BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Wicked Night: A Warrior's Promise [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Evi Rhodes to talk about Wicked Night (27 November 2018, Tellwell Talent, 385 pages), a Paranormal romance/urban fantasy, book one in the A Warrior's Promise series.

"Loved it right from the beginning! The passion felt between the characters had me not wanting to put the book down. A definite must read!" ~ J. Moore, Goodreads reader

"Hooked me right from the beginning. Extremely well written and cannot wait to continue on with Wicked and Gwen's story." ~ Melonly Wise Meyer, Goodreads Reader

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Evi Rhodes; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

Here at BooksChatter we love music, so Evi Rhodes has shared with us her music playlist for Wicked Night - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for Wicked Night?

"I’m not sure what initially inspired the story Wicked Night. I had all these characters written down and simply started to write.

I had no idea where the story was going to take me at first, but as I wrote the image of what I wanted to portray and what I wanted to happen with the characters became clearer.

I really wanted to share a story where others could relate to one or more of the characters and at the same time not like other characters. To be able to invoke emotion is important to me and I feel that I’ve managed to accomplish that."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Quite a bit of myself is in this book. I prefer to write based on experiences that I personally had happen to me or that I have tried doing, but I also draw on those around me. Friends, family and acquaintances all have stories to share and being able to interact with a strong A type personality for example, gives you valuable information when writing what a similar character would say or do.

I have worked at many different jobs over the years which gives me great insight not only into the job itself but also putting me in direct contact with people from all walks of life.

As for personality, I feel that there is a little of me in every single one of my characters and I wouldn’t want it any other way as it allows me to connect with their personal story more easily."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Wicked Night - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"My artist is Martin from Tellwell publishing.

As for concept, I wanted my cover to be sexy and suggestive yet simple. I wanted the colour of the characters eyes to take prominence with the grey scale being front and centre which in my opinion gave the book a mysterious aura. I also wanted our main character, Gwen, to be partially shrouded so that the reader could still picture her how they want without the cover image stuck in their heads.

I personally love covers that don’t show an entire face or body leaving much of the visualization to my imagination."

Why should we read Wicked Night and the A Warrior's Promise" series; what sets it apart from the rest?

"What makes this book/series different is that it’s truly a journey you are experiencing with the main characters.

Although each novel has an arc to it, by the end of each you should be left craving to see what will happen next with each of the characters just like you do when you watch your favourite TV series. You have ups, downs, challenges and passion with your characters each week for that one hour and I wanted the readers of this series to feel the same way. I do realize this is unconventional and is not going to be received well by everyone, but it is different, fresh and if anyone is looking for a series that spans many novels and has twists and turns in every book then this is a series you will love."

Can you tell us something quirky about Wicked Night, its story and characters?

"I’m not sure if this is quirky, but the book was originally going to take place in Europe, maybe London or Edinburgh. I lived in the U.K for a year and loved every second of it, but in the end I decided to write this story in NY State. There is a really good chance that one of the books in the series will take place somewhere in the U.K, we have some really intriguing characters that will be joining the main cast as we continue on, so you just never know.

The only other quirky thing I tend to do is that I’m not able to write a single page unless I have a coffee in hand and my work space set-up the exact same way every time. Even if I’m out at a coffee shop and want to type, I like to face a particular direction and have to put my notepads and pens on the table the same way I would if I was home. I also love to listen to music, and whenever I have a fight scene or a romantic scene etc… there are certain songs I absolutely must listen to, they just get the right creative juices flowing."

Who would you recommend Wicked Night to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"This book is recommended for anyone over the age of twenty. It has been read by both women and men and it has had positive feedback from both.

A few warnings I would share are foul language, sexual scenes and the characters may say and do things that will annoy you because not one of these characters are perfect and all have growing to do."

If you could / wished to turn Wicked Night and the A Warrior's Promise series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Theo James as Wicked

Halsey as Gwen

Ryan Reynolds as Craze

Jared Leto as Kayden

Adam Gregory as Hauk

Adriana Lima as Ice

Lestate as the Dark Prince

Rick Malambri as Damian

Zac Efron as Mike

Christopher Nolan Director

New York City and Catskills NY for Location"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"So far I have tended to stick with paranormal romance but have dabbled with ideas for a historical fiction book as well as thriller."

What is your writing process?

"I am a bit of a free spirited writer. I have a generic outline of what I want to have happen but usually no more. I do however have my characters very well conceptualized, and know where I want them to start emotionally and where I want their story to finish, but the rest of the story is all flow.

I let the characters tell me what should happen next. I ask myself what would this character do next if this was real life? What would they say next?

I found that if I created a formal timeline my writing became too mechanical and didn’t have the same connection with the characters lifelike and unpredictable natures. I’m constantly asked if this is confusing and hard to keep everything straight, and yes it can be, but for the most part as a writer when I am in my book, I naturally become my characters and just remember what happens to them as if it were my own life. Just don’t ask me to remember meetings and appointments for myself, that’s what my phone calendar is for ;)"

What is in store next?

"Wicked Night is the very beginning of a journey that will span multiple books, there is no one-and-done with this series.

Unusual Night, the second book in A Warrior’s Promise Series, is already available and it is a fast-paced book that has a lot of action and invokes a lot of emotion which will take the reader on a wild ride. It also touches on a unique romantic situation and a couple very serious topics. You will see growth in all our characters as they go through experiences that will test their basic natures and force them to adapt.

The third book in the Series, Orion’s Night, focuses mostly on the warrior Orion and his story, but we still get to follow the main characters on their journey and have the opportunity to see what is going on in the world around them from a different POV. For all those that have picked a character they love that is not Gwen or Wicked, you can breathe a sigh of relief because there is a good chance that there will be a book dedicated just to them."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Here is a picture of me with my puppy Ramsay, my animals are my heart!"

Lovely picture! Hello gorgeous Ramsay; lots of head-scratches and belly-rubs to you from all of us at BooksChatter!

Evi, thank you for sharing Ramsay with us; we hope you are having a great tour.

Will it end passionately or burn down around them?