Author of the Week Interview with I Heart SapphFIC – June 2025
- What song would you choose to play every time you enter a room? Intro by The xx.
- What’s your favorite ice cream flavor and what do you think it says about your personality? My favourite ice cream flavour is Belgian chocolate. Google says it means I can be indulgent, which is absolutely true.
- If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? If I had a superpower it would be the ability to provide some sort of alternative renewable energy source that would be accessible to all. I’m concerned about climate change and its long-term impact so this would be my go-to superpower. That or flying, because how cool would that be!
- Do you collect anything? I don’t collect anything but the amount of mugs I have is getting out of control.
- What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently? When I was doing the book cover for The Architecture of Us with the designer, I had to ask for the boobs on both Jessica and Rosie to be smaller. It felt silly to ask for but I had to and I did. Then she came back and said she had adjusted the boobs so that they were more to my liking 😉
- If you had a time machine, would you travel to the future or back to the past and why? I would travel 500 years into the future to see if humanity is still alive on earth and what’s going on with the planet. I love Star Trek (total Trekkie nerd here) so I’ve always been fascinated with the future and science fiction. I would LOVE to know if we do ever make contact with life forms beyond our planet and what advances get made with regards to our understanding of the universe and our ability to explore strange new worlds so we can seek out new life and new civilisations.
- Aside from clothes and toiletries, what is the one item you have to bring with you when traveling? My Kindle. I read a lot when I’m travelling so my Kindle is essential for me.
- If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Mexican. I love a three-bean veggie chilli with courgettes, peppers, and rice or wraps. Hello, burritos! Of course I’d also be including all the trimmings too like guacamole, salsa, salad and tons of cheese.
- What person in history do you admire the most and why? The person in history I most admire is Maya Angelou. For her dignity, grace, and talent. Her words of wisdom and her poetry. I have so much respect for her and the impact she had on the world. So much of what she said has had a profound impact on me. I especially love this quote from her: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- What’s your favorite holiday and why? I prefer Easter because it feels like a more relaxed holiday to me. There’s less pressure on it, but it’s still nice to spend some quality time with family and friends. It’s our spring in Scotland and the daffodils are usually blooming and it feels like an optimistic time of year full of new beginnings. Plus, Easter eggs!
- Do you prefer buying gifts or getting one? I love buying gifts for the people I love.
- What scene in your recent book are you the proudest of? The scene at the RIBA awards ceremony in the first chapter. It came out really well and flowed. I always wanted to start a book at an awards ceremony and it worked well for The Architecture of Us, I think.
- When did you know you wanted to be a writer? I knew I wanted to be a writer in my early teens when I started devouring all sorts of fiction, but I never felt it would be accessible to me. So I didn’t pursue it. But it always seemed like a dream job and way to live life creatively. It came up again in my late twenties but I didn’t really know what I wanted to write. It wasn’t until I discovered sapphic fiction and that you could self-publish independently that a lightbulb went off in my head and I was like yes, this is what I must write about. This was in 2017 and it’s been my dream ever since then. It still feels strange to call myself a writer but I’m working on it.
- Which of your characters do you identify the most with and why? I identify the most with Jessica from The Architecture of Us. Mainly with her backstory, relationship with her parents and character growth arc. The story is based on my actual hometown in Scotland and pretty much my relationship with it, through Jessica. Jessica can also keep to herself quite a bit. But like Jessica, I’m learning to open up and that I don’t have to do everything on my own.
- Do you have a crush on any of your characters? Why? Hmm. This is a tough question. I think it has to be Kelly from Louder than Words. She’s strong, she’s kind, and she takes charge. She can also regulate her emotions, and she has a healthy lifestyle. Plus, the image I have of her in my head is, ahem, attractive.
- What meal would you prepare for your book character crush? I would probably make her (Kelly from Louder than Words) blueberry pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast.
- If you had to rewrite one of your books, which would you choose? My debut, Dancing It Out. While this was such a big deal for me at the time to complete a book and get over the mental hurdle that I could write a book, I think now I could write the same story a lot better. At the time, I was just writing for myself and I had no expectations about it finding much of a readership. This was back in 2018. So, knowing more now (hopefully!) I would dig into the characters more deeply and re-do the ending to make it a better read for others. It ends a bit too abruptly and before that, it takes the characters a bit too long to get together. I’d also amplify the themes that are already there a bit more. For instance, I had a nautical theme which was to represent finding your way and following your north star, but reading it again, I think it’s too subtle. That’s what the compass is about on the front cover. Along with my latest book, The Architecture of Us, Dancing It Out is probably the most I’ve drawn from my own life. Even though it’s not perfect, Dancing It Out will always hold a special place in my heart.
