Welcome to my Third Act

Act 1

Teacher

My first career was imparting geographic wisdom on students' minds to explore the world around them to be better citizens of earth. 

Act 2

Inventor/Entrepreneur/Advisor

My second career came in the form of an invention idea that I patented and turned into a successful business. But running a business is not always creative, so I turned back to my real passion - helping others learn, by becoming an advisor/mentor to other inventors and entrepreneurs. 

Act 3

Author

Following my creative roots, I am back to writing. This time in Women's Fiction. Building stories where reality, virtual worlds & near future live together. Love, Suspense, & Thrills exploring the promise and peril of the Web 3.0 world. 


Why am I writing fiction at the intersection of romance and technology?

One day, I looked over at my daughter playing Roblox, and it hit me hard – the technologies that I have learned and adapted to over the last decade are so ingrained in her that she’ll never know a world without their influence. She is already living in this new Web 3.0 world I keep hearing about.  I see her playing Roblox and using their currency to buy things, dressing her avatars in cute clothes, interacting with the video camera easily, treating AIs like Alexa as friends, and so on.  I realized I didn’t want to become irrelevant to her as our world diverges into those who live with technology vs those who merely adapt to it.  As a mom, I want to know enough about these technologies that I don’t have to pretend to know what it is when my kid asks.  

I know many other parents, grandparents, guardians, and more feel the same way - so why not write a fun, thrilling, suspenseful story that educates? While these books have elements of near-future speculative fiction about these technologies, the descriptions are designed to break down the complexities into easy-to-understand ideas that help build a foundation of knowledge, providing basic digital literacy to the reader.

The future is uncertain, and these new technologies hold a lot of promise and fear.  What better way to explore them and learn how they can improve our lives than through stories with a guaranteed HEA? Follow me to where the Cyber Angel heroes of our stories find the love and support that makes the journey of life worthwhile. 


I hope you enjoy these works - I really look forward to hearing from you!

For those who like to know...

Here is my official bio

Elle Merriam’s career is as rich and varied as a well-traveled suitcase—a perfect analogy for a woman who started her career path in Geography. After earning her M.A. in the frigid yet beautiful splendor of Wyoming, she moved to the dry deserts of Arizona to continue her journey teaching Geography and map-making in higher education.  

After a move back to the lush greenery of the Northwest, she transitioned from the world of maps to the maze of entrepreneurship. A little idea for how to solve a universal wardrobe woe turned into a thriving business, proving that the best ideas often come from solving those little everyday 'oops' moments. Her knack for innovation and insatiable desire to help others meant another shift in careers, this time away from running a business to mentoring others who wanted to follow their own ideas on a path to entrepreneurship.

Because the entrepreneurial mind never sits still, she’s on another shift in careers. This time, she’s swapping business plans for plotlines. Picking up the pen as an author, she works to weave her experiences into entertaining stories. Her writing isn't just about crafting tales; it's about connecting the dots between technology and humanity, inspired by her own journey and the fast-paced digital world she's navigating with her family. Her debut novel, “A Token Of My Affection,” paves the way for a series that intertwines the thrill of romance, suspense, and the technological evolution happening around us with powerful storytelling.  

Nestled in the Pacific Northwest, Elle is surrounded by her super supportive family, including her husband, daughter, and two less supportive cats.  Her first career love lives on as she continues to embrace a geographically diverse life, always exploring new places. Elle Merriam's career is a testament to her entrepreneurial spirit and the continuous pursuit of knowledge (useful or not), which she happily shares with anyone who will listen.