to read, write, and count before I was 6. Our house was always full of books, which I remember leafing through daily. My parents also bought me books regularly.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

David Ellis: This happened to me a lot later in my life. I have been writing for many years but only started publishing on my blog about ten years ago. Since I was accumulating a lot of poetry and getting tons of encouraging feedback/praise, I decided that I wanted to publish my writing.

When I teamed up with Cendrine in 2019 for Auroras & Blossoms and all of our wonderful collaborations together, this cemented my desire to be a prolific author. We both have many publications under our belts and we have no intention of slowing down, being authors gives us the greatest joy in life that can be equalled by no other :)

Cendrine Marrouat: Shortly after writing my first poems, a few friends encouraged me to release a book. I have always liked a good challenge, so I set my mind to it. It was 2005.

I did not know anything about publishing at the time, except that poetry was frowned upon by most traditional publishers. So self-publishing was the only option. I spent countless hours reading specialized books and doing research, which really helped me put my best foot forward.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

David Ellis: I have found it to be life-changing and life-affirming. I personally have not found it to be conventional but I have been grateful to keep learning new things all the time, especially through the support of other fellow authors and readers.

Cendrine Marrouat: Challenging and wonderful at the same time. Challenging because I had to spend thousands of hours learning to do many different things on my own (e.g., designing book covers, creating videos, formatting, editing, proofreading, marketing, PR, etc.).

It was also wonderful because I have acquired a large set of skills that many people envy me. When it comes to self-publishing, I can do pretty much everything on my own.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

David Ellis: It is not an easy process, you need to fill your life with experiences to help yourself become an accomplished writer. There are many easier routes to making money in much simpler vocations other than becoming an author but I find that those routes do not satisfy the soul creatively.

If you truly want to become an author then I would say read a lot, discover what genres make you passionate about writing, get the words down in some kind of structure, be it for a poem, short story or novel and be prepared to keep fine tuning/honing/tweaking what you are doing.

Eventually you will develop a style of your own that you are confident with sharing with the world and you must stick to the level of integrity that this brings. Regardless of the feedback you may receive as a writer, take from it what you feel actually helps improve your writing and ignore everything else. You are the one calling the shots and you can make your art into something wonderfully unique for everyone else to behold!

Cendrine Marrouat: Just do it, but (in no specific order):

- Read, read, read;

- Practice, practice, practice;

- Only compare your style to others’ because you want to understand what makes it unique. Doing it for any other reason is a waste of time;

- Do not just write for yourself. If you want to sell books, write for readers;

- Perfect the “Show, don’t tell” technique;

- Never cut corners. If you don’t have a lot of money, bartering can do wonders;

- Educate yourself on best practices;

- Ask questions;

- Do your due diligence;

- Genuinely engage with your community;

- Selling a book is the same as selling any other product in the world. Start promoting yourself early. But do not go about it without a strategy first;

- Blog and let the world know that you exist;

- Treat yourself and your work the way you want the world to treat them;

- Be patient;

- Be consistent.

Finally, be realistic about your goals. Some genres are more marketable than others. And a first book rarely sells well. So, invest your time wisely.

Tell us about your book/books:

David Ellis: I am primarily an author of inspirational/romantic poetry books but I also dabble in parody/humour and short stories. At Auroras & Blossoms with co-author Cendrine Marrouat, we have published anthologies, marketing workbooks, Social Media Guides and creative tips/tricks guides for writers/artists.

Our most recent collaboration of love/romantic poetry A Particle of You: Love Poetry explores how love can fundamentally shape and change you, how it can feed your innermost muses/desires and ultimately how it can define you as a person, if you fully embrace it with every fibre of your being.

Link: https://abpositiveart.com/particle-you

Cendrine Marrouat: I have authored and co-authored more than 40 books in several genres, including poetry, photography, poetry / photography, short stories, theater, and social media marketing. They all invite readers to celebrate the little moments and embrace life’s challenges and lessons. Link: https://creativeramblings.com/books

One of my proudest achievements is Auroras & Blossoms, a platform dedicated to inspirational art. David and I launched it in 2019. Our flagship publication is the PoArtMo Anthology. Every year, we release two volumes. One features works from adult artists and the other is dedicated to young writers between the ages of 13 and 16. We hope to release the second volume of The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: Youth Edition at the end of the year.

The third volume of The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology (adult version) will be out on August 30, 2022 and features positive and uplifting works by four artists: Azelle Elric (drawings), Meaghan Beatty (essays), Cendrine Marrouat (poetry), and David Ellis (poetry).

Interested in checking out our anthologies? Visit https://abpositiveart.com/store.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

David Ellis: On the whole, I would say that I enjoy both the passion and engagement for the medium of writing and reading. I love it when we realise that we are not in competition with each other but are there to support one another. I have massive respect for the people that take the time to read and compliment my work. With so many different things vying for attention nowadays, I am humbled when people tell me the impact that my writing has on them and enhancing their moods/positive attitudes towards their own lives.

Cendrine Marrouat: Being a writer can be a lonely pursuit at times. But if you find a great tribe of like-minded fellows, things will be a lot easier. I’m not a fan of Instagram and TikTok, but find Twitter to be the best platform for writers and authors. Overall, the community there is friendly, supportive, and welcoming. There is no feeling of competition. Writers and readers alike ask questions and receive answers. It really feels like a never-ending, giant greet-and-meet place!

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

David Ellis: Please continue to support poetry in all of its shapes and forms. I appreciate everyone that takes the time to read, follow, share and comment, your interest and generosity gives my life genuine purpose. I hope you continue to enjoy my writings for many years to come!

Cendrine Marrouat: More and more people choose self-publishing over traditional publishing. The reason is simple. We now have many great services and tools that make the process straightforward and more affordable than a few years ago. These days, you can release a fantastically-looking book in a matter of days. No need to wait years for a publisher to give you a chance. If you understand how to market yourself the right way, you can be very successful.

So, my message to readers would be: Please, give more self-published authors a chance, especially poets and photographers! I can guarantee you that you will be blown away by the quality of indie books out there!

Where can people connect with you?

David Ellis:

Website: https://toofulltowrite.com

Email: davidellisbusiness@gmail.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/toofulltowrite

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TooFullToWrite

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TooFullToWrite

Cendrine Marrouat:

Website: https://creativeramblings.com

Blog: https://creativeramblings.com/latest-posts

Books: https://creativeramblings.com/books

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/cendrinemarrouat