Evangeline, thank you for taking the time to tell us about your writing and your new book. How long have you been writing?
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
When I was a kid and people would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d tell them I wanted to be a writer. I always loved reading books and telling stories. My grandma kept a folder of all the stories I wrote for her and my grandpa, and it’s fun to look back on a few and laugh. As I grew older, my interests changed to working with children and teens but that desire to write one day never went away.
How do you come up with your ideas for stories?
For some reason, my best ideas come to me when I’m in the shower or doing a chore around the house. Other times, I’ll think of ideas while listening to a song or hearing about a real life situation in the news. I keep these ideas in a journal and when it’s time for me to write a new book, I take them out and see which ones I can develop further.
Have you had any other careers besides writing?
I worked at a group home for emotionally disturbed teenagers for two years and then I became a social worker for a private foster care agency. I worked in foster care for almost twenty years and although I loved the job, I decided to take a break so I could pursue my dream of writing full time.
Let’s talk more about your new release, The Unwanted Assistant. Tell me about it:
I’m so excited to finally be in the position to release The Unwanted Assistant. I wrote the book over a year ago but held onto it so I could submit chapters to Critique Circle, a group that provides beta reading on a chapter-by-chapter basis. I had so much fun getting feedback and connecting with other authors. These characters have been in my head for so long now that they feel like old friends.
Give us a Synopsis for the book:
Billionaire Sawyer Drake made it abundantly obvious he didn’t want an assistant. Traumatized by a fatal accident, he stayed to himself, shunned human contact, and would rather die than open up to another person—much less a beautiful college woman. His inner wounds ran deeper than the scars on his face.
When Ivy Wolfe ran away to Alabama to nurse a broken heart, the last thing she expected was to fall in love again. She needed a job to support her college expenses, and even though the salary for an assistant position in the home of a billionaire appeared too good to be true, she ignored the red flags and charged ahead.
With insecurities of her own to overcome, she found working for a self-absorbed recluse much harder than she anticipated. Determined to get through to Sawyer, Ivy wrote a letter that would change the course of their relationship.
But finding love with Sawyer was like playing with fire. Would she regret the day she hired on as his assistant? Or would she find the love of her life?
What was the inspiration behind this story?
I’ve always enjoyed Beauty and the Beast and wanted to write a contemporary story with a similar theme. I got my master’s degree at the University of Alabama and was struck by how beautiful the campus is, so I used Alabama as the setting. I love character-driven stories and I strove to make this one a journey that involved the transformation of two broken people.
Tell us about your main characters:
The hero in my book is Sawyer Drake. He’s a billionaire who owns luxury hotels in exotic places around the world. The catch is that he’s never visited any of those places because he refuses to travel—or be around people. He has burn scars on his face that have kept him from interacting with others, and he experiences a lot of guilt from a fatal accident that led to his family’s death.
Ivy Wolfe is the heroine. She left California after a bad breakup, but she came to Alabama with limited funds. She grew up without a lot of resources and desperately needs a job. She’s thrust into this position of assisting Sawyer, only she doesn’t know how to get through to someone like him. After all, she’s a math major and has no knowledge of what to do with someone who has experienced a tragedy. Both of them have inner wounds they have to battle in order to get their happily ever after.
Which is your favorite minor character and why?
That’s hard to say, but I would go with Hayden Jeffries, Sawyer’s long-time friend and the man he put in charge over his hotel empire. He’s kind, compassionate, and full of wisdom and life experience. I had beta readers tell me he was their favorite because of his patience and comical responses to Sawyer.
Please share a few favorite lines or one paragraph:
From Sawyer: He stepped closer and leaned down so we were face-to-face. Honey brown eyes, striking and beautiful, blazed with a ferocity that sent shivers all the way down my spine. “First of all, don’t forget you and I are not friends, not even close.” His deep voice, purposeful and lethal, delivered a warning. “There are times I can be moody. On those occasions, don’t try to cheer me up and don’t give unsolicited advice. I’m accustomed to life the way it is and the last thing I need is a silly girl thinking she can make things better for me. Are we clear?”
