Australian & New Zealand Author Showcase No 27 – Livia J Elliot

An idea squeezed into my head in 2023, after seeing so many of the book community gathering at conventions across the US and UK. And once my FOMO subsided, I got to thinking about who might be gathered together if we had similar conventions closer to home. Pending the master planning required to arrange a massive convention, I thought the next best thing might be to run an Australian & New Zealand author showcase. So, I sent out the call, with the only prerequisite for participating being the author had to have been born in either country or currently live there.

After a short break due to “life” getting in the way, the Aussie / New Zealand Author Showcase will carry on as I have had a few more authors contact me to say they are keen to take part. At this rate its threatening to become a year long event! So I will continue to post their individual showcases at regular intervals and hopefully you will enjoy these interactions with some very talented people. Please be sure to check out their work, sign up to their newsletters and follow them on their social media of choice. I make no apologies for any damage inflicted to your TBR’s!

Showcase No 27 finds me chatting to an author and podcast host who originally hails from Argentina but now calls Australia home, please welcome Livia J Elliot to the Showcase.

Do you feel that being an Aussie / Kiwi (or residing there) influences your writing?

Of course! I think every place where one lives or visits ends up leaving a mark, in terms of different human expressions (from language, to art, and even humour), culture, values, and integration as an expat.

This has given me wealth of experiences that have certainly influenced my writing. For example, it is not only about speaking a different language, but also about the deeper changes in expression—the concepts far beyond the meaning of the words, and into the realm of context, implied meaning, and the values attached to them. I think this has influenced (even if unknowingly) my prose, and the words I favour more often.

Of course, the Australian culture is very different to my home country’s (Argentina)… but Australia is also vastly multicultural, which has given me a broader view of the world. Understanding and accepting different cultures, learning from others, and also enjoying sharing bits of my own culture and things that I wasn’t able to experience in my home country.

Although I love living in Australia, and it has certainly influenced me as a person (I have learned so much while being here), I do not draw from Australian culture, heritage, or history in my writing.

What are some of the challenges being located so far away from the rest of the world, do have any tips for overcoming these?

There are several challenges, but far less than if I were trying to publish from my home country.

My first advice is that whenever you find online advice—assume it is given for a writer located in USA, because that’s generally going to be the case. Australian laws are very different, there is a lot of income-related advice, or business-related advice that do not apply here (or are different), and things we cannot do. Like using ACX to publish our audiobooks.

My second advice would be, if you’re keen to publish books independently, find other Aussie writers and chat with them. Chances are they have already unearthed a lot of information that will make your like easier—or point you in the right direction. For this, I really need to thank fellow author Joshua Walker; he did solve several of my panic-mode questions.

How do you go about establishing connections in the book community? (any tips / suggestions)

I am on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads—but I find it easier to connect with people on the first two. To me, it is all about making authentic connections by being genuinely interested on what other people are doing (their books, what they read, general interests, etc), without actively trying to sell anything.

My key advice is simple—be kind, and remember that at the other side of that connection, beyond that avatar you’re responding to, there is a person with feelings and interests. Value those feelings and interests just like you want yours to be appreciated. That can go miles into creating great connections.

My second advice is something that may feel contradictory for a lot of writers—other writers are not your competitors, but your allies. That saying of “we raise by lifting others” is far more truthful than what people give it credit for. A network of supportive writers can help you far more than anything else.

Do you have a favourite character to write? And conversely are there any of your characters that are the more of a struggle?

For sure! From my current series, Records of the Orders, Verve is one of the most difficult characters to nail down. To give you some reference, Verve is a 20,000 years old alchemist, with a morality that’s very different humans’. All these characteristics combine to create a character that actively requires me to consider whether I’m anthropomorphising them, while at the same time assessing how would a 20,000 years old being with the ability to manipulate thunder and human emotion like I can mix painting would see the world.

When I wrote my alchemists, I wanted to explore non-humanity—beings that were just so different to us that their non-humanity would pop up from the page. Combine that with the fact that I’m a plotter through-and-through, and then you have a full mess; it is not only about finding Verve’s “voice” but also their reactions, their thoughts, their assessment of situations, their beliefs about humans, about other younger alchemists… truth to be told, writing Verve is always a learning experience!

On the contrary, my favourite character to write was Lyra from my book-with-choices Dance With Me. I won’t spoil much, but writing Lyra helped me cope with some things… which is why I think she has part of me.

So aliens finally reveal themselves to us and your work is presented to them as example of what humanity has to offer, what do you hope they will take away from this intergalactic exchange?

Oh no! I would beg whoever was as unreasonable as to give my work to aliens!

You see, I like to explore heavy themes in my writing—mostly trauma, depression, human nature, identity (both individual and collective), morality, and so on. Because of that, my writing leans towards the darker side of the spectrum… and I’d rather the aliens have a more optimistic view of humankind than my writing 😅

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?

I may write grimdark. I may read grimdark… but my favourite movie and character of all time is Totoro, and nobody can compete with it!

What would you say is the best thing about being an author and the worst?

