E.J. Noyes joins me to talk about If I Don't Ask, which will be released on May 17th, her November release with Aspen and Cate from Gold making an appearance, her childhood rivalry with her now wife and much more.
Check out her website for links to purchase her books: E. J. Noyes – Author (ejnoyesauthor.com)
If you enjoy this interview, you will love the game of Would You Rather. For as little as $5 a month, you can listen to all of the author would you rather games. You can find it on my Patreon page: Sapphic Book Review is creating Bonus fun with lesfic authors | Patreon
E.J. Noyes joins me to talk about If I Don't Ask, which will be released on May 17th, her November release with Aspen and Cate from Gold making an appearance, her childhood rivalry with her now wife and much more.
Check out her website for links to purchase her books: E. J. Noyes – Author (ejnoyesauthor.com)
If you enjoy this interview, you will love the game of Would You Rather. For as little as $5 a month, you can listen to all of the author would you rather games. You can find it on my Patreon page: Sapphic Book Review is creating Bonus fun with lesfic authors | Patreon
Hi, I'm Laura green. And this is the Sapphic Book Review Podcast, the show where I visit with the best writers in lesfic. I love reading and these books and writers means so much to me. I hope you learn something new each week about your favorite authors. Enjoy the show, and be sure to subscribe. Welcome to the Sapphic Book Review podcast. I have read every book today's guest has released and loved every single one. She always writes books that captivate me and leave me feeling grateful that she shares her talent with us. I'm so honored to have her join me today. EJ. Noyes, welcome. And thanks for being here.
E.J.:Thank you so much for having me. And thank you for your sweet introduction.
Laura:The fourth book in the Ask, Tell series, If I Don't Ask will be released May 17. I read it last week and absolutely loved it. It felt like reconnecting with old friends. Obviously, it was hard for you to let Rebecca and Sabine go as well. Why did you decide to give us Rebecca's story? And is this the last book in the series?
E.J.:I think yes, it is the last book in the series. Mostly, because I'm starting to wonder how many more titles with "ask" in them that I think. But more than that, I really think that their story is actually done. They're both happy and in a good place. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for very interesting storytelling. So yeah, so I think it is the last one in the in the series. But I do have this weird idea that I could do like a little sort of serial thing. And I think I have spoken about it, maybe on Twitter, where I decided to give myself more work. And I thought, Well, why don't I just do like a chapter from Sabines perspective. And then like, Bec and Mitch and Jana and Amy and sort of like just do a timeline. But I think that's just a bit of a flight of fancy, at the moment. And I think as to why I wrote, If I Don't Ask, it's something that I've been sort of playing with ever since I wrote Ask, Tell. And I have actually played around with making parts of Ask, Tell moving into Rebecca's perspective, just as sort of something to do as a bit of a brain relaxer when I was feeling a little bit stuck. So I sort of had started moving it around a little bit. And then it just sort of stuck in my head. And I thought, well, you know, I've wanted to do it. I've done a little bit of it. So why don't I just sort of just go for it. And it was it was so nice to spend time with their characters that I know so well. And also to come back I thought, you know, as my 10th book to come back to sort of where it all started. So, yeah, that's sort of how it came about was just that I finally decided to do something I've been thinking about for a while.
Laura:Well I'm glad you did. I'm a little bit in love with Rebecca.
E.J.:I think a lot of people are. I think I am a little bit too. And it's funny because I've literally just turned 40 At the start of this year. And like I think back Rebecca sort of 41 at the start of If I Don't Ask. Sort of 43 in Ask, Tell and as I was writing this book, I kept thinking like she's so accomplished and so mature and so composed and I'm just like a idiot. I 'm dorking around and it was really interesting to sort of think of myself in the context of age, I suppose. And just think how different I am compared to her.
Laura:Yeah, I just turned 50 And I just so immature it's ridiculous.
E.J.:Yeah I don't feel 40 at all like my knees do but I don't at all in my head like I still think I'm like 25.
Laura:My eyesight is definitely getting to be 50. In November, Aspen and Cate from Gold will be featured in your new book. Tell us what we can expect from that and from the main characters Gemma and Stacy.
