Today please welcome, Rhys Everly-Lawless to Author Chat. I didn’t know a lot about Rhys until last year when he got involved with the Magic Emporium shared universe my friend Meghan Maslow planned. His entry into the ME universe – Elven Duty was truly kick ass. Now, Rhys has assembled a team of authors to retell some fables in the modern day. To say I’m looking forward to the Fables Retold Anthology is an understatement. Check out Rhys’ interview, then I highly recommend checking out a book of three of his. You won’t be disappointed.
With that, let’s Chat with Rhys.
ACwA Guest: Rhys Everly-Lawless
- Origin: How did the first story you ever wrote influence your career as an author and how do you feel about that story now?
The first story I ever wrote was a pretty bad Harry Potter knock-off. But the more stories I came up with the more I developed into this author who loves world-building, bending tropes and expectation and finding the heart in everything I write.
I haven’t read that first story in over a decade as it was written on a notebook which has probably ended up in a landfill now, but I probably have screenshots of it somewhere. *Cue research digging through my drives and memory sticks* haha. I wrote that when I was about 10-11 and it was the first time I wanted to write my own story with my own characters. It scratched an itch I didn’t know I had until I read the HP series. And it’s an itch I’ve been scratching ever since (sorry for the visual 😂)
- Which of your characters is most like you (or someone close to you.)
I would love to say I’m a lot like Caleb (from my Cursed Hearts series) who is