I don’t usually talk about projects individually…

This winter solstice comes with a big project completion here at Gabrielle Scarlett Design – for a side of my work that I don’t actually talk about that often! That facet of what I do is editing and illustrating collections of poetry, prose, and books in general. I’ve got a solid collection of books under my belt at this point, from authors all over the world, spanning cover design to copy editing. The collaboration we’re talking about today is from an author who ALSO has multiple published volumes: Amba Elieff.

This volume (In The Hills) makes four published books in four years from Amba, who released her first collection, Maiden, Mother, Crone, in 2022. Maiden Mother Crone received the 2023 Imaginarium “Imadjinn Award” for best poetry volume, and Amba has received various other nominations since the beginning of her publishing journey. Her work is raw, and real, and relatable – and every time I get to create new illustrations to pair with her writing, I’m honoured.

Oh – and as an added bonus, she happens to be my Mom!

And that’s relevant to this specific project, because In The Hills, which launched on winter solstice this year, is all about Hocking County – a location where we spent extensive time while I was growing up. It was our family holiday destination on repeat, and after many years, Amba (AKA Mom) achieved her version of the American Dream by getting a cabin nestled there where she plans to retire. It doesn’t matter how far I am from the hills (which arguably right now is pretty far, given my homebase is in Scotland), going back feels like coming home.

I’ve not talked about her previous book releases here before, but for this one… I felt like the occasion should be marked by something more than a celebratory glass of wine! So, I popped a few questions over to Amba about her process, to share the perspective of a poet who is actively creating on a daily basis.

A quick chat with Amba Elieff:

What drives you to continue writing?

I had a teacher, who when I asked how long the term paper should be answered – write til you are done. I was a sophomore in high school and turned in a 30 page typewritten paper with a dozen or more sources. Everyone else had 3-5 page papers. I still hear her voice when I sit down to write – write til you are done. Every day offers up a new opportunity for topics, perspectives, and people to write about. I enjoy capturing those moments and giving them words. I get to capture the human experience through poetry, that is an amazing privilege. My dream would be to have my days to just write. Instead I grab little moments which means a lot of things never get written about. I just still have more to say.

Where do your content ideas come from?

The ideas for my content show up throughout my days and nights. I typically don’t sit down and make myself write. I don’t work with a list of prompts to write about. Last weekend we had a big snow and I sat waiting for the snow to start, watched the snow as it came down and wrote 13 poems. All about this experience of waiting and watching the snow being snuggled up in my cabin – snowed in. The poems just came like the snow falling outside. I’m influenced by everything in life – peoples’ stories, nature, feelings, my mind wanders and bumps into memories and it becomes poetry. The bathtub in the morning is when my mind creates the most. Unfortunately there is no easy way to write in the bathtub.

How do you create collections from your work?

At any time I have 5 or 6 files of poetry that I am working with. Some of those files will be a specific topic like tattoos, nature, love – others will be a grab bag of poems. Some of the files have book titles others do not. When I have collected critical mass – which means I have enough poetry in the file for a book (about 150 pages), I start evaluating the truth of the collection, since my books are very fluid rather than by topic (life doesn’t happen in topics). I ask myself if the poems belong in a different, more specific collection. I ask myself if the poems are balanced – life is a mix of all the feels. I ask myself if there are poems missing – and that is just my gut. I ask if it is done. And done is a feeling. Most of the time the books capture a timeframe of experience in my life.

What about the illustrations – how do you feel they contribute to your volumes?

First, I get lots of compliments on the illustrations. My creative, who happens to be my oldest daughter, does amazing work making the illustrations look simple – when I know to make them look that way takes lots of work. Sometimes the illustrations give the reader a break when the poetry hits close to home. Other times they intensify the words. They help provide orientation in the book since my poems do not have titles. They also break up the text itself to make the poetry more user friendly. I can’t imagine the books without them. And it is wonderful to work closely with someone who knows me and understands my work so intimately. I am not sure my books would have the same impact with just any illustrator.

You’re four volumes into your publication journey, which is no small feat! Do you have a piece of advice for new authors?

Write what you know. Write regularly (do as I say not as I do lol.). The easy part is writing. The hard part is marketing. Much of the time it is hard to feel like a “real” author writing at your computer the odd moments you can scrape together. So go to events because that is where indie authors get to feel like an author. I have met some amazing indie authors that are now friends. We support each other and sometimes collaborate on projects. Cecilia Garcia is a friend who writes military fiction. Her anniversary edition of her Always Forward series will include poetry that I created when I was reading her books. This would never have happened if I hadn’t gone to my first event. Also you get to interact with readers, see their reactions to your work, intimately share your work, and sometimes talk about it. When you get lucky you start having followers looking for the next book. Sometimes it is uncomfortable but it is good.

Ready for a new read?

The new volume, In The Hills, will be available in a variety of local retailers in Southern Ohio, as well as Southeastern Ohio – but if you’re not local, you can order online!

Grab your paperback copy of In The Hills here.

And to see the rest of Amba’s poetry volumes (all illustrated by me, Gabrielle Scarlett) you can check out her website, or her author page here. She’s even got some pretty cool merch available on her site, so take a peek at your options for wearing her words!