Meet L.E. Wagensveld
My hearts, I’m so excited to introduce you to L.E. Wagensveld! Her cowboy romance Second Chance on Sunrise Ranch was nominated for the 2025 Indieverse Awards, and I’m on a mission to interview every nominee in the Best Romance category.
L.E. is the mother of four human children, four furry ones, and wife to her best friend and biggest supporter. Despite being outnumbered, L.E. holds her own thanks to caffeine and good old-fashioned stubbornness. For as long as L.E. can remember, she's been a passionate wordsmith. From crafting poems about her pets as a child to the various piles of unfinished manuscripts sitting in her magic cloud, she has always found writing a necessity for her life. L.E. loves helping others discover the words they are looking for to express themselves, and at work, they have dubbed her The Blurb Queen. L.E.’s novels focus on friendship, family, and love, often in small towns. L.E. is an unashamed romance lover, a passion she attributes to her late maternal grandmother, who was rarely without a Harlequin novel close at hand. In her novels, L.E. seeks to create an escape for her readers, a place to go when they need a smile or some warm and fuzzy feelings.
JEN: L.E., thanks for doing this! Okay, let’s start from the beginning—where’s home for you?
L.E.: I have been in the same small town in British Columbia since I was young. It is a great community because most people here are very supportive of the arts, and word of mouth is huge. People hear your name and remember you wrote a book.
JEN: Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?
L.E.: Morning. Usually by five p.m., my brain isn't functioning so well. I have a toddler, and I have to try to get up before him so I can write. I sadly don't get a ton done at the moment because of this.
JEN: What fills your cup when you’re not writing?
L.E.: Read [laughs]. I have four kids, so I'm currently in a very busy, demanding season of life. We love to camp, though, and when I can sneak in a date night with my hubby, that's always a joy.
JEN: So... genre-wise, what makes your writer heart sing? And what do you reach for as a reader?
L.E.: ROMANCE! To read and write—though I do enjoy thrillers sometimes. I don't think I have the brain capacity to write one and make it twisty enough, though.
JEN: I have been attempting a suspense rom-com and can confirm it’s a challenge. Are you self-published?
L.E.: I am self-published, though I did publish my first series through a small press in the States originally. I’ve just bought my rights back to those and am in the middle of getting ready to relaunch them myself, actually.
JEN: Tell me more about leaving your small press. I have a dear friend who just bought her rights back to her nonfiction book and it was a huge burden off her shoulders to get control of her book back.
L.E.: So, totally the control thing! I wasn't happy with the editing or covers they were published with, either, in the end. When you start self-publishing and learning more about how everything works, it is hard to have control over some of your work and not others. For me, that was a lot of it. I wanted to have all my books accessible on KU and be in control of sales, etc. Plus, I was making so little off any sales. There will be an increase in profit from them, even if I only have a few sales or page reads a month. The press was lovely to work with, and it was a great learning experience. However, I prefer having a say in what happens with my books. Plus, it was a publisher in the States, and with tariffs and conversions, I couldn't afford to bring in author copies. This was my way of bringing my babies home, for sure.
JEN: Music or no music when you write?
L.E.: I listen to a pretty wide variety of music. Sometimes it is whatever my kids are subjecting me to in the car [laughs]. I love a song with gorgeous vocals. I don't listen to music when I write, usually—I find I get distracted, or the lyrics start bleeding into my work. Definitely prefer the quiet, which is rare in my house!
JEN: I can relate. What are your must-haves within arm’s reach when you’re deep in a writing session?
L.E.: Coffee [laughs]. I bet that is a common answer! It depends on the mood or where I am in my cycle. Chocolate or Miss Vickie chips!
JEN: Coffee is a very common answer, yes! Let’s talk themes—what do you keep coming back to in your stories, whether you mean to or not?
L.E.: I always tackle mental health issues in my books, and I often give them to my MMC. It's my way of trying to ease some of the stigma we still see around men and mental health. I try to make my guys real; they suffer, sometimes they cry, they're perfectly imperfect—just like in real life, with some embellishment once in a while. Insert lecherous wink here [both laugh].
JEN: Fair! Who are the writers, narrators, and creatives who make you stop what you’re doing and just soak it in?
L.E.: It is so hard to pick a favorite author! I love Christina Lauren, Katherine Center, Hannah Bonham-Young, and Abby Jimenez—they’re my auto-buy, don’t-even-bother-telling-me-what-the-book-is-about authors. I also have always loved Diana Gabaldon. Reading Outlander when I was about twenty years old was my lightbulb moment, when I thought, I want to do this!
I think a little piece of everything we read sort of works its way into our voice, or it gives us an idea of what we don't like and want to avoid. I love it when you read a certain book and the writing is so gorgeous, you just want to run and grab your laptop because you feel so inspired.
I listen to tons of audiobooks and definitely have narrators whom I look up to so I can see what else I can listen to from them. Thérèse Plummer—I always find it lovely to listen to her. Now I feel terrible because I'm drawing a blank on the names of others. The male narrator who did Lachlan in Leather and Lark could talk to me all day, every day, and I'd be fine with that!
JEN: Who’s in your creative circle?
L.E.: I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic group of author friends (shout out to the Beaver Tales and Shea West!). Watching so many badass women doing what they love and empowering each other is the best.
JEN: Beaver Tales?
L.E.: Beaver Tales is a small group of Canadian indie authors I’m part of. Some of us put out Heart’s Lock, Love’s Key this year, a Valentine’s Day anthology with proceeds going to The Period Purse. We have another one in the works for this winter!
JEN: Amazing—we’ll watch your social media for more about that! What else are you cooking up now—new projects?
L.E.: I will be relaunching my three-book series over the next few months! Other than that, I’ve got a ridiculous number of WIPs and hope to publish one or two this year. I also have a couple of short stories in upcoming anthologies, plus a shorter novel for an interconnected series. I am also in the process of planning a literary event with my writing partner AND opening a bookstore! We will see how it all shakes out [laughs].
JEN: You’re opening a bookstore? Wow!
L.E.: The bookstore hasn’t made an official announcement about it yet, as it happened very recently and quickly. But, September of this year, Enderby, B.C. will be getting a new little store! Being a mom takes up a great deal of my time, but I also work part-time at my local library, which is fantastic, and I love it!
JEN: How else does your family show up for your writing life?
L.E.: My husband Josh is my biggest supporter. Although he works away, when he is home, he always pushes me to take time to write and work on my projects. He and my kids proudly tell everyone about what I do!
JEN: If you could time-travel back to your baby-writer days, what advice would you whisper in your own ear?
L.E.: Keep learning from wherever you can, find people to work with and who will cheer you on, and don't be afraid to believe in yourself.
JEN: Anything else you want to shout from the rooftops before we wrap this thing up?
L.E.: Thank you so much for reaching out to me for this!
JEN: My absolute pleasure!
Y’all, you can find L.E. on IG and Threads @l.e.wagensveld, and on her website—where I promise you’ll see the CUTEST author logo ever. Go support her work, check out Second Chance on Sunrise Ranch, and mark your calendars for the Indieverse Awards. Voting runs Nov. 7–10, 2025—don’t miss your chance to show some love!
Are you a human author? A human who narrates audiobooks? A human who designs book covers? Or a human who does PR and promotion for other authors? I'd love to interview you, too. Let me know when you’re ready!
