Ella M. B. Smith is a 19-year old New Zealand-based self-published author, celebrating the launch of her debut novel, Kiss Me if You’re Scared. This book was born before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and developed as Ella balanced multiple lock-downs, high school, and finally moving from Auckland to Wellington for university, where it was put into print. Kiss Me if You’re Scared has been in the works for 4 years, and seen Ella through high school and uni, pink hair dye and a tattoo, and gotten her readers and supporters around the world. It’s helped Ella grow into herself and the world, and she hopes it does the same for others. Kiss Me if You’re Scared is more than just a novel about queer magic teenagers solving a murder, it’s also a book about learning to breathe. Ella hopes her supporters find themselves in the pages and never stop finding magic in the ordinary.