Billy Chapman
Young adult novelist and Hickory native Marissa Eller said she thinks it is important to highlight the stories of people frequently underrepresented in books.“Everyone deserves to see themselves in books in any kind of way,” Eller said.Eller said the young adult books she read as a young woman often featured characters with illnesses. What was missing was a happy ending. She said it was common for one of the characters to die.“I wanted to write about that (chronic illness) from my own experience where it can be joyful and happy and no one dies,” Eller said.Eller’s first book, “Joined at the Joints,” is a young adult romance novel about two teens, Ivy and Grant, who meet at a chronic illness support group.Ivy, who struggles with social anxiety, does not expect to enjoy the group. However, she meets charming Grant, who understands her.
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“She doesn’t tell anyone about her chronic pain, so she’s just keeping this super heavy secret, and no one’s able to connect with her because she won’t let them,” Eller said.
Marissa Eller stands with her books at the Bookmarks Festival in Winston-Salem.
Courtesy of Marissa Eller
The story follows their relationship, and Ivy’s struggles with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.The book was released in July. On goodreads.com, “Joined at the Joints” has a score of 4.18 out of 5 from 233 ratings. Out of 61 reviews, about 95% are positive.Eller was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 21. Now 27, Eller said she has found ways to deal with the pain by finding the right treatments and adjusting her lifestyle.Eller’s second book is set for release in early 2026. It will be a young adult book set in Hickory and based on Eller’s experiences at Challenger High School.When not writing, Eller works as a consultant for students trying to get into medical schools.This interview was edited for clarity and length.How do you create stories?It always starts somewhere from my own experience. There’s aspects of me in each character. I always start with a character first, learn who they are and figure out their stories from there.I don’t write these super-high concept fantasies that you explain to people what the world is. I just write super quiet stories, and I explain who the character is. And usually it’s some part of me, more than one, but using some aspect of myself is where I start from.How did you get into writing?I went to Challenger High and as part of that you take college classes. In one of my writing classes we were challenged to write for National Novel Writing month, which is in November. The concept of National Novel Writing month is to write 50,000 words in a month. I wrote maybe 10,000 words. At 16, I was not going to do a whole novel.I tried. I can’t remember what that first book was, but that was the first time I tried writing fiction. I remember the feeling of peace from it and that’s why I still write. It’s my therapy.Now, I can write about 2,000 words a day when I’m drafting something.
Eller’s first novel, “Joined at the Joints,” can be found online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org and other retailers.
Courtesy photos of Marissa Eller
What was life like growing up?Pretty normal, pretty typical. I was just pretty nerdy. I’ve always been pretty nerdy. As a kid, I read like crazy. I went to Clyde Campbell Elementary and Arndt Middle before Challenger. It was me, my parents and my little brother. We moved in with my grandparents to take care of them when I was about 15. My parents still live with my grandmother.I used to volunteer at Trinity Village on Springs Road. My mother (Catawba County Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator Melissa Eller) worked there for 17 years. Every summer, I would volunteer there. My sister did, too. That was fundamental for me, kind of growing up there. She did activities there, and I was all over the building, meeting all kinds of people. She worked on the memory care unit for a long time, so from a young age I’ve been able to understand what that means. When we moved in with my grandparents, it wasn’t difficult to shift to a caregiver role, having been around adults in a caregiver capacity for so long.What are your hobbies?I love to bake. My sister and brother-in-law are involved in community theater a lot, so I love to go and see what they’re working on.I also collect Betsey Johnson stuff — clothes and décor. Decorating my house is a hobby. She’s pretty out there with bright patterns and colors and prints. Even though, nine times out of 10, I’m wearing all black, if you go in my house its an explosion of color.What motivates you?Helping people. That’s why I wanted to publish my book. I wrote at first for myself but I wanted to publish it because there are so many teens not seeing themselves in books in a positive way. We’ve come a long way, though. I have so many friends that are publishing similar books.I’ve gotten a bunch of messages from readers all over the world telling me how much the book meant to them. That’s been wild. Getting those messages is a big accomplishment. To know I can somehow help someone even though I don’t know them and they don’t know me, it means a lot that my work has touched them somehow.Education is extremely important to me. I’m a first-generation college student, and I enjoy helping people get into medical school, especially people who are underrepresented. And getting books in the hands of kids is a mission.When are you happiest?Either when I’m with my family or when I’m writing. I just love my family so much. I dedicated the books to them. I dedicated this first book to my mom, dad and brother. I dedicated the next book to my sister and my best friend. Those are just my people.Writing is my peace. It’s always on the back burner in my brain. When I sit down at the computer, it comes to the forefront. It’s the only time I’m focused on doing one thing at a time.What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?In life and in writing, there’s a lot of ableism. The publishing process has been difficult. A lot of agents and editors questioned whether there was room in the market for this quiet story about chronic illness and people being happy. It took a really long time to get the book published. I felt like it was a me problem at first, but in speaking with other disabled authors who write similar books I learned you have to keep trying to find the right people to get your book out there.
Billy Chapman is a reporter with the Hickory Daily Record.
