Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We love a good paranormal romance, and Elle Ire is here with just the thing! Elle, can you tell us about Harsh Reality!

Elle: Cali McCade is happy being the only female sheriff in the West until evil destroys her town of Oblivion and everyone in it. But when a magical creature sends her forward in time, Cali gets a chance for justice—and to stop history from repeating itself.

Now, on the set of Harsh Reality, a television show that challenges average people to survive in historical settings, Cali isn’t just the sheriff of Oblivion—she also plays herself on TV. It isn’t easy to find her path in this new world, but at least she knows what her “character” would do… even if it’s a little strange to be navigating a blooming romance with the woman playing Arlene, her long-lost love.

When the elementals show up to destroy Oblivion all over again, can Cali find a way to defeat the demons, keep her cover, and still ride off into the sunset?

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Elle: Harsh Reality is what happens when I go to a late showing of the movie Cowboys and Aliens and eat a big meal before bedtime. My subconscious brain swaps in women who love women for all the major roles and then takes the story on a crazy roller coaster ride into modern day.

Sabitha: That’s a great way to get the spark of an idea! Once you’ve got that, what’s your writing process?

Elle: Actually, this pretty much sums it up—cram my brain with sci-fi and/or Sapphic film content, actiony instrumental music, and whatever speculative fiction or Sapphic romance novel I’m reading, and then go to bed. My subconscious is much better at all this creative business than I am while awake. Often, I’ll wake up with an entire novel plot ready to go, complete with characters, their names, and sometimes even large swaths of dialogue. Then I start writing. I’m a plantser, meaning I plan ahead about three chapters, then write those, and then plan three more. I tend to revise/edit as I go, so the first draft generally ends up being the final draft.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? 

Elle: The book by someone else that I tell everyone to read is One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. Amazing story, wonderful, diverse characters, some crazy contemporary fantasy, and a lovely, heartfelt romance. It’s so unique, and I wish I’d thought of it.

Sabitha:  If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

Elle: If I could pick any author to read Harsh Reality, it would be Casey McQuiston or Tamsyn Muir, the author of Gideon the Ninth (which I also recommend all the time for completely different reasons). These are very different writers, but I loved their work so much, and I have so much respect for them.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Elle: You can find Harsh Reality (along with my other novels) here. And you can find me on Twitter. Thanks for letting me chat with you all!