E.J.:It's tentatively titled Schuss, I actually can't pronounce it which means to say it's a great start, isn't it? To ski downhill really fast without stopping no turns just like straight down the hill. And as with a lot of my books, the title should be explained within the context but I may change the title I haven't settled on it. But I probably will just leave it because I doubt I'll be able to think of anything better. So Aspen and Cate have side characters in Schuss. So we have Stacey and Gemma, if people remember from Gold, Stacey was the young Alpine racer that Aspen took on as a student so she was coaching her so she moved away from sort of coaching ski resorts and into sort of a private professional coach and Gemma is Cate's daughter. So in this book, Aspen and Cate have married so Gemma is now officially Aspen's stepdaughter. So at the beginning of Gold, they were Gemma and Stacy were just sort of becoming friends. So the book actually set around now in real time. So sort of April, May 2020, after the Beijing Olympics, Stacy's had a great Olympics won her first medal at her first Olympics and both her and Gemma sort of in this weird space where they've sort of both in love with each other but don't want to ruin their friendship. So yeah, they're just trying to figure out what to do about that and whether they should tell each other. I don't think it's young adult, I think it's probably new adult because they're 18 and 20. So it's been really interesting trying to figure things out like do 18 and 20 year olds say breasts or do they say boobs, that sort of thing. And it's, like, what are all the young kids say nowadays and that sort of thing, but you know, they're both fairly mature. So I think in that context, it's been okay. But yeah, so it's, it's nice to revisit old characters again. So I don't know why I'm doing this two books in a row.
Laura:Well, now I know as soon as I get the book, I'm going to look to see if they call them breast or boobs.
E.J.:the moment. It's boobs.
Laura:Tata's
E.J.:Tata's, jugs,,And also, like, how much sex, is another thing I'm sort of trying to balance. because I think, probably they wouldn't be as graphic as my previous books, which is hard to sort of make it less, not less emotional, but probably more emotional and less, I wouldn't say graphic because I don't think it's graphic. I think, maybe just less, I don't even know what to call it. Steamy, less steamy. So dial it down from like a, I don't know, a four to a two or something. Maybe we'll see. Or maybe I'll just say screw it. And that's right. So let's see how it goes.
Laura:In Alone, Celeste signs up to spend four years in isolation to receive a half million dollars, I would need a lot more money than that. How much would you have to be paid to be alone for four years? And if he had to be alone with just one of your characters? Which one would you choose?
E.J.:I mean, I'd take half a million dollars, half a million US dollars, because that translates quite nicely to New Zealand dollars with the exchange rate. No, but I mean, if someone wanted to give me more, I'd take it. I think I would probably have to choose Audrey, Audrey Graham from Turbulene.
Laura:I would not be opposed to that myself.
E.J.:Not only because I think she's probably very nice to look at. But I think she's just such a she's such a chill person. She's just really calm. You know, it takes a lot to rattle her. So she I think she'd be a good person to be seclude with because I think she'd probably tried to ease friction, and stuff like that she cooks so that's also a good thing. And I reckon she'd be pretty good at sort of like playing, playing board games and card games and doing jigsaw puzzles and all that sort of stuff with you. I think Audrey for sure.
Laura:Yeah, I would just stare at her the whole time.
E.J.:This is getting even creepier.
Laura:She'd be like, Okay, stop.
E.J.:I'm gonna go outside. I'm gonna go look at the plants. I mean, to make sure the solar panels are clear.
Laura:I love Morgan and Jane and Reaping the Benefits, but I really love Cici. Will death be getting her own story?
E.J.:It's on the list.The ist is a weird thing. The list is basically every time I have an idea, I just write it down. Yeah, I and I have written a little bit. And by a little bit, I mean, like 500 words, and just a lot of just notes and stuff that sort of come to me like, I don't know why. But the other day, I was like, should this have some like BDSM. So under that, it's got like, you know, Cic should it you know, like things like that. And just like lines of dialogue that that come to me. But the problem that I'm sort of having with it is I know vaguely what it might be like I know the truth will be you know, like the reformed player, if you can call Cici a player, which I don't think she technically is, you know, she obviously enjoys sex with everyone. Basically. She doesn't care about you know, gender, gender identity, sexuality, she's just just pleasure seeking which, you know, good for her. So it was sort of this idea that instead of many partners, she falls for one person. And if you've read the short story that was in the Bella books anthology, Save The Date, there's a short story of Morgan and Jane in that anthology, and I think there's a pretty big clue as to who Cici's, paramore might be in, in Cici's story. But aside from that, I just I have no plot. And it's really hard to write a book without a vague idea of where I'm going to take it. You know, like I tell my ideas started, I have an idea. And I sort of vaguely know, well, that idea will end up here. But I just I just can't find that for this one. And I don't know why. But I definitely want to write it because I think she's a great character. And it'd be nice to see Morgan and Jane again. And then I can continue this sort of theme I've got going where I keep you know, like, revisiting all my all my old characters. So yeah, it's definitely on the list, and I definitely want to write it. I just don't know what it's gonna be about yet. So stay tuned, I guess.
