1–What is the title of your latest release? THE RESISTANCE PAINTER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? 2010 Toronto:  Sculptor, Jo Blum is making sculptures for grave sites when she finds herself interviewing a dying man whose experiences eerily mimic her grandmother Irena’s war story. We plunge into 1939 Warsaw, Poland, where Irena and her sister Lotka have opposing strategies for surviving the brutal Nazi occupation of their city. Irena becomes a resistance fighter guiding people to safety through the sewers of Warsaw. She goes on to bear witness to this war through her drawings and paintings. Lotka disappears. Years later, Jo is driven to excavate Irena’s past, uncovering a Pandora’s box that threatens her grandmother’s life and everything Jo knows about her family. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The Polish part of the novel was inspired by the life of my mother-in-law who fought in the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis in 1944. The Jo part is set in Toronto because I love my city and probably could not live anywhere else. More specifically, like Jo, I’m fascinated by cemeteries, particularly the old trees and the never ending, changing life…

In our March women’s fiction column, we’re talking with author Elise Hooper. Her debut novel THE OTHER ALCOTT was a nominee for the 2017 Washington Book Award. Three more novels—LEARNING TO SEE, FAST GIRLS, and ANGELS OF THE PACIFIC—followed, all centered on the lives of extraordinary but overlooked historical women. Her next book, THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES will be released by William Morrow on April 1, 2025. Thanks for making time to talk with us today, Elise. Please, give us a quick synopsis of your new book. THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES is a dual-timeline novel in which a museum curator named Tildy Barrows discovers a pair of elaborately crafted dollhouses in an old library in San Francisco. After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses and the mysterious artist who created them. Tildy’s journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE ORPHAN’S KING 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? If the unfortunate person trapped in the elevator with me is an exec, I’d say, “So this boy came from the most horrible childhood and decided that he was going to fix the world with violence and fire, and he mounted a revolution against the corrupt king, and had the whole kingdom in an uproar—but then he went after the king himself, and got caught and executed, and the whole revolution fizzled out.” And they’d say “Oh, bummer ending” and I’d say “No, no…that’s just chapter one.” And then they’d say “So what happens in the rest of the book?” and I’ll know they have fallen into my trap.   If it’s just, you know, a person, I’d say, “Assassin’s Creed 2 meets Arcane, this idiot boy kidnaps this idiot girl and then they have a whole enemies-to-lovers slow burn arc.” Or my favorite 5-word summary: “Hot Scottish Sociopath Destroys Capitalism”. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? As far as plot, characters, and worldbuilding go, worldbuilding is usually the more passive one with me. I…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BLOOD OF THE SORCERESS, (PNR/Witches/past lives in ancient Babylon. The Portal-Book 4 of 4.) 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Harem slaves in ancient Babylon, three sisters commit the unforgiveable crime of falling in love. They and their lovers are cursed, then the women are sacrificed. Now, these three women live again. They must reunite in the modern world, find their lost loves, and free the one who’s suffered most of all. But the jealous evil of that long ago time has returned as well and will stop at nothing to destroy them yet again. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The three main books of the series are set the Ithaca NY area, on the tip of Cayuga Lake. It’s in my neck of the woods, one of the most beautiful places on earth, I think. And the Cornell campus is there, too, and it’s breathtaking. I always wanted to put some scenes from a book there. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would be a part of her coven. We’d be sisters. 5–What are three words that…

1–What is the title of your latest release? RETURN OF ANKA 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? “For centuries, the immortal spirits Anka and Enka—sons of the mighty Phoenix—have waged an endless war for the throne of Crictus, reincarnating in new bodies to continue their battle. But when Anka’s soul awakens in Carmen, an ordinary girl from Earth, the balance of power shifts in ways neither could have foreseen. Now, caught between two worlds and a war she never asked for, Carmen must uncover the truth of her destiny before Crictus—and her own future—is lost forever. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? When I write, I feel as if I am not creating but simply witnessing a story. Crictus came to life, just like this. I imagined a medieval city inside a huge forest with lots of lakes and waterfalls. Eventually, I began crafting the world and its history, shaping the continent’s landscape, the unique dynamics of each city, and the very fabric of Crictus’s society. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, I think Carmen is fun to be around. She is a good and reliable person….

1–What is the title of your latest release? EXQUISITE RUIN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A sorceress with no memory wakes up in a sinister labyrinth alongside a daemon who hates her, but despite their animosity the two must work together to overcome their past filled with passion and betrayal to make it out alive. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve always wanted to write a book set in a maze, so the setting was decided from the beginning! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely – Sadaré would be a riot. I would just need to beware of the backstabbing. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Stubborn, ambitious, and clever. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That spicy scenes are hard to write! (This is my first spicy book.) 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I absolutely must edit as I draft, or I can’t carry on. It feels to me like building on a shaky foundation if I don’t. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Sushi. I often get it as a reward for…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A MAP TO PARADISE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Set in Malibu in 1956, the lives of a blacklisted actress, a Displaced Person from Eastern Europe, and a widow caring for her agoraphobic brother-in-law converge to reveal what makes all of us long for our own bit of Paradise—that one place where we feel safe and at home—and what we’re willing do to get it back when it’s been taken from us. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I knew the book would take place somewhere just outside Los Angeles because of the book’s emphasis on the Hollywood Red Scare and the blacklist. Idyllic Malibu was the perfect place for my devastated blacklisted actress to hide out in, my lonely maid to work in, and the caregiver—who is a widow with nothing— to fall in love with her hermit brother-in-law. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I have three protagonists in this book—Melanie the actress, Eva the war refugee from Eastern Europe, and June who lives with her agoraphobic brother-in-law. And I would enjoy all three of them as…

1–What is the title of your latest release? I AM THE SWARM 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? I AM THE SWARM follows Nell, a girl from a family of magical women, whose emotions start to manifest as insects when she turns fifteen. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I didn’t decide, exactly. The book had to take place in Cape Town. The story always felt inextricable from its setting. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Sensitive. Strong. Vulnerable. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That the most productive way for me to plot a book is to listen for which scene comes next, instead of trying to outline in advance. That I’m braver than I thought I was. And that there’s a difference between cement and mortar. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I like to leave the editing for after I have a draft. It allows me to explore, be messy, and make mistakes during the drafting process. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? At the moment I’m really…

1–What is the title of your latest release? COUNTING BACKWARDS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s based on a true story from 2020 about incarcerated immigrants who claimed they were being sterilized without their consent. The book tells the story of one lawyer who tried to help these women and how the fight for women’s rights changed all their lives. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I tend to base most of my books in New York City because it’s where I’m from, and I think there’s nowhere more exciting. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, absolutely, as long as she promised to get back into therapy first. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Trusting, Hopeful, Screwed 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned that many US prisons are run by private companies who are hired by the government, rather than being run by the government itself. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I definitely edit as I draft. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Cheeeeeese. The meltier the better. 9–Describe your writing space/office! I…

1–What is the title of your latest release? HOPE’S ENDURING ECHO 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? She’s longing for a brighter future; he’s caught up in yesteryear. But God has plans for them in the here and now. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The setting chose me when I took a train ride along the Arkansas River at the bottom of the Royal Gorge. I’ve never set a book in Colorado before, but this one had to be there. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! I think Jennie would make a fantastic friend. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Spunky; faithful; introspective 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a great deal about how mental illnesses were treated at the turn of the century. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I’m too OCD to wait until the end. I edit the previous day’s writing before beginning a new chapter. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Dark chocolate with almonds as a pick-me-up; a medium rare T-bone as an indulgence. 9–Describe your writing space/office! My…