Emily Evans - When a Texas Teen Switches Places With a Hollywood Actress
Emily holds an MFA in Creative Writing from American College Dublin and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University. As our Author of the Day, Evans tells us about her book, Famously Switched.
Please give us a short introduction to what Famously Switched is about.
When a Texas teen switches places with her Hollywood actress look-alike, her dating life changes from a delicious disaster to a dazzling love with hot a Hollywood Star in this captivating new YA romance.
What inspired you to write about a Texas teen who switches places with a Hollywood actress?
I’m a sucker for the look-alikes switching places trope and wanted an epic switch.
Tell us more about Chloe Travis. What makes her tick?
Love of family and love of Texas.
Was there a single defining moment or event where you suddenly thought, 'Now I'm an Author,' as in—this is now my career?"
Multiple wonderful moments:
When I typed, “The End,” completing my first draft.
Ties with
My first 10k month. I thought, this is larger than any previous corporate bonus, its financially feasible.
and
An early review from a reader who liked the work – who got my sense of humor.
then
Quitting the day job to travel Europe and finish my master’s degree
Lastly,
I’m leaving this one open in hopes for an amazing future fifth thing
Love the cover of this book - how did it come about?
Thanks! The image inspired me – a metaphor and a pop of color – love it! I purchased the rights and turned the process over to a graphic designer who developed the cover art. My bestselling cover cost $100. One of my worst $1000. You never know.
Readers say that, although the plot itself might be a bit far-fetched, you made the story and characters very believable. How did you pull this off?
Thanks! I polished off my psych degree and analyzed the characters. And, for the writers out there, one screenplay trick I picked up was to simply have the characters acknowledge the out-there factor to make their reactions real.
Do any of your characters take off on their own tangent and refuse to do what you had planned for them?
Yep, and they get to win.
Talk to us about your writing routine; what’s a typical writing day for you?
Currently, I’m big on plotting with sticky notes on the coffee table, audio-inputting snippets, and then revising like mad.
What are you working on right now?
Suddenly Sage – the book which takes off from the end of Famously Switched and tells the tale of the look-alike.
