Elle Hill

All of my books so far but one include animal minor characters. In my novelette,  Hunted , a big, chatty, black beast of a cat named Picante owns and demands obedience from our hero, Simon. I mean, come on – nothing says sexy like a man who puts his kitty cat’s safety before his own. In  Hunted Past , Aunt Mona, who actually plays a pretty important role in the book, possesses a passel (Herd? Pride?) of cats, all named after cheeses. (Because cats and cheese, people!) In a manner not even  slightly  reminiscent of one of my many rants, Aunt Mona rather pointedly extols the virtues of spaying and neutering and rescuing homeless pets. Cough, cough. Anyway, in  Hunted Dreams , a beautiful, blue pit bull named Mina fearlessly accompanies our hero, Reed, as he searches each night for his sleeping beauty, the Rubenesque Katana. When writing  The Tithe , I admit to spending a ridiculous amount of time wondering how I could sneak an animal into a book situated i...

I love Pinterest. It’s such a poignant symbol of modern U.S. culture. It’s communication Is anything funnier than soc theory humor? through shiny, colorful, visual symbols. Per Jameson and Baudrillard , it’s postmodernism at its flashy, depthless best. Also, Jameson would say Pinterest is another example of the flattening of technology, or the inward turning, postmodern use (implosion?) of technology to project our selves rather than striving toward new physical and tangible places. And, of course, we can’t forget Giddens, who would say this is the ultimate in reflexivity , or how we use modern, consumable culture to reflect on our identities and recreate our understandings of our being. But enough theory. Just kidding – there’s never enough theory. My pins say something about being a social justice warrior. This is not only accurate, since I imagine most folks who know me would say I’m rather committed to fighting for equality, but it’s also essential to my sense of self...

What is a transgender ally? Anyone who advocates for the cultural, social, economic, and political rights of transgender persons. Allies don’t have to march in parades or lobby legislators; we can work for transgender rights via interpersonal conversations, while posting on Facebook, by signing online petitions, and so on. Allies come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. What is privilege? Every person is a glorious combination of our identities: our sex, race, sexuality, gender identity, religion, class, ability, family status, and so on. However, not all identities are equal. Structurally and interpersonally, we tend to assign more value, and therefore more status, to some identities (e.g., male, cisgender , straight, White). As individuals and as members of groups, we experience these valuations as privilege. This comes with a ton of unearned benefits, such as being listened to, earning more money, not worrying about violence, and not having our true selves questi...

I imagine you, like me, read. Maybe a lot. Possibly as an escape from that noisy, sometimes chaotic real world thingy. Perhaps because you crave some witty repartee and smoldering glances. Or hey, maybe you’re just bored. Whatever your reasons, and contrary to the national trend , you tend to treasure your forays into literary landscapes. But what happens when you arrive there and don’t particularly enjoy the scenery? Luckily, this doesn’t happen often to me. Books are a lot like romantic dates: I may not adore my date or find every second with them  inspiring, but at the end of the night, I can usually find some redeemable qualities to focus on. Maybe not enough for a second go, but at least I finished this date without dumping my drink on my date’s head, right? But just because it’s mostly tolerable, does that mean I should have to tolerate it? Increasingly, my answer is “no.” See, I have very recently discovered an amazing, magical method for dealing with a less-tha...

As I’ve written before , I really, really don’t enjoy writing sex scenes. I have zero issues with Instead of ripping my expensive bodice, perhaps we could consider some Netflix and cuddling? other writers who do; in fact, I have been known to feel the slightest nibble of envy toward those brave authors who so effortlessly leaven their romance with the sexies. With each romance novel I’ve written, the amount of sex slumps ever-so-slowly downward, till my last novel, The Tithe , only includes one brief glimpse, and it’s not even between the main protagonists. And then. And then, the other day, I stumbled across a website that listed a top-ten list of sexless romance books. Sexless. Romance. Books. I knew not all romances had sex in them, but… but was sexless romance a thing ? Maybe I’m not the only one who prefers the sweet to the salty. Upon reflection, sure, I can imagine some folks who might prefer a little less saucy in their literary fare. Conservative read...

For many of us, the holidays are joyful events, filled with friendly board games, embarrassing It's not just the pressure of genius that hinders my writing of holiday cards. Beneath Bast, my holiday helper, lies  a completed card awaiting a label. Sigh. reminiscences, overdrawn bank accounts, and far too much cranberry sauce. And holiday cards – we can never forget the holiday cards. My fiancée is Jewish, I’m Agnostic, and our friends and family range from Wiccan to Atheist to Pentecostal. We’re an eclectic group, the people for whom folks popularized the bland, safe “happy holidays.” As a result, my fiancée and I purchased a variety of holiday cards: some celebrating Solstice, some the new year, some Hanukkah, and some just gratuitously representing adorable furry friends. One of my favorites features a picture of a certain, gentle giant of an aquatic mammal wishing “Happy holidays for all of humanatee!” I love sending out holiday cards. I write a different ...

The Highlander’s Reluctant Bride ,  Book 2 in The Highlander’s Bride series by Cathy MacRae Genre : Historical Romance set in the Highlands of Scotland, 1377 Heat Scale : Sensual Cover blurb : Determined to keep the Macrory clan’s holdings out of the clutches of the Lord of the Isles and marauding pirates, King Robert II sends his man, Lord Ranald Scott, to hold Scaurness Castle. There, Laird Macrory lays dying, awaiting word from his son who is missing on the battlefields of France. If the son is not found before the old laird dies, Ranald will take over as laird—and marry Laird Macrory’s headstrong daughter. Lady Caitriona sees no reason she cannot rule the clan in her brother’s stead, and is bitterly disappointed with the king’s decision to send a man to oversee the castle and people. Not only is Ranald Scott only distantly related to the Macrory clan, but he was her childhood nemesis. She has little trust or like for him. Her disappointment turns to panic...