Elle Jackson is a champion of the powerful impact of writing and reading fiction, and she knows fictional stories can be excellent tools to chip away at inequities and destroy barriers. You might remember her interview for The Pitch in 2021, where she shared her experience as the first Black author to be published in Harlequin Historical’s line of romance novels.
Jackson primarily writes romance with a historical bent. Her novel A Blues Singer to Redeem Him is set in Kansas City and is the first book in Harlequin Historical’s line of romance novels to be written by a Black author. The novel is set in the 1920s during the prohibition era in Kansas City, and the main character is a Black female blue singer who survived the Tulsa Massacre.
Elle was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Baker University, an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Pittsburg State University. Teaching excellence and having a positive impact in her community are both paramount to Jackson, and she is currently a principal in her hometown of Kansas City. While Elle Jackson fulfills many roles (educator, writer, real estate professional) her most important roles are wife and mom to her two kiddos.
You can find more about Elle and her books on her website here.
We are thrilled to have Elle on our conference faculty this year! She will be presenting two sessions: “Romancing History” and “Writing Atmospheric Stories.” You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.
Inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, we asked Elle a few questions to get to know her better:
1. What's in your TBR pile?
The Coven by Harper Woods;
The Never King Series by Nikki St. Crowe
2. What are you reading right now?
The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith
3. Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend?
The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland and Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
4. Do you have a favorite bookstore?
5. Answer the question you wish we had asked
What book do you want to write next? I want to write a series that focuses on historical reimagining with a main character who is fearless but falls for someone and finally allows someone to take care of her.