The Black List recently announced the seven winners of its inaugural Unpublished Novel Award, introducing the world to seven writers across various genres from children’s and young adult fiction to adult crime, horror, and literary fiction.
Debutiful recently chatted with all seven winners and is excited to introduce the world to each writer, discover why and how they write, and learn more about the book that won them the award.
Meet Jessica Ellis, winner of the Romance award for her manuscript, We Meet Again.
We asked Ellis to give readers a brief insight into his writing life and her Unpublished Novel Award-winning manuscript, We Meet Again.
Can you introduce readers to who you are as a writer and what interests and informs your writing?
My book, to me, is about the map of love we build over our lives. That first time we really fall hard, often when we’re too young to really process it, can set patterns and expectations we carry forward with us into all future romances. I loved the idea of two people in their forties getting to finally sit down with their first love, now having the capacity to really understand what happened back then – and yet still get completely swept away by their feelings. We’re always a little bit 16, even when we’re 40.
How did this story come to be? What were the highs and lows (so far) of writing it?
This book started out as a screenplay, as I’m primarily a screenwriter. It was one of those ideas I’d had for ages, but I kept getting the feedback on the script that it was good, but not yet great. I became disabled by Long Covid in 2022, and spend a whole lot more time sitting on my couch than I like. I prefer to be active in any way I can, so this became a stuck on the couch venture. Turning this into a book was a joyful, baffling experience. The high point so far has definitely been winning the Black List Unpublished Novel award; I was so stunned I made my husband read the email to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating!
What has this Award opened for you? Where are you in your journey now?
Winning the award has certainly helped in my pursuit of an agent for the book. I’ve gotten significantly more full manuscript requests than when I queried with it before. I hope to find an agent and get it published, of course, but even though it’s nominally a romance, the book is a blended genre of romance and women’s fiction and doesn’t give a complete HEA, so I know the road may be rocky. Sometimes the story that wants to be told demands its own terms, regardless of industry standards.
What does your writing routine and space look like?
My writing space is my living room couch, even though I have a desk in a spare bedroom I should be using! It feels cozy and welcoming in this room, the couch is squashy, and I love opening the windows and hearing our neighborhood flock of western bluebirds chirping. I become a “write everyday” person when I have a specific project or deadline, but I think it’s also important to lay fallow sometimes and focus on research, absorbing new art, and letting your mind breathe. And snacks. Important research snacks.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m heavy into a long research project for my next book, which is a speculative historical novel a la Christopher Moore’s SACRE BLEU – a completely different direction! The prize money from the Unpublished Novel award is going to support a research trip to Monterey so I can work on the first draft in the location where it’s set – and hopefully bump into Steinbeck’s ghost.