Laura:Okay. You've only written one series, the Ask, Tell series. Obviously, we've been talking about a little bit like do you plan to write more series in the future?
E.J.:I do. I have already written part one, and it's If it's too long between the books. I have to reread them hopefully released next year. Three books in one year is the plan, but the plan might go to shit, depending on how I feel after I've written Gemma and Stacy's books, so I'm calling it the spy series, but it's a stupid thing to call it because it's not about a spy. It's about an intelligence officer. So I've written the first book to sort of draft stage like solid readable, not many mistakes draft, written about a third of the second one. And then in typical me style, I've sort of got like a whole bunch of notes and just lines of dialogue with the third. So yeah, the plan is to have it what you're in 2022. So 2023 is the plan for that one to have to have all three of them. I've spoken to the publisher and said, This is what I want to do. Whether I can do it or not, is another thing. Because I know for myself that when I, I've read a series, and you know, you have to wait years between books, and it just drives me fucking nuts. Like, I just want to read these books and keep my excitement for them going and sort of so that's my plan. So either three in one year or one every six months. Like I usually release books. because I forgot what happened. Which I don't think that's a bad thing. Rereading books, but yeah, I just feel like for myself, I just, want to keep how I feel about about reading a series is just Yeah, it's how I've sort of approached this. So you don't have to wait years between them. Okay, well, that's good.
Laura:Who are your two favorite supporting characters from your books?
E.J.:Ah, I would say Jana but she's technically not a supporting character, Jana Fleischer because she got her own book. So she sort of got moved to main character. I think I'd have to say Cici for one. I mean, how can you not love death, you know, and in that sort of format, where she's just aside from the way she looks just, I just love her whole personality. I think she's just a really fun character. But also is not someone that you want to fuck with. Like, she's not, you know, like, she's, I think she's, she's scary in her own way. But obviously, Morgan knows how to approach her. And Mitch Boyd from the Ask, Tell series. He's just the perfect best friend, I think, just a big teddy bear. Just a nice guy. fun, funny. And a lot of his characteristics are characteristics that my best friend has. but her name is not Mitchell.
Laura:Most of your books are written in first person, what's the appeal of writing in first person for you?
E.J.:Aside from it being easier for me, I just think it's a really immersive way of writing and also reading a good first person character, you just feel it's so inviting It really lets you into the person's headspace, or their emotions, and all that sort of stuff. So for me the appeal of writing that is it, it lets me as an empathetic person sort of get right into all that sort of emotional weight which is great. And also hard, you know, when it's not a pleasant sort of subject, like PTSD or, or loneliness or stuff like that, that I have written about. But yeah, I think it's the immersiveness of it. Like it just feels so good to me as a writer to just be almost slipping into someone else's skin. Like I'm living that sort of experience with them.
Laura:Sometimes I think when I read first person, it's easy to know, the one character but then the other character you feel a little bit disconnected with, but you You're very good at that. I don't feel any disconnection at all.
E.J.:Yeah, and that is hard, because a lot of First Person is single POV. And I I've just cheated by saying, Well, I'm going to write first person double POV. And I'll just label it so everyone's you know, whose whose. Because it is hard. But I think the interesting thing about it is, you know, as as people, we don't know what other people are thinking. So the challenge of trying to show that I really like it trying to, to get like you're saying let my reader know the other characters through my main character.
Laura:If you could have a dinner party with three couples for your books, who would you choose? And why?