- Which of your books would you like to see made into a movie or TV show and why? Now this would be a dream come true! I think Louder than Words because you’ve got the Scottish Highlands setting, the mysterious backstory and complicated family relationships, a whisky distillery, a very vivid start to the book with Myla on her own on Christmas day and then meeting Kelly at the gig before their first ‘re-meeting’ at the distillery. Finding out you inherit an estate in the Highlands and a whisky distillery could be a very cinematic moment. Both characters grow so much individually and together, and the romance feels satisfying. I think the character growth arcs would be meaty enough, like Myla’s journey to belonging to herself and Kelly’s journey to realising what makes her happy. I think this book has a lot of good story beats in it that would lend itself to the dramatic tension or conflict needed to carry a movie or TV show. There’s something about it that I could see being done on-screen, perhaps a bit more than some of my other books.
- What is the weirdest thing you had to research for a book? I researched the finer details of how whisky is made and the Scottish whisky industry for Louder than Words. It’s not a hugely weird topic but I did go into minute detail. I’ve visited many distilleries in Scotland before but I needed it to be right to make it feel authentic in the book. I’d written pages on the specifics of the distillation process while Kelly is giving Myla the tour of the distillery. My editor gently suggested we cut this down to a few lines or a short paragraph instead. I took her advice and I think the scene is better for it. As part of doing this research, I found a whisky distillery that I now love, called Nc’nean. It’s a woman-owned distillery that makes organic whisky in a more sustainable way. They base their whole ethos and brand around the Scots Gaelic legend of Neachneohaina. In this legend, Neachneohain was a huntress, a fierce protector of nature and never afraid to walk her own path. I loved the sound of that and how it fitted with Myla’s character growth arc. So I did a ton of my own research into this folklore and ended up putting it in the book.
- Have you ever wanted to trade places with one of your characters? Why? Hayley from Closer than Ever because she’s carefree, adventurous, and free-spirited. Her life seems like so much fun. I like how outgoing she is and how easy she finds it to make friends and connect with people. I would love to travel the world again and have the confidence to do it. I find I’m getting more risk-averse as I’m getting older, so trading places with someone like Hayley would be exciting.
- Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers? My author journey so far has been an incredible experience, and it makes me want to keep going with writing sapphic fiction. I love to keep learning and growing and I feel like my writing is improving with each book. I’m committed to writing stories that mean something positive to the community. I’m so proud to write in this genre and I look forward to engaging more with the community.
Read the full interview: https://www.patreon.com/IHeartSapphFic?filters%5Bsearch_query%5D=Lisa+Elliot
Why did you write Closer than Ever?
I wrote Closer than Ever as a spin-off from Louder than Words. I wanted to stay in the Scottish Highlands and in the world I’d created with Louder than Words. I really wanted to write a road trip book where the characters travel around Scotland in a campervan together. Being Scottish myself and having worked in a previous life for VisitScotland, I have a strong interest in tourism in Scotland so I wanted to lean into that for this book. I think we love to welcome people here to Scotland and this book was my way of doing that, albeit through a sapphic romance novel!
I also wanted to explore Anna’s character further, as I felt very close to her when she appeared in Louder than Words. In terms of Hayley, an American, I wanted to challenge myself to try and write someone who isn’t British, and someone very different to me.
For the key tropes, I’d been wanting to write a friends to lovers story for a while, with a second chance element. I was keen to base it on friends who knew each other from university but got separated when one person went back home to their country abroad, and as life took both in other directions. It’s not easy to deal with having feelings for a friend. So I think it was an interesting starting point to have Anna and Hayley meet years later and see how they deal with their connection further down the line.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I love both the main characters in this book, but Anna is probably more my favourite. It was written exclusively from her point of view, too. I relate to her in that she can suffer from anxiety sometimes and for that reason has built her life into a comfort zone in some ways. I like that she reconnects with her younger more adventurous self through the course of the book. She differs from me, however, in that I would never in a million years let anyone convince me into doing a skydive.
What inspired the idea for Closer than Ever?
I once had to say goodbye to a friend from university at Edinburgh airport. She was going home to Germany after having been in Scotland for a year. We lived in a student flat together and had the best time. I remember feeling distraught when saying goodbye, knowing that things would never be the same. This was back in 2003. We stayed in touch for a while but inevitably, life takes you in different directions. It gave me the idea for Closer than Ever, with Anna’s backstory. Maybe I was processing something by writing this book!
