To Please Her: An Interview with Elena Abbott
- Swords & Sapphics team
- May 9
- 7 min read
Lets talk about sex, baby! This week, we talk to Elena Abbott all about her new erotic romance, To Please Her, releasing on the 13th of May. Elena tells us about the empowerment that can be found within BDSM, especially for trans folk, as well as her experience of working with Bold Strokes Books, and what we might see from her next!
Thank you for joining us, Elena! Could you start by introducing yourself?
Of course, thanks for having me! I’m Elena Abbott, my friends call me Ela. I’m a trans woman author of all things trans and lesbian. I’ve written sci-fi, urban fantasy/paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. I’ve also dabbled a bit in short stories that the trans community often calls ‘Eggfic’ where the main character may discover or officially come out as being transgender, in whatever way that looks like for them. I’ve lived in central/northern Alberta, Canada, most of my life, and I use she/her pronouns.
We would love to know more about To Please Her and what inspired you to write it!
To Please Her is the story of a trans woman, Sabrina, who meets the owner of an adult boutique , Delilah, and spills coffee on her! That starts a chain reaction of meetings as they begin a dance around each other until Sabrina is completely smitten. But things aren’t perfect, as Delilah has a rule: One Night Only.
I have honestly been trying to write what I called a ‘dominatrix romance’ for a handful of years now, but it always got pushed aside for other projects. Finally, last year I gave in and sat down to turn what I thought would be a novella into a full-blown novel, loving every moment of it. I wanted to write a story that truly explored the idea of BDSM and kink being the focus of a romance.
What drew you to erotic romance, and what do you love most about writing in this genre?
I think what drew me to it was definitely the openness and joy of what I could write about. There’s lots of romance books that feature sex. Some have closed door scenes, some have somewhat explicit scenes. I wanted to be able to describe the joy and intimacy of a number of sex acts often considered taboo. My goal was to take readers on a journey that included kinks like puppy play, anal sex, breath play, and plenty of bondage. And I fell in love with writing the characters as they learned more about themselves throughout the story.
Can you tell us a little bit about your characters? Which, if any, do you identify with most and why?
Sabrina is a trans woman who had gone through most of her transition relatively alone. She never managed to find a community and is stand-offish as a result. But she never let that stop her from becoming her true self.
Delilah, on the other hand, is seemingly put together, has friends, has a world around her that she walks through with very few regrets. She’s still got her own problems, particularly when it comes to her family.
Of the two, I identify most with Sabrina. I gave her a lot of my own story when it came to my transition. She feels very much like a piece of me that I wrote into the book, and I’m so glad I got to tell her story.
And which characters do you hope your readers will connect with the most?
I hope my readers find someone to connect with out of any character, to be honest. But I truly think Sabrina and Delilah could use a lot of love. They’re both flawed in their own ways, and I hope readers enjoy the story I’ve woven around them.
The story features a diverse range of representation, with trans and lesbian main characters. Why was it important to you to include this in your books?
As a trans lesbian myself, it’s always important for me to show some representation in the books I write. In my paranormal romance series, there was a trans character who was the main character in the first book, and continued as a side character in the following two. I desperately wanted to come back to a new story with a new trans woman that I could make the focus of the book. And honestly, when it comes to lesbians, trans or cis, they’re just cute as all heck and deserve love with each other.
We agree! With BDSM and kink still stigmatised, especially between queer women, what drove you to put these themes front and centre here?
First and foremost, because I myself am kinky and into BDSM. To me, it’s a natural part of life. I feel like these themes are stigmatised unfairly. BDSM is a way to explore yourself in a safe environment, a fact that is often misunderstood.
And I know a large community of trans women who are kinky and are interested in things like BDSM. For many, it’s a way to reclaim their bodies, their desires, and their identity. This deserves to be celebrated as much as those who partake in more "vanilla" sex.
Is there any additional representation that you’d like to see or write more of in the future?
