 I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely and talented Evelyn Montgomery on Instagram among many of the indie romance authors in that supportive writing/reading community. We connected easily and as soon as I read the blurb for her book Indecision, I knew it was going to be right up my alley- Firefighter southern gent and a strong Cali girl writer, what’s not to love about that? After I read it, I had to know what inspired her to write it. Here’s what she had to say: Me: Hi Evelyn, tell me a little about yourself? When did you know you were going to be a writer? Evelyn: I’m a Southern California girl, who grew up in Northern California before moving to Central Kentucky almost three years ago. I knew at a very young age I wanted to be a writer. To be honest, it has always been with me before I could even write words. I would scribble down what I thought was a book on several pieces of paper and staple them together, very proud of what I created. I was probably about 4 years old. Me: Aww, how cute is that! I love it! So, what inspired you to write Indecision? Evelyn: Indecision is sort of an autobiography in some ways. In a lot of ways it is not, but there are very similar mirrored situations in the book that took place in real life. I am a journalist. I was born in Orange County. My family still lives in Huntington Beach and I always wanted to move back there. A lot of the characters have traits from friends I call family in my life, but for the most part are made up. I wanted to tell the struggle of a woman having to give up her dreams for something she did not expect. I guess in a lot of ways like I feel I gave up mine. Don’t get me wrong though, I am happy here in Central Kentucky. But Cali will always be home. Me: Awww, it’s such a beautiful location for this book, I’ve always wanted to go there. Why did you choose this setting for your book? Evelyn: I grew up there for 34 years. It was all I knew before moving to the South. I wanted to write about what I knew. The great places I have visited and the places I called home. Me: I love it!! Now, how many books are in the Kismet series? Evelyn: Three. The fourth is in production. ;) Me: Awesome! I’m excited to read Reckless soon. So, which character in the collection is your favorite? Why? Evelyn: Before I started writing my current work in progress, I would say Rex. He is the man candy in book 3. But now, I am falling in love with Jolene and Troy in book 4 and can’t wait for others to fall in love with them too. Me: Aww, yaayyy. From the teasers I’ve seen I can understand that ;-) Now, did anyone in real life inspire your characters? Noah? Evelyn? Rex? Gwen? Evelyn: Noah is completely made up. Not one person inspired him. I wanted to create my own version of a southern dream, and so he was created. Lol Evelyn takes part of my personality, but she is A LOT her own too. Gwen is me mixed with a lot of my longtime best girlfriends. Rex, lol, he’s everyone's favorite guy friend and the man most women drool over but know they can never tame. I created him with that mindset, and that is for sure how he turned out. Me: Haha, yes! Understood! So, what are you working on now? Evelyn: Deliverance - A military romance due out this fall. I am hoping early October if not sooner. It is the story of Jolene, Noah’s sister, and Troy Young. Me: I can’t wait!!! Tell us a little about your writing process? Evelyn: For Indecision and Devotion - I did not plan. I just wrote as the story flowed out of me. For Reckless, I plan and plotted for the first time. I can honestly say I think that made the book take longer to write. For Deliverance, I am going back to the way I naturally am - realizing I am not a planner or plotter. So far the story is flowing well and i don’t feel trapped in a plotted box like I did with book 3. Me: LOL! Yeah, I’m not much of a plotter myself so I completely understand that! What drew you to the romance genre? Evelyn: I am a woman who loves a good love story. Enough said. ;) Me: Haha! I’ll drink to that ;-) Who are your favorite authors/books? Evelyn: My all time favorite is F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby. Some Contemporary Romance authors I like are: K. Broomberg, Adrianna Locke, Corrine Michaels, Britney Cherry and Melanie Harlow. Me: I guessed as much when I read about Gatsbys ;-) Now, what do you personally love about writing? Evelyn: Creating worlds. I love the feeling I get from starting and not knowing what is going to come out, and later standing back and thinking- Oh my, did I write that? The feedback from readers is amazing too. I have met some amazing faithful readers and some awesome author friends since starting my indie author journey. Me: Agreed 100%. So, what are you looking forward to in 2019? Evelyn: My first book signing. Finishing Deliverance. Making new author friends and talking with readers who enjoy what I have written. Me: The signing is going to be awesome! I can’t wait!! I wish you all the best, Eve. And I look forward to meeting you face to face in October. It’s so amazing to be on this great writing journey and have so many supportive and awesome women by my side. Grab Evelyn’s Kismet series, now available on Amazon. Evelyn Montgomery is a Southern California girl now embracing her southern roots in Central Kentucky. She is the author if The Kismet Series, available on Amazon. Her novels take you from the West Coast to the deep South. When she is not writing, she works as a journalist and editor of a community newspaper. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three children - Ava, Sophia and Logan - and her husband, Jason. Shanna Swenson, author of the Abundance seriesShanna enjoys good books that thrill, chill and warm her heart...and supporting her fellow indie authors, like Evelyn Montgomery Categories All
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