KATY EVANS INTERVIEW

About Katy Evans: 

Katy Evans is married and lives with her husband and their two children plus three lazy dogs in South Texas. Some of her favorite pastimes are hiking, reading, baking, and spending time with her friends and family. She is the author of the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling The REAL series: REAL, MINE, REMY, ROGUE, and RIPPED. For more information on Katy Evans visit her website KatyEvans.net, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter, @AuthorKatyEvans.

Is it possible to expose Chicago’s hottest player—without getting played?

This is the story I've been waiting for all my life, and its name is Malcolm Kyle Preston Logan Saint. Don’t be fooled by that last name though. There’s nothing holy about the man except the hell his parties raise. The hottest entrepreneur Chicago has ever known, he’s a man’s man with too much money to spend and too many women vying for his attention.

Mysterious. Privileged. Legendary. His entire life he’s been surrounded by the press as they dig for tidbits to see if his fairytale life is for real or all mirrors and social media lies. Since he hit the scene, his secrets have been his and his alone to keep. And that’s where I come in.

Assigned to investigate Saint and reveal his elusive personality, I’m determined to make him the story that will change my career.

But I never imagined he would change my life. Bit by bit, I start to wonder if I'm the one discovering him...or if he's uncovering me.

What happens when the man they call Saint, makes you want to sin?

Welcome to Between The Lines, Katy! Thank you for taking the time to answer some of my questions. I loved reading the Real series, and I look forward to reading your new series Manwhore!

Hey Alexa, thanks so much for having me today. Now I can't wait to hear what you think of Manwhore. I definitely hope you love it like I do!

What sorts of books did you read as a child? Were you a big reader? Do you think those book influenced your current writing style in any way?

I started reading Sweet Valley High books and later migrated into romance, mainly historical romances, which were big at the time. From that point forward I knew that I wanted to be a writer. By 15 I'd already started three books but didn't have the experience yet to finish them, so I kept starting and stopping until I began shorter projects and finally taught myself to finish. I do think that, consciously or subconsciously, the authors I love influence me, if not in style, simply in showing me what it is about a book that I loveeeeee. It is through them that I discovered what kind of hero made me swoon, what parts in a book made me feel most, what parts I wanted 'more' of. I have a deep abiding love for all the authors I enjoy and an immense gratitude to them for creating something that gave me so much joy.

Was writing always your goal for what you wanted to be when you were older?

Before I turned 12, I wanted to be a vet or a teacher. But when I turned 12 and discovered the Wakefield sisters and then picked up a romance, I never for a moment wanted to be anything else than a romance writer.

What does a typical work day look like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set daily goals?

I start as soon as I wake up, always with a cup of tea or coffee sitting next to my comfortable big chair inside my office. First I try to go through any emails or pressing things I need to do, then I write for a few hours straight, get lunch ready for the kids, and come back to my computer for another couple of hours during the afternoon. When I'm in the "flow" and can't pull away from the book, I may write 12 hours straight. My husband knows when I'm "there" because I'm completely spaced-out and unable to lift my eyes from my screen, and I love that he knows me so well, he takes lunch into his own hands and drives the kids wherever they need to go so that I don't miss the momentum. I'm truly lucky to be blessed with their support. As for goals, I usually put in my "time" - sometimes that gives me 20 pages or sometimes 2, but as long as I'm working on it, I feel happy.

What was it like for you when you published your very first novel?

It was nerve-wracking. Because I'd never done it before, I had to learn the art of finding a great formatter, cover designer, editor (which I did, God bless them!) and then learning to upload, set your vendor accounts with the ebook retailers, etc.  By the time the book was online the adrenaline spike I felt was so off-the-charts, I couldn't sleep or do anything but just go online and SEE my precious book up there for sale.

What was it like hitting the New York Times and USA Today best seller list?

Unbelievable. When I released Real in 2013, I truly wanted to share that book but had no idea that so many people would connect with it in the same way I did. When it hit the lists, I definitely found myself crying uncontrollably with my husband for about half an hour. The tears weren't simply because the book you love so much hit a list, but also because your book is being read, it is being enjoyed, and it's such a humbling feeling to be shown this kind of love and acceptance from your readers. Such a blessing to receive the kind of validation of hitting those very respected, very wonderful lists.

What’s on the up and coming for you as far as more books go?

MANWHORE +1! It's in the works and I can't wait to share more Malcolm and Rachel with the readers! :)

What is your favorite book? And why?