I would love to see more representation of trans people, plain and simple. Unfortunately, trans representation in lesbian romance is all but non-existent, something I hope we can improve. And a lot of authors refuse to even try, because they worry it’s not their place to show these characters. I say try. Try to write these characters and give them lives like you would any other character. Don’t make the story about how terrible their life might be or have been. Let them live lives where their defining feature isn’t the fact that they’re trans but that they are a full-on human.
Bold Strokes Books have published lots of wonderful queer stories. What made you decide to work with this midsized indie publisher, and have you learned anything on the journey?
I worked with Bold Strokes on my previous three books, a trilogy of paranormal romance novels set in Western Alberta. When I approached them with the idea of writing an erotic novella featuring a trans character, they were pleased to work with me on the story that ended up growing from a proposed 20-30k word novella into a 96k word novel. I’ve learned a lot in my time working with Bold Strokes and truly they have helped make me a better author. While working with a publisher is not for everyone, there are drawbacks, it is definitely something that deserves consideration from those who feel uncomfortable with self-publishing.
Have you come across any additional challenges while writing and/or publishing this book? How have you overcome them?
Well the first challenge I had was trying to curtail the story into something that didn’t go on forever. This was supposed to be a novella, and it turned into the longest novel I have written to date. The other biggest challenge was probably trying to not go too far with the sex and kink scenes of the book. It’s really thanks to my beta reader that I managed to keep things in check and put out some great scenes that weren’t overwhelmingly kinky.
Similarly, what advice would you give to first-time authors looking to follow a similar publishing route?
There’s a handful of things I would advise to first-time authors, especially those looking to follow a similar route to me. The first is plain and simple: don’t give up. The world deserves your stories. The second would be to find a community. Whether you’re like me and you find a wonderful community of trans authors to spend time with, or if you find a contemporary romance community that fits you better. Having that community is a huge boon, and honestly, most of us authors are happy to help when approached with questions or might even beta read your work. Third is to write from your heart. Only you can write your story. Don’t focus on something only because you think it will sell. Write your story.
We’d love a hint about what readers can expect from you next! What are you currently working on?
Life has gotten interesting for me of late so I don’t have anything firm that I’m working on devoutly, but I do have several works in progress such as a paranormal novella focusing on trans people and demons, a vampire romance novel, and a space western that’s kind of a cross between Star Wars and Firefly.
This is not your first or even fifth book! Where would you direct readers next if they loved Sabrina and Delilah?
For my books, I would direct readers to my paranormal romance novels, starting with Pack of Her Own, all published by Bold Strokes Books. And if you’re insatiable and want more, you can find more stories on my website or on my Itch.io page.
For other books like mine, I would definitely point out a collection of short stories called From the Inside by Sophia Turner. It’s got ten different stories all about trans lesbians and all about different types of enjoyable erotica. It is available on Amazon and Itch.io.
Our podcast focuses on media we’re currently loving. Are there any books, shows, movies, or games you’re enjoying at the moment? Any recommendations for our audience? Bonus points if it includes sapphics!
Honestly I haven’t watched anything new for a while now, but if you want sapphics then there’s plenty of books I could recommend. There’s an ever growing population of trans women authors and their allies and friends who are putting out amazing books and stories like Hades Calculus by Maria Ying, Song of the Dryads by Bailey Saxon, and one of my absolute favorite paranormal romances that features a trans woman as the main character, That Night I got Dragged Home By a Werewolf by Autumn Wolff.
About the Author
Elena Abbott is a trans woman, parent, and voracious writer and reader of sapphic literature. She believes that every book can be made better with the inclusion of at least one trans person and multiple lesbians. She writes everything from contemporary and paranormal romance to sci-fi to fantasy and whatever comes into her mind at any given moment. She enjoys playing video games and watching cooking shows, hoping to learn to cook through pure osmosis. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta. Elena uses she/her pronouns. Connect with her on Bluesky @writerprincess.bsky.social, email her at writerprincess8@gmail.com, or visit her website: www.elenaabbottauthor.com.
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