The best thing—being capable of writing all this stories and sharing them with others. I write because I have a topic I want to discuss… which is why I generally promote my books by their theme and not their tropes. Because of that, being able to use speculative fiction to explore complex themes that interest me (like the concept of identity or bias, as done in The Genesis of Change) is the best for me. I love science fiction and fantasy because I like to speculate, and these are genres that allow me to do so.

The worst thing? The burnout. As a self-published author and podcast host, I’m literally expending every minute outside day-job doing this… and it can take a toll. But I also learn a lot, and I really enjoy both writing and doing my podcast. I guess that compensates a bit!

Any other Aussie / Kiwi creatives you’d like to give a shout out for? (let’s spread the love)

For sure! I already mentioned Joshua Walker—he’s been of great help, and he also wrote an incredible book. I once interviewed him on my podcast Books Undone, so that may be a great way to know more about him!

Also, the people from CSFG (Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild), which have proven to be very supportive, kind, and thoughtful. I have really enjoyed talking with them, especially on the Novel Vague meetings.

What’s your favourite quote or passage from one of your books?

Sure! Here are a few, mixing my latest novella, and my books-with-choices:

The Genesis of Change	“I am human”, past-Áurea whispered, walking ahead while glancing at the raven perched on her shoulder. “We must rectify that”, the alchemist cawed, blending into the shadows.
The Genesis of Change	It’s death; the lack of change. It creeps slowly, devouring itself until only two shadows remain. One, the desire to be as before, and two, the fear of rotting entirely.
Mien (a book-with-choices in the universe of Records of the Orders)	Change may be daunting, and sameness may be comfortable, but one is the path to evolution, and the other is the cliff to stagnation and decay.
Dance With Me (book-with-choices)	Life isn’t gentle, Lyra. Life is an amalgam of people’s stories, each struggling to accomplish something, to thrive or simply survive.
Reflections (book-with-choices)	I laugh, throwing my head back and sliding a hand through my hair. It is a bitter laugh with a touch of sarcasm—no other emotion can explain the interminable sequence of repetitious steps that have formed my life. Do you remember when I escaped?
Restorers (book-with-choices)	Three nanoseconds of courageous independence and stubborn dissent. It should be… refreshing? Satiating? But it simply feeds some threads to ask for another loop, another (minute) rebellion.

What can you say about your current project or what you are planning next?

For sure! It turns out that this year I read just too much sci-fi for my podcast, Books Undone, so I had a bug to write sci-fi. I’m writing two books-with-choices scheduled to release at the end of the year:

A low-stakes, low-sci, social sci-fi collection of short stories.
A high-stakes, fast-paced, near-future, hard sci-fi… and I’m estimating this would be the largest book-with-choices so far (somewhere between 150k-200k words).

Besides that, I’m hoping to publish the next book (normal book, mind you) of Records of the Orders next year. Since this is a universe, it will contain from standalones to series, and even books-with-choices… so I’m plotting the entire first trilogy because I’m plotter-to-the-nth-degree and can’t plot as I go. This also means the books will come out fairly close to each other (hopefully!)

Bonus Question: Lastly Vegemite* yes or no?

I have been living here for so many years and I have yet to try Vegemite. Therefore, the answer would be TBD (To Be Decided)!

Author Bio:

Livia J. Elliot is an author of philosophical, dark fantasy fiction with heavy theme work. She’s the lead writer of Unearthed Stories, were she publishes books-with-choices meant for an adult audience. She’s also hosts the podcast Books Undone, specialised in deep-dives into speculative fiction.

Book Links:

The Genesis of Change

You can get my novella, The Genesis of Change, for free by subscribing to my newsletter: https://liviajelliot/newsletter/web

Blurb and all links to purchase: https://liviajelliot.com/books/records-of-the-orders/tgoc/
On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214059839-the-genesis-of-change

The Genesis of Change is a prequel novella in my series Records of the Orders… and Verve is one of the PoVs there.

Books with Choices

My books-with-choices are similar to the old choose-your-own-adventure books many millennials read as a kid. What I write is heavily thematic (as usual), and meant for adult readers. I always try to do something different there, and use the choices as more than just a mean to change the story’s ending.

I have current eight books with choices published in the app Unearthed Stories, which I developed alongside my partner.

Most books are free to read and the app is free to install.

All the books are here: https://liviajelliot.com/books/unearthed-stories/
Install on Android: https://bit.ly/unearthed-stories
Install on iOS/iPad: https://apple.co/48IcnYm

Books Undone

Some books are more than a simple story. They hide timeless themes and allegories full of meaning that are always worth discussing—but doing so requires dedication and keen eye for details. Join Australia-based author Livia J. Elliot as she deep-dives into the theme work present on different pieces of speculative fiction to find what lays beyond the plot, decipher their invisible meaning, and reflect on their symbolism. If you are a fan of fantasy or sci-fi books, new or old, traditional or self-published, this is the show for you! Be mindful. Books Undone contains spoilers for the books discussed, which vary in each episode.