From Ivy: I laughed at the absurdity of the situation. If someone had told me a year ago, I’d be standing in a southern-style mansion in the good ol’ state of Alabama, getting paid for doing nothing while putting up with a snarky man, wearing combat boots of all things, I’d have said that person was crazy. Yet here I stood.
Of all the books out there, why should readers choose this one?
This book isn’t just a romance. It shows how two people have to battle their inner wounds and grow and stretch in ways that seem impossible at times. Because my faith in God is important to me as a Christian, I wanted to incorporate the theme of God’s sovereignty over the trials in our lives, and how dependence on Him is key to healing.
Let’s shift gears and talk more about your writing. What is your favorite music to listen to while writing?
I don’t generally listen to music while I write, but I have been inspired by music when it comes to ideas and descriptions. I like Brian Crain’s music a lot and it came into play with this latest book. I don’t want to say too much because one of his songs is instrumental in The Unwanted Assistant.
What is one of your favorite/go-to writing resources?
I have taken several of her writing courses and of all the courses I have taken, they are my favorite. In her plotting and character arc courses she gives a lot of practical examples and actually takes you through an outline and character arc using different examples.
What other project are you working on now?
I was recently invited to be a part of the Lawkeepers series. This is a multi-author series featuring a mix of historical and current day men of the law. Each author publishes on a schedule so that a new book will be released every 2-4 weeks. I am currently working on a novella for the series about a K-9 officer finding love. You can find this series at: www.amazon.com/The-Lawkeepers
Have you always liked to write?
Yes, I have always enjoyed writing, and the more I learn and grow, the more I like putting to use new skills.
At what moment did you feel like you could say, “NOW, I'm an author?”
Probably after I published the two novellas in the Santa Clarita Love Stories series.
Do you write/read every single day?
I definitely read every day because it’s a joy to escape into a well written book, and I’ve always said that a good book is much better than t.v. any day of the year! I don’t necessarily write every day. It depends on where I’m at in the writing process for a book. When I’m brainstorming and outlining, I stick to that task until I’m done. The same goes for editing.
What book are you currently reading?
I am currently reading, AccidentallyMarried by Victorine E. Lieske. Because I used to do a lot of driving for my job, I have an audible account. I am currently listening to Brooke St. James’ book, So Much for Boundaries. I have several books on my to-read list including, The Man in the Yellow Jaguar, and Francine River’s book, The Masterpiece.
Hey! I love everything by Victorine Lieske! She’s one of my favorite authors! I particularly love the author of The Manin the Yellow Jaguar, since, ya know, she’s me! I crack myself up. But seriously, Evangeline, thank you for joining us today and for sharing your stories and your writing experience! -Julie L. Spencer
Follow Evangeline Kelly on social media:
Twitter account: @Evangelinebooks
Website and/or Blog: www.bookschristianromance.com.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Evangeline-Kelly
Goodreads Profile: www.goodreads.com/author/Evangeline_Kelly
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/EvangelineKellyAuthor
Pinterest Page: www.pinterest.com/evangelineromancebooks
To receive a free copy of Evangeline’s book, Matchmaker, join her mailing list by clicking this link.
Evangeline Kelly is the pen name I use to write contemporary Christian romance books. I married my husband (my perfect bad boy hero) in my early forties, so I understand the longings of a single woman desiring love, as well as the contentment and sweetness of marriage.
When I was a kid, I had two dreams. One was to work with at risk youth and the other was to write books. After pursuing my passion of working with foster children for over twenty years, I finally decided to pursue my childhood dream of writing.
When I was a kid, I had two dreams. One was to work with at risk youth and the other was to write books. After pursuing my passion of working with foster children for over twenty years, I finally decided to pursue my childhood dream of writing.
I’ve witnessed suffering in my line of work, but I’ve also witnessed God’s redeeming love. A good Christian romance features both hardship and delight. My hope is that my stories not only entertain, but encourage, and most of all, that they bring glory and honor to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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