E.J.:I'd have to pick Sabine and Rebecca, because I know them so well. So it wouldn't be awkward, because I'm terrible at small talk. Like, I'm really bad at it. Yeah, and just I think Sabines fun. She's very much like me, just weird, in her own sort of way, as well as being stupidly smart. And Rebecca is just so calm. And I think Rebecca would also help me clean up afterwards and she'd bring something, nice wine or nice food. I'd have to have Aspen and Cate just so I could talk about skiing and Aspen and I could like play Call of Duty or something afterwards, when everyone had gone home. And I think Cate probably would help clean up as well. And probably Morgan and Jane as well. I think Morgan will be really interesting to talk to.
Laura:Morgan, she's got stories.
E.J.:Yeah, a lot of stories, centuries worth. So I think she would be really interesting to talk to and I think Jane, she's also fun and, and I think an easy person to get along with.
Laura:And she would help you clean as well.
E.J.:I think Jane would Yeah, I think Morgan might maybe, I think she'd be like pouring wine for you while you're washing up. Sort of standing on the other side of the camera, like you're doing a great job.
Laura:Encouraging you.
E.J.:Yeah, that's it, but not actually doing the work.
Laura:Your characters have many different jobs. If you had to choose one of those careers for yourself, which one would best suit you?
E.J.:ski instructor, absolutely. I was a horse riding instructor for many years, 10 or more. So the actual teaching part, I have to admit, I didn't love it. It was not a great job. For someone who doesn't enjoy small talk, and stuff like that. And who isn't fond of children as well. But I've got the experience with that and plus skiing. I mean, I don't think it's any secret that I love skiing. I'm not great at it. Because I started I learned as an adult, which makes it really hard to learn a new, a new physical skill. But yeah, you don't have first hand instructor or ski racer like Stacy, if I ever got brave enough to like, shut down a hill.
Laura:I've never been skiing.
E.J.:Oh, have you been snowboarding? Oh, that's okay. if you had snowboarded but not skied,
Laura:No. we might just have to cut this short. You have to try it. I'm too old now.
E.J.:No,, you're not.
Laura:I mean, I would do a Sonny Bono. What first drew you to the woman who is now your wife? And what did she do to make you laugh?
E.J.:At first I wasn't drawn to her. We met when we were sort of 12 or 13 at Pony Club and from rival riding schools. So Romeo and Juliet type. I just, I didn't like her at all. And she was nasty. And she said she's not but she was me. She. But as it turned out, she's actually just really shy. So you know, that comes across as just sort of stony when she's just she's very introverted. Yeah. And we met again, when I was working as a horse riding instructor. And she turned up at the riding school where I was working and had been since I was I'd been there. Like, since I was 11. And I think it was originally her, probably her humor. First of all, that really got me because I hadn't realized you know, a as an idiotic teenager that she was actually really funny. And we've got a very similar sense of humor, which makes it easy not having to explain my stupid jokes. And probaby and her compassion. It was just an interesting thing to recognize that she wasn't who I thought she was, and probably vice versa. And that maybe we should have dealt with this as as teenagers instead of waiting until like 24, 25 ish. But who knows it might have turned out differently if I'd sort of just gone and said hi to her instead of being like that bitch.
Laura:You're an Australian who recently moved to New Zealand what has been the biggest adjustment for you in living in New Zealand?
E.J.:than Australia. And also just benefits and stuff like that. Which doesn't really affect me because I don't work for aNew Zealand Company just cost of living like things like, fresh fruit and vegetables. You can really see the the price go up in winter, because, they're just little tiny islands. So they're importing everything. Yeah, it's, it's been weird. And just, basic stuff like that. Basic boring stuff, but I gotta feel like I have to say something better than that.
Laura:No, you don't.
E.J.:have a short bus ride and stuff like that. Because there's no buses, where we used to live in Australia, out out to our place. No, no public transport at all. It's just the joys of needing land for horses. So yeah, being close to everything's really nice. That's a nice adjustment. So yeah
Laura:Have you seen my girlfriend yet? Jacinda.
E.J.:I haven't in person. She has been in my city. Yeah, she's amazing. She's so great. But it's interesting. And I think I feel like Jacinda and Justin Trudeau are very similar in that everybody who's not in the country really loves them, but in their own country, they're maybe not quite as popular as they should be. It's an interesting sort of thing to see how New Zealand is. Not everybody loves her.