What was the biggest challenge writing this book?
My biggest challenge while writing this book was the ending. I couldn’t quite get it right and I had to re-write it many times. I think I struggled to make Anna’s internal conflict and motivations clear enough earlier on in the book, so when I tried to land her decisions at the end of the book, it was hard. Cue a meeting with the parents and a big ‘aha’ moment in her parents back garden, up the tree she used to climb as a kid. I wrote that chapter to help deepen our understanding of Anna and why she was more averse to taking risks.
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
I usually write in my living room on my writing chair. I have a study where I could go but for some reason I don’t feel as creative in there. I need to feel relaxed, as if I were just sitting reading a book. If I’m at a desk, I find it harder to get in the writing zone. But on the flip side, I find I need to edit while at a desk. Writing the first draft needs to be pretty chill. It helps if the television is off and I don’t look at my phone. I like it to be quiet. Sometimes I’ll listen to music. For Closer than Ever, I had a playlist for the book and I listened to that playlist with my big headphones on while writing most of that book. With my current book, I’m needing a lot of silence. I guess it just depends on how I’m feeling. I think that’s the common thread with where I write and how I stay focused.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
I have two elderly boy dogs who need lots of attention and care. Hamish is a thirteen year old black Labrador and Lanto is a Spanish mastiff who is around eleven. I prioritise their walks and their routine, and I’ll fit my writing around their schedule. We’ve had Hamish since he was twelve weeks old, and we recently adopted Lanto just over a year ago. Sometimes Hamish sighs when I start typing in *his* living room, but he also knows that will be me sitting down for a while, and this relaxes him. They are both good boys!
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing, and by whom?
The most valuable and impactful piece of writing advice for me was from Elizabeth Gilbert in her book, Big Magic. I read this before I’d ever attempted to write a book. I’d always wanted to write fiction but I never felt like I could. I think Big Magic gave me permission to be creative and it unlocked something in me. It helped me look at creativity in a new light, and to think of writing as something I do because I feel better when I do it (which is true!). It’s about the journey, the process, and not necessarily the outcome. That to write for yourself was key. I think it’s important to write with readers in mind too, and I do, but I still think about what she talked about in that book, and I try to keep those principles in mind.
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
As a Cancerian, I’m quite an emotional person. I’m so emotionally engaged with all of my characters and all of my books. But with the scene at the end of Louder than Words, I couldn’t write or edit it without crying or tearing up. It stood out to me as a something because I was having a strong emotional reaction every time. I think that book was very emotional and personal to me, as it touched on mental health and core family relationships and grief. I really felt for Myla in that book, in her journey, and in everything she’d lost and gained in life.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
I read widely but the type of books I enjoy the most are those which have a love interest or romantic storyline in them because I just love romance so much! I enjoy books with female protagonists. I like complex characters that feel real, and I’m drawn to books with strong female characters with a feminist undertone. I usually like books with a message or that I can learn from in some way. My taste in books has changed over time. When I was in my twenties I tried to make my way through a lot of the classics like Jane Austen’s books and books like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Heart of Darkness. In my teens, I used to read some horror books but I’d never read in the horror genre now. Now, I’m moving in the direction of wanting to read (and write) more comfort books. With the state of the world as it currently is, I feel warm and cosy sapphic romances are about the only thing I want to read at the moment.
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
Kiki Archer’s But She Is My Student inspired me to start writing my first lesbian romance novel, Dancing It Out way back in 2017. I remember sitting in a cafe reading it on my Kindle, while on my lunch break and not wanting to go back to work. I’d never read a sapphic romance like that before. I think I’d read Sarah Water’s The Paying Guest and Tipping the Velvet, and I enjoyed them. But there was something about Kiki’s book that had me HOOKED and made me think, ‘I want to write something as addictive as this’. I felt my whole world open up, similar to when I read Big Magic.
Contemporary Romance
Available through Kindle Unlimited
Closer than Ever
By Lisa Elliot
Long-lost friends from university explore their unresolved history on a road trip around Scotland in this second chance sapphic romance.
Loyal to her beloved whisky distillery, Anna wants to settle down and start a family. Hayley returns to Scotland after having quit her corporate job in New York to find her life’s purpose. Can Anna find the courage to open her heart to the first woman she ever loved?
Read the full interview on I Heart Sapphic: https://iheartsapphfic.com/2026/02/03/author-interview-lisa-elliot-chats-about-closer-than-ever/
Lisa Elliot 