Q: How did you get into fantasy?
It didn’t really take any thought, it’s where I naturally started writing to be honest. It brings together my love of myths, magic, and mayhem! I write Urban Fantasy specifically because I love the idea of the supernatural being right there, in the shadows, and just around the next corner. It’s such a fun concept, that if you look in the right place at the right time you’ll fall into this whole hidden world.

Q: What is your latest fantasy release?  I’m not sure if Ink Bound counts as it’s up for pre-order rather than live, so either that or Blood & Ink – both books in my Ink Born series. That follows Dacian the gay tattoo magician. I can’t really say too much about either of them as they’re books two and three, and thus have spoilers. They’re set in what I call my Ink world, which is a huge fantasy kitchen sink. It has over twenty types of magic, and every magical creature and being I can think of. It’s such amazing fun to play in, and I love the Ink Born characters.

Q: What inspired you to write your first fantasy book? How long did it take?
My first fantasy book is a trunk novel that will never see the light of day, it was awful! It started with an image I had of the protagonist on the run from her past, and her past was catching up with her. Everything built up around that opening image. I wrote 120,000 words in 6 weeks.

My first published fantasy is Infernal Bonds, which is book 2 of the Infernal Hunt series, but it’s the first full novel in the series. That came from my desire to write about twins and the amazing bond between them. I wanted to write a book with strong platonic bonds, with an amazing female friendship, and family both blood and chosen. Oh and a sexy hellhound, I wanted one of those too! It took me about a month to write, I write reasonably quickly.

Q: What makes your book(s)/series stand out?

The Infernal Hunt series is set in Prague, there aren’t many Urban Fantasies set there. The Ink Born series has a gay protagonist who’s a tattoo magician. As far as I can tell, there’s one series with a tattoo magician out there. I dug around trying to find some for a couple of years before I just wrote my own! There are a few urban fantasies with LGBT+ protagonists, but combining that with the tattoo magic makes the Ink Born series stand out from the crowd.

Q: Which of your books do you believe resonated with readers the most? Why do you think it received that attention?

Stolen Ink (Ink Born 1). From what I can see, readers loved that Dacian’s a gay guy who’s fleshed out as a real person. He’s not sex obsessed, there’s far more to him that his sexuality. That and the world. People seem to really enjoy the big intricate ink world that I’ve built for Dacian to live in. There’s so much there to explore (I really love that world!). I don’t think everyone gelled with Dacian himself, at least not immediately, but they seemed to really enjoy everyone around him. He has some fantastic friendships that were fantastic fun to write, and I tried to make them feel real. Add in the tattoo magic, and Kyra the cat, and people seem happy.

Q: What do you think makes a good story?

To me, a good story is one that’s engaging and vivid enough that I want to squeeze between the lines and live there within the story. It’s something that completely pulls the reader out of the real world, and allows them to live another life, even if only temporarily. It’s something that takes them on an emotional rollercoaster and leaves them with a buzz, a feeling of satisfaction at the end. A good story, to me, is one that makes the world a little bit brighter and life a bit more interesting and enjoyable.

Q: Do you have a favorite character from your books and/or series?

I know I’m probably supposed to say one of my protagonists, but I absolutely adore Tyn, he’s my broken little kitten. He’s a Cait Sidhe (a fae cat) that shows up in Blood & Ink. He’ll probably get his own series at some point. He has a tragic backstory, but he’s strong, and sweet, and absolutely adorable. Vyx is a close second. She’s a snarky, strong, takes no bull asexual vixen feral. She has no problems staring down alpha shifters that are twice her size, despite not being what you’d call the combat model. She’s an artist, a dainty little artist, but that doesn’t stop her from doing whatever she feels needs to be done. They’re both amazing, I have so much love for them.

Thank you Holly Evans for participating in this author interview. You can find Holly’s books at Amazon, follow her on Goodreads, and chat with her on Twitter.