Q&A With Elle Tesch

I have had the pleasure of doing this Q&A with Elle Tesch whose debut fantasy novel What Wakes The Bells came out on March 11^th! 

Q: Elle, I’m glad to be doing this Q&A with you! I read in the acknowledgement section that the idea for What Wakes The Bells came to you while you were in a cathedral clock tower in Prague in 2019! It sounds like an amazing time! Since the city of Vaiwyn is inspired by Prague, is What Wakes The Bells taken from a legend or fairytale from Prague?

A: Thanks for having me! Yes, What Wakes the Bells was also inspired by a local legend from Prague. The idea first came to me in a cathedral clock tower, but the pieces of it truly came together at the Old Town Hall where the famous astrological clock is located. There was a plaque set up outside that described a local legend tying back to that same cathedral. It’s said that when the heart of the largest bell in St. Vitus Cathedral breaks, it is an omen of something bad to come. 

Q: You began writing What Wakes The Bells during the pandemic & you said that it gave you something to be hopeful about during a difficult and strange time. Would you say that for those reading What Wakes The Bells, that you want readers to come away feeling hopeful that things can and will be better? 

A: I certainly hope so. Especially with *gestures wildly at the world* everything that’s going on around us right now. It can be hard to feel a sense of optimism when everything feels so bleak, but I think that’s why people often turn to things like books and fantasy for the reminder that there is hope. In there, villains resembling those destroying lives out here are fought and defeated. And if your favorite characters can do all that, then surely you can too, no matter how big or small an impact you make. For as dark and as hopeless as this story can be, there is a happy ending to it. 

Q: Will book 2 be a sequel to What Wakes The Bells or will it be a different story all together? 

A: Book 2 will be a completely different story! It’s another YA Dark Fantasy standalone titled The Hanging Bones. It follows Katrin, an aro/ace gamekeeper who enters a legendary hunt for a magical stag that will grant her the death of a vile Baron. But while the hunt is going, a new monster has entered the forest, and no one is safe from it. The Hanging Bones is very much a book about female rage and the drastic measures that must be taken to stand up to the people who don’t understand that ‘no’ is a full sentence. 

Q: When Hollywood gets the rights to What Wakes The Bells, who would you want to portray Mina, Max, Bastien, Elora and all the characters? 

A: Ooh, this is a tricky one. I’m very bad at face-casts when it comes to my own characters, but I’ll give it a go. For Mina, I think Cailee Spaeny would fit nicely. For Max, I always imagined a young Daniel Sharman. Cate Blanchett would absolutely knock it out of the park as Imogen. Nathalie Emmanuel for Tamzin would be a dream. And finally, Aubrey Plaza and Tyler Posey would be great for Aida and Isaac.