For some reason I always think of WHITNEY, MY LOVE by Judith McNaught when I'm asked. It's a book that's simply stayed with me. It made me laugh, cry, feel mad, sad, happy - it was a book where both hero and heroine won my heart and where the story just kept me flipping the pages. I absolutely love this story and Judith McNaught; everything she's ever written, I've read.

Do you have any advice for those people who are thinking about taking that step to releasing a novel?

Be persistent and stay positive, and most of all, be yourself; you are the one thing that nobody else is.

Now for some fun.

Hypothetically: You’re on a plane, preparing to take a much-deserved holiday. Both engines fail and you’re sent spiraling towards the ocean. You manage to make it to a small island with a small beach, and a huge, untouched by man, forest. Help is two years away. What two items do you have with you (that cannot signal for help. No cheating either, you can’t have a never-ending battery or anything like that) and how do they help you survive?

Oh wow, that's quite an adventure I've gotten myself into! Okay, so for sure, a knife and a bucket. A knife for killing my food and a bucket to gather rainwater. That, and lots of prayers should do.

In between writing, social media, promoting, and everything else that comes with being an author what do you do for fun?

I love baking with healthy ingredients. I also love long walks or hikes, taking pictures of my children, and going out for a drive with my husband. Simple things, really, but there is so much fun and happiness in those simple moments for me.

It seems like Boxer/MMA romances are pretty popular right now. What do you think makes fighter romances so irresistible?

There's something inherently sexy about a man who is driven and strong and can stand up to another man, equally driven and strong. Also, when you find an unexpected sweetness behind those tough exteriors of the fighter heroes, well...it's just swooning material right there!

Bipolar and Mental Illness in general is a subject that is now starting to be brought into the light. What made you write about a main character that has Bipolar disorder and was Remy that way in your mind or did he grow to have it as you were writing?

I've had personal experience with Mental Illness so it's a subject that's very dear to my heart. It's really tough to understand what kind of chemical reactions are going on in someone's head (someone with Mental Illness) that it's sometimes hard for your loved ones to see you go through this. It's even hard for you, yourself, to feel and watch yourself lose control when you really didn't mean to. I never really set out to write about Mental Illness but the moment I met Remy, he was just the way he is in the book. I knew exactly, in one second, who he was, what he wanted, and why he thought he'd never be worthy on that. This character is beyond meaningful to me.

What has the success with Real been like for you?

It's kept me on my toes, for sure. Whereas I used to write just for myself, now I really feel eager to share more with my readers and this keeps me working longer hours, eager so that I can do just that!

Are we going to get any more stories from the Real series?

Real #6 is in the brainstorming stages. I can't say a lot about it yet, but I'm hoping to let everyone know what it's about as soon as the characters and I make that connection where I know, exactly, what they want.

I know I’m super excited but how excited are you about your new series?

I haven't ever been this excited. Ever. I love this new series and it's such a blessing to be able to share it. I hope you love it like I do! :)

How is this series different from Real?

MANWHORE is a bit more modern, more focused on a normal girl living a normal, modern life, and finding love where she least expects it...and with a man who's never been known to love anyone at all!

Where did you get the idea for Manwhore?

In Chicago. I went to a book signing and one of my days there, I saw a glimpse of this billionaire playboy they were talking about on TV. That's where I met my "hero" and my manwhore story truly began.

Is there anything based on something that happened to you in this book?

I think that I put a little piece of me, or things I love, in every book - it doesn't necessarily mean that anything that happened in the book happened to me too, but the emotions triggered by those events and the things the characters feel are usually definitely things that I've felt before - not just me, but probably many other people have felt those same things too. 

I want to take a moment here to talk superheroes. Who is your favorite and why? And if you were a superhero, what would your power be, and what would your costume look like?

I love superheroes so I love them all, but I have a soft spot for IRON MAN. Oh, that man. Tony Stark has my heart. Snarky, bad ass, modern, he's the best. If I were a super hero, I'd love to be a shifter - I'd have wings one day, scales the other, a lot of hair the next. Hopefully I'd also have some powers with that and I'm not just a shifter to amuse myself, haha.

Your preferences:

Writing with or without music: With music.

Cats or Dogs: Dogs.

Spiders or Snakes: Spiders.

Vampire or Werewolf: Both!

Chocolate or Caramel: Chocolate. 

Top 5 Favorites:

Food: I love dark chocolate. It's an addiction.

80’s movies: The Breakfast Club.

Books: Anything I can get my hands on.

Songs: My song of the moment; currently its Peace by O.A.R. my theme song for MANWHORE and MANWHORE +1.

Dessert: Tiramisu. 

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! I can’t wait to read Manwhore and the series that comes along with it.

Thanks so much for having me over, Alexa, I also can't wait to share! XO

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