Today's interview is with Elena Marie Ball  who is a fantasy author from Alaska, and she hand-crafts magical tales, mirroring her own reading preferences, featuring the kind of formidable female protagonists she aspired to be in her youth. 

Having dedicated years to writing stories and building original worlds, Elena has now left her mechanical engineering position to focus entirely on her budding writing career.

Her recently released novel "Being Red" is a contemporary fantasy thriller starring a powerful heroine, a werewolf, and lots of magic. Our conversation covered the essential elements of contemporary fantasy, the benefits of a first-person narrative, and her personal growth during her novel's development.

Her cheerful disposition and impressive expertise made her a pleasure to interview; Elena is a talented communicator whose insights are both informative and engaging.

It was fascinating to discover the impetus behind her novel and her powerful reasons for its completion.