Fatal Courage by Misty Evans

By Karen Harper

I was thrilled for the opportunity to interview Misty Evans since we both write romantic/suspense—though she’s actually been published in three genres instead of two.  Plus, she has one of the most diverse “real life” challenges in balancing other interests with her writing career.

Yoga teacher, writing coach, and mother, Evans’ heroines can’t possibly live a more exciting life than she does, can they? Well, maybe. In this interview for The Big Thrill, she talks about the challenges of writing a series, publishing in multiple genres, and what inspired her new release, FATAL COURAGE.

Please tell us what FATAL COURAGE is about.

In twenty-one missions, CIA golden girl Ruby McKellen has failed only once, thanks to Navy SEAL Jaxon Sloan, the man who stole her heart and forced her to choose between him and her partner. To prove her partner’s innocence and save her damaged career, Ruby is running an unsanctioned mission—and the only way to get the proof she needs is to go to Jax for help.

FATAL COURAGE is book #3 in your Shadow Force International Series.  Can you give us the framework of this series? What is Shadow Force, and do your main characters change or continue?

Shadow Force International is a group of former SEALs, abandoned by the U.S. and labeled as rogue operatives, who now work as a black ops team performing private intelligence, security, and paramilitary missions for those who have nowhere else to turn.

The hero and heroine in each story change, but fans love to see some of the previous characters come back for page time as well. The woman who runs SFI is a unique character and she appears in every book. She and her husband were the hero and heroine in my SCVC Taskforce series novel, Deadly Force, and because readers wanted more of them, I created a whole new series where they run the show.

The cover of FATAL COURAGE has a lighted night skyline of Chicago.  Do your locations change with each book?

For the SFI series, yes. Washington, D.C., San Diego, Romania, and Chicago so far have been settings.

You also write urban fantasy and paranormal romance.  Do you have a favorite?  Is one genre more challenging than the other?

I enjoy them all. RS is a bit more challenging because it requires a lot of research to get accurate details for characters, weapons, politics, etc. With paranormal and urban fantasy, I can let my imagination run wild.

You are a writing coach with degrees in both English and marketing.  That sounds like a great combination for a writing career.  How do those mesh for you in your own career and in helping others with their writing?

Being a successful published author takes more than putting words on a page. My marketing background has helped me immensely with the business side of things. Experience in the business world writing for several corporations, as well as non-profits, taught me to boil down stories to their essence—a great skill to have for fiction as well.

With family obligations, twin sons, and a demanding “real life,” can you give other writers advice on how to budget writing time?

Lots of coffee and yoga! I plan out my writing schedule up to 18 months in advance and break everything down by month, week, and day. I always have the next scene or two in my head when I sit down to write, and I outline stories ahead of time. Occasionally, my characters take me off track, much like real life can do, but I’ve learned when to go with it and when to pull back and get them on track again. I line up editors, cover artists, and formatters months ahead of time as well, which having a schedule helps with. As a yoga teacher, writing coach, and mom, I have to be organized and also know how and when to go with the flow. People are the most important element in my life—family, friends, readers. While it’s not always easy to find balance between work and family, it’s absolutely necessary. I’m blessed to have supportive people in my life who help keep me balanced.

What are you working on next?

I always have multiple stories in the pipeline, so currently, I’m working on the next Justice Team book with my co-author Adrienne Giordano, as well as the next SFI story, and another novel in my urban fantasy series. I love writing! By the end of this year, I’ll have 40 stories published. It’s good to be a fiction author.

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USA TODAY Bestselling Author Misty Evans has published nearly forty novels and writes romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. She got her start writing in 4th grade when she won second place in a school writing contest with an essay about her dad. Since then, she’s written nonfiction magazine articles, started her own coaching business, become a yoga teacher, and raised twin boys on top of enjoying her fiction career.

Misty likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her supernatural characters dressed in couture. When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, movies, and hanging out with her husband, twin sons, and two spoiled puppies. A registered yoga teacher, she shares her love of chakra yoga and energy healing, but still hasn’t mastered levitating. Get your free Super Agent story and sign up for her newsletter at www.ReadMistyEvans.com. Like her author page on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Bloggers and reviewers, if you’d like to join Misty’s Rockin’ Readers review group, send her a message at misty@readmistyevans.com and she’ll hook you up!