Hi, I'm Elise—and The Chosen Is My Story Disguised as Fantasy

Rachel Elise
Apr 22, 2025
3 min read

Let’s get one thing out of the way: The Chosen isn’t just a book I wrote—it’s a full-blown emotional exorcism.

I started writing this story while I was deep in the middle of religious deconstruction, trying to make sense of everything I had been taught about purity, obedience, and what it meant to be “enough.” I was raised in a high-demand religion where your worth was measured by how well you fit the mold—and spoiler alert: I never did.

So I created Neoma. A fierce, messy, powerful girl who’s trying to survive in a system that constantly tells her she’s not good enough unless she breaks herself to fit in. Sound familiar?

Yeah… same.

Neoma is my heart, in fictional form

Neoma’s journey? It’s mine. Not in a “this-is-my-memoir” way (it’s still 98% fantasy, I promise), but in the “holy crap, that’s exactly how it feels” kind of way. Her doubts, her rage, her aching need for freedom? All ripped straight from the emotional chaos of leaving behind the version of me I was told I had to be.

Writing her story was like bleeding into the keyboard. Messy. Painful. But healing. And honestly? I wrote this book for people like me—for anyone who’s ever sat alone with a sinking feeling in their chest, wondering if they’re allowed to want more. If you’ve ever asked, “Is this all there is?” or “Why do I feel broken for wanting to feel whole?”—this one’s for you.

Fantasy = survival for me

I didn’t just want to vent—I wanted to create a world where someone like Neoma could fight back. Where magic is real, the system is corrupt, and the people who were always told they were powerless? They’re the ones with the real power.

Fantasy gave me the space to breathe, to scream into the void, and eventually to start rebuilding. If you're on your own deconstruction journey, or just want to escape into something that gets it, The Chosen is your soft place to land—with a side of rebellion and some very cute boys.

Also, yes, I have a D&D character named Neoma. I told you, I’m obsessed.

I’ve had a version of Neoma living in my brain since long before she hit the page. I even played her in a D&D campaign (shoutout to my fellow nerds). That’s how real she is to me. She’s my protector, my mirror, my middle finger to everything that tried to silence me.

So if you read this story and see a little bit of yourself in her, just know: that’s not an accident. She was created for you, too.