Louisa Ellemind – Co-author, Wafting Earthy

By WriteFluence on May 19, 2021

Louisa Ellemind is a writer, singer / songwriter and psychology student. Her first novel, The Hunted, a sci-fi / fantasy adventure about sisterhood and finding your identity, was published in 2019. She loves writing about strange people in strange worlds. She’s currently working on her first middle grade novel, The Seers Sisters, a book about witches, boarding school, sisterhood, and confidence.

Ellemind is a survivor of depression and believes in spreading kindness and understanding. She lives in Oldenburg, Germany, with her two invisible ghost cats. Catch up with her on louisaellemind.com or on Twitter at @LouiLae Subscribe to her newsletter at louisaellemind.com/news

We asked Louisa a few questions to get to know her better. Here’s what she had to say:

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I have been writing since…

I first learned to write at age six.

My favorite author(s) and book(s)?

The Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones, The Stars’ Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry, Overheard in a Dream by Torey Hayden, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

My journey as a writer:

I’ve always loved and invented stories. At age eight, I started writing my first books, but never ended up finishing them. In 2013 I finished writing my first book. In 2016 my first poem was published (‘Fever’, published in the ‘AWAKE’ issue of the New York Literary Magazine). In 2019 I published my first novel, The Hunted.

Why should we read you?

Because the stories I write are uniquely strange. Do you love things that aren’t quite the norm and that you can’t quite fit into a single genre? Then my stories are for you.

My favorite genre to read / write

Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Magical Realism, Middle Grade, YA

What advise would you give young and aspiring writers?

Celebrate every rejection. Every rejection means you sent in your work! You are amazing! Keep sending in your work you beautiful scribe!

Here’s an excerpt from Louisa’s winning story Eau de Culpabilité that’s now published in Wafting Earthy:

Frances’ eyes shot open and she listened to the soft click of the door closing in the frame. It was the first time she had been awoken by such a quiet noise, and it took her a moment to register what was happening.

She sat up in her bed, hung her stuffed kangaroo around her neck by its velcro hands and slowly approached her bedroom door. The stench coming from outside made her stop. She did recognize the smell. It was how she knew that her little brother had played with her toy car and had broken it. It was how she knew that her mother hadn’t forgotten to buy her the toy drone she had promised her; she just didn’t have the money. It was how she knew that her teacher hadn’t been right to yell at her that time she was talking in class. It came in waves, and almost everybody carried it, except for babies. It smelled sweet and gentle when it was light, and that was what her dad had smelt like before tonight. It was bearable for Frances when it was moderate, similar to when one of the twins let out a loud one in the corner, and the whole class laughed. She had smelt hints of it in the City Centre, of it getting bad, getting terrifying, but she wasn’t allowed to go off on her own, so she had just held onto her mum or dad’s hand and the spook had passed quickly.