Laura:Jacinda and Justin would have gorgeous kids.
E.J.:Oh my god. Yeah. She had to postpone her wedding because of COVID again, so she doesn't know when she's getting married.
Laura:Obviously she's just waiting for me.
E.J.:I think so. She's like Covid, smovid.
Laura:You're a big gamer. What was the first video game you really got into it? What's your favorite right now?
E.J.:Probably World of Warcraft. My mother actually got me into that one. Yeah, it was just funny because she's not a gamer at all. And she doesn't play anymore. And neither do I. Yeah, she bought it for me. She was like, you've got to play this. Like, it's so great. And I think my wife just sort of went like "fuck" And rolled her eyes for like seven years, while I every night I was just grinding away at World Warcraft. And then I started writing and just ran out of time. So but that was probably the first one that I really invested a serious chunk of my life into. Now, it's definitely call of duty. That's, the one that I sort of play for a little bit every day just shooting people or zombies or something like that, just because it's just a really great way to just switch off. Yeah, that's the that's the sort of consistent one at the moment. But I recently played Death Loop by Arkane Studios. And I've loved all their games. And that was a really good one too, just highly recommend.
Laura:What was the first lesfic book you ever read? And which two books by other authors do you wish you had written?
E.J.:The first lesfic book I ever read was Ammonite by Nicola Griffith. And I was given it by a friend who lives in Chicago. And it was actually in the middle of writing Ask, Tell when I read my first lesfic. I'd never read a lesfic before then. I didn't even really think of them as a thing. Which is weird
Laura:Thanks so much, EJ for taking the time to chat with me. because I was writing one. So you know, intellectually, I think I probably knew. And she sort of said she was she was reading parts of the book for me and giving me a lot of really encouraging feedback. And she sent me the book from Chicago, to Australia to read, I think, yeah, because it was one that she loved. And so it was that one. . And as for ones I wish I'd written, definitely Breaking Character by Lee Winter. That's one of my favorites. And not a less fiction, not a single book, but the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough. She is an Australian author, sadly, now deceased. He just wrote oodles of amazing books and Masters of Rome series really got me into reading. I'd always love reading but got me to just love reading. And yeah, it was probably the first lot of books that I was actually just absorbed in. So I wish I'd written those. It was honestly a thrill. And I appreciate it very much.
E.J.:Thank you for having me.
Laura:Thanks so much for listening. And thanks again to E.J.for joining me. If I Don't Ask will be available on May 17. And you will not want to miss this one. Check out E.J.'s website at EJnoyesauthor.com For links to purchase her books. To support this podcast, you can buy me a coffee at buy me a coffee.com.sapphiclaura, or join my patreon at patreon.com/sapphicbookreviewpod and where you can listen to your favorite authors plain would you rather for only $5 a month. Here's a sample with E.J. Noyes. Thanks for listening. And until next time, happy reading. Would you rather have a dinner party with a politician from an opposing party or attend a concert of a music group you detest?
E.J.:I'm weird about music. I don't have any favorite bands really. And I don't listen to popular music like the radio and stuff. So that's I feel like an opposing party politician because then I could go tweet about What a wanker they were. But I think it'd be you know, I'm sort of, you know, some people that I just ship people and have ship views, and I don't think you can get away from that. But I would hope that I could at least learn something about human nature from being forced to sit through because I pick yeah, like I couldn't sit I might change that because I don't think like I couldn't sit with Scott Morrison the Australian Prime Minister he's such a dicksaw. I just hate him. And I couldn't sit with Trump. I couldn't dine with any Republicans. Yeah, I think I might have to change that. I think it might have to be the music group. Because I think that now thinking about it, I would just get learning about human nature so I think I would just get angry.
Laura:Would you rather date Aspen from Gold or Rebecca from the Ask, Tell series if you were single lady.
E.J.:That's notfair. That's not a fair question. I have to choose Aspen for the skiing I think everyone knows I love skiing. . Bec definitely skis. I think Bec's a bit a bit too good for me. I think all my characters are too good for me. But I think Aspen just she wouldn't care if I just talk about skiing all day. She would go skiing with me every day.
Laura:That's good. That will leave Rebecca for me so that works out.