Interview: Katy Evans, author of 'Real'

Katy Evans hangs out with HEA today to talk about her runaway best-seller Real, which started life as an indie-published book before it was snapped up by a New York publisher. She shares with us how she lived, breathed and ate Real when she was writing it and what readers can expect to see from her next.

Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Katy! Real stars a boxer, Remy, who competes in the dangerous underground fighting circuit. So the question is … do you prefer good guys or bad boys?

Katy: Thank you so much for having me over, it's such a pleasure to be here. Oh, I absolutely love bad boys. 100% of the time.

Joyce: You and me both!

Do you have experience in boxing, or did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Katy: I'm a lover of all things athletic, and I love exercising, so I do have some boxing experience. I'm not even good at it, but I'm a team player, and it was all for the good of the story. So, in true Team Remy spirit, I boxed once or twice a week while plotting Real, and I sprinted once a week (to be fair to Brooke, my ex-Olympic sprinter heroine), and I had a blast!

Joyce: I hope you don't write any books that involve murderers. : )

You originally indie-published Real and hit both the Paste BN and New York Times best-seller lists. Why, then, did you decide to sell the book to a traditional publisher? (Congrats on that, by the way!)

Katy: Thank you so much. I still can't believe how many people have discovered Real and have fallen in love with Brooke and Remy like I have. I loved everything about being indie published. I loved having control over my books and characters, over every single decision, and I love the Indie world I was born into. But with hitting the lists, Real received a lot of attention from both agents and publishers, and I started wondering how many people had yet to meet Brooke and Remy and could meet them if Real had the opportunity to be placed in a traditional bookstore. Ultimately, I didn't want to wonder, and I decided to give this series, that I love so much, the opportunity to grow. So far, I've been very pleased with the decision and am very grateful to both my agent and Gallery Books for being a genuinely great team to work with.

Joyce: Your November release, Mine, is starting off as a traditionally published book. Was it a tough decision to go that route right away rather than putting it out there as an indie-pubbed book first?

Katy: It was definitely difficult, especially when you have a bit of OCD like I do and want to be on top of every single thing. I know, though, that if I hadn't found the right publisher who shared my vision, I'd have probably stayed indie. But Gallery Books has truly been phenomenal. They're as excited about the series as I am and from my publisher Jennifer Bergstrom, my editor Adam Wilson, Lauren McKenna, the copy editors, the art department, and PR experts Jules and Kristen, I've been beyond happy to have a team willing and determined to get these books to the most readers possible in the least amount of time possible. I absolutely can't wait for Mine's release in November. : )

Joyce: Rumor has it you love to bake. What's your specialty?

Katy: I seem to make some dangerously good almond flour muffins. The reason I stick to almond flour is due to having a host of annoying little health issues. My body doesn't agree with dairy, and it doesn't seem to like gluten either, and because my health deteriorates so much when I indulge in these, I try to bake dairy-free, gluten-free recipes, which means my pancakes are made out of almond flour, too. : )

Joyce: Please tell us more about Real.

Katy: Real was an experience for me. It began with … him. Remington Tate. A fighter, with inner demons, and one who never really expected to find … Brooke. So when he sees her, he just knows it's HER. And follows a really captivating story where I felt like they just open themselves to each other, and I just got to watch it all. Real is very special to me. From the moment the idea was born, I could not stop writing. For 21 days, that was all I did. I lived Real, breathed Real, ate and slept Real. My friends who missed me couldn't understand why I wouldn't get in touch, until they read Real and kept coming back telling me they could not put the book down. I thankfully got to tell them, "See?! I could not leave it either!" I could not stop writing Real or spending time with Brooke and Remy. Real was consuming and so was Mine.

Joyce: What else can readers expect to see from you next, other than Mine?

Katy: I just finished writing Remy, which is a shorter book, all in Remington's POV. It's a retelling of parts of Real, along with some present-day scenes. I admit I find it fascinating to be in his head, and I hope readers love this story like I do.

After Remy, we'll be releasing Raw, which is a full-length novel and is Melanie's story, Brooke's best friend. I can't wait to share it either.

Joyce: Is there anything you'd like to add?

Katy: Thank you for having me. And yes! I really want to thank all my readers, all the bloggers, and everyone who has taken the time to pick up Real and read it. Some of you have loved it as fiercely as I do, and maybe some have not, but you still take a moment out of your lives to spend your time reading my stories, so a big, heartfelt thank-you to you all.

Joyce: Thanks, Katy!

To find out more about Katy and her books, visit www.katyevans.net. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter (@authorkatyevans).

HEA curator Joyce Lamb has 25 years of journalism experience and eight published romantic suspense novels, three of which have been RITA finalists. You can reach her at jlamb@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter (@JoyceLamb). You can also follow HEA on Twitter (@HEAusatoday).