New York Times bestselling author J. Elle is kicking off a new series. I recently spoke with her about The Heart Trials.
Tell me about your latest book.
The Heart Trials is a YA dystopian romance set in a world where love has essentially been engineered. People are required to use substances called Heartfillers to manufacture the feelings and connections they’re missing. But every ten years, lowborn may compete in the Tournament of Hearts for a chance at a different life, without Heartfillers. If they win the tournament, they are granted highborn citizenship and may enjoy true love. At the center of the story is Axira, a lowborn smuggler who has spent her life believing that there is no such thing as freedom. She believes the way their oppressive world is run cannot and will not change, so she wants to leave. She enters the Tournament of Hearts to steal something for an unlikely ally. In exchange, she will receive a ship to escape the island. The Heart Trials is romantic and high-stakes and twisty, but underneath all of that, it’s really about love, freedom, morality, and the subtle ways we are sold the lie that certain people do not deserve dignity and love. It is also about hope. All my stories are about hope ultimately.
Why did you decide to write it?
One of the things I’m most interested in as a writer is the way ideas shape us, particularly when we don’t realize we’re being shaped. The Heart Trials gave me a way to explore that through this heightened dystopian world where people have been distracted by the powers that be from their deepest needs: to love and be loved. I also wanted to look inward and explore what happens when comfort becomes more important than truth, or when our instinct to protect ourselves from pain begins costing us some of the things that make us most human—compassion, vulnerability, courage and genuine connection.
What’s your favorite place to write?
Anywhere I can see the ocean. Absolute favorite spot would probably be Lovers Point on a summer day.
What’s the nicest thing a reader has ever said to you?
I was once told, “This book was healing to read.” Knowing something I wrote met someone where they were and gave them something they needed is incredibly meaningful to me.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I knew I wanted to become a writer when a story popped in my head and wouldn’t leave me alone. It was 2017 I believe. I wanted so badly to see how that story unfolded, and eventually I realized that since it didn’t exist, I was going to have to create it myself. That was really the beginning for me.
What author would you love to meet?
Shonda Rhimes. I know she’s primarily a television writer and screenwriter, but I’m fascinated by the way she tells stories and creates characters people become deeply invested in. I would love to sit down with her and talk about storytelling.
What books have you read lately and loved?
I recently read My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney, and loved it. I also finally read Sunrise on the Reaping in anticipation of the movie. I’m a writer, but I’m very much a reader first, and I still love getting completely swept up in somebody else’s story.
What books are at the top of your to-be-read pile?
Tempest by Victoria Aveyard is definitely at the top of my list, and I’m really looking forward to Land by Maggie O’Farrell. My TBR is perpetually longer than the amount of time I actually have to read, which is probably true for most book people, ha ha.
What’s next for you?
More books! I have several projects in various stages of development, including the continuation of The Heart Trials. I’m especially interested in stories that combine really addictive romantic tension with bigger questions about morality, identity, and power. I’m very interested in exploring the adult space in particular with those themes.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
More than anything, I hope readers have a great time reading The Heart Trials. I love books that make you want to stay up all night turning pages, but that leave you with something to think about when you’re finished. I hope this is one of those stories.
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To learn more about New York Times bestselling author J. Elle, connect with her on Instagram and TikTok.