Featured Interview With LJ Evans
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a little town in Northern California called Kelseyville. My big sister and I used to write all the time. Sometimes together, sometimes in competition. We used to write soap operas and record them (with all the voices) on our own tape decks.
Now I live in the Central Valley of California with my husband and our 3 crazy cats. Our college aged daughter comes home occasionally, but we miss her. The cats often try to stop me from writing, and one of them is routinely trying to edit my work by stepping on my keyboard.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started reading and writing really young. My first grade teacher used to put me in the classroom library by myself with a stack of books. I fell in love with Dorrie the Witch by Patricia Coombs and Nancy Drew novels, but I soon branched out into a variety of genres including fantasy, historical romance, and dark suspense. I wrote my first novel in 6th grade. It was a fan fiction about John Schnieder from Dukes of Hazard – before fan fiction became popular.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read a wide variety of genres and books, but I find that I one-click anything by Amy Harmon, Jessica Park, CJ Archer, and JoJo Moyes. I gravitate to stories that have a touch of romance, because I’m a huge believer in fairy tales come to life, but I also like to shake it up with suspense, mystery, and fantasy. The people that have inspired my writing are those authors who made the indie author community come to life and write Young Adult / New Adult books like Amy Harmon, Jamie McGuire, Colleen Hoover, and Jessica Park.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book was inspired by the old Taylor Swift songs. My daughter and I have been fans of hers since she first started putting out music. We were going to her Red concert and had her songs on repeat in the car. Slowly, a whole novel emerged in my head surrounding many of those songs. I’m also a teacher, and Cam was inspired by a student I had at the time who was all tomboy and never could sit still. That student made you a huge mark on my heart.
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