Indie authors are the lifeblood of what I do, creating illustrated character art, author portraits for their marketing and even full book covers. I work with authors who match my values and it’s time to shine a light on these wonderful people!

Hello Eule! Please introduce us to yourself and your books.

Hello! I’m Eule Grey. I write queer books in most genres. Some are tropey, others are literary. I’m complex, intense and I love beer and laughing. I’m a lot like Mave and Lisa from my most successful series, Kitten & Blonde: Mostly paranormal. Sometimes alien. Always gentle.

What will make people fall in love with your main characters?

My main characters are whimsical, complex and often humorous. Let me introduce you to Lisa Blonde from the paranormal/fantasy Kitten & Blonde series: Big, blonde and strong just like her favourite type of beer. Lisa doesn’t believe in the paranormal, which is a pity since she’s dating a witch. Oh, and Lisa’s younger brother is actually the reincarnated brother of the new countess, Em. Not forgetting Lisa’s kitty, Penny, a crusty old cat with claws like iron and a love of memory foam beds.
Or maybe you’d prefer Lisa’s partner, the witch? Mave has purple hair, rides an ebike and speaks with the spirits of neurodivergent people. Mave loves Lisa. Lisa loves Mave. All it takes is a few pints before they admit it.

What tropes can people find in your books?

They’re not very tropey. Some feature a Butch/Femme dynamic, but check the labels first. I have had a go at many tropes including enemies to lovers, first kiss, hot and spicy, but my work isn’t trope-led.

What will surprise people most about your book/s?

My storylines often weave through several narratives before the whole picture makes sense.

What is your favourite thing about being an indie, self-published author?

I don’t have to work with corporate publishers who don’t care about diverse voices. I avoid arseholes.

What has been your biggest challenge or barrier to publishing your books?

Inequality and ableism leaks into publishing and books as it does in all things. I was advised by one of the big five publishers that they would offer me a contract for my book if I removed the ‘disability aspect.’ This broke my heart and made me feel despairing, since disability is integral to my writing. I didn’t write for a few years afterwards.

Two of Eule Grey’s books

Is this your first time commissioning artwork for your book/s? If not, what has been your biggest challenge commissioning artwork in the past?

I wasn’t a virgin haha. Communicating my vision or idea is always my biggest challenge. I’m very poor at online communications of all kinds, and I’d hate to crush an artist. So there’s always a risk that I could end up with art work I didn’t much like, lol. It hasn’t happened yet though.

How did you discover my work?

I saw Lottie’s work on threads and loved the female characters.

What appealed to you most about working with me and how was your overall experience? 

I noticed that you work with disabled characters and that they look so real. This is rare to find. My experience was very positive! I expect us to work together for a long time. In the future I have a book about a knife librarian due, and I know you’d rock some art for her.

What does having appealing character art mean to your marketing and to your readers?

It gives me the confidence to promote on forums which are tricky for me to navigate.

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Indie authors are the lifeblood of what I do, creating illustrated character art, author portraits for their marketing and even full book covers. I work with authors who match my values and it’s time to shine a light on these wonderful people!

Hello Tilly! Please introduce us to yourself and your books.

Hello! I’m Tilly Lebeck. I write contemporary romance that is intensely personal and spicy.

My book series, The Untamed Rascals, is a found family series of interconnect standalones that follows a group of Marines and their new friends as they find love and discover themselves.

What will make people fall in love with your main characters?

My characters are very relatable—all too human, over 30, and still floundering a bit in life. It’s a diverse cast that includes fat characters, neurodivergent characters, and queer characters.

What tropes can people find in your books?

Found family, second chance, friends to lovers, toaster oven (shout out to my lesbian characters), self-discovery, and workplace romance.

What will surprise people most about your book/s?

How much certain characters and situations in the books may make them feel seen and understood. Fair warning, many people tell me they cry.

What is your favourite thing about being an indie, self-published author?

I love writing whatever feels right for the story and doing so on my own schedule.

What has been your biggest challenge or barrier to publishing your books?

Time has definitely been my biggest concern. I have a millions and one ideas, but having the time to focus on them has been a challenge. I’d love to publish more books and a faster pace, but unfortunately life has a way of slowing me down.

The Untamed Rascals series of novels by Tilly Lebeck.

What has been your biggest challenge commissioning artwork in the past?

I have a few pieces I’ve commissioned in the past. I think my biggest challenge is cost. Artists are amazing and deserve to be paid for their work, but where I am in my publishing journey necessitates saving for art and commissioning much slower than I would otherwise prefer.

How did you discover my work?

Threads

What appealed to you most about working with me and how was your overall experience? 

I love how easy you make it to find prices, how frequently you communicate, and your unique style. You brought my characters to life and helped me see a part of them that I’d only ever imagined.

“My current readers have expressed that they have loved seeing my characters and feel a connection to them and the art.” – Tilly Lebeck Author

What does having appealing character art mean to your marketing and to your readers?

I’m not sure if it helps with marketing. Unfortunately, that has so many different components that it is difficult to pinpoint just one as making a difference, but it breathes new life into me in what feels like an endless loop of shouting about my books. My current readers have expressed that they have loved seeing my characters and feel a connection to them and the art.

Are there any other professionals that you’ve worked with that you’d like to recommend to other authors?

Elle Lavendelle worked with me to beta and sensitivity read Frankie and the Fed, which you did the art for, and did a wonderful, thorough job. Hannah Danielle has done some cute chibi art of the same characters that I will be turning into stickers for future conventions. I’m not sure if she is still working or will be taking future commissions, but Hollis Darling had done a few pieces for me that are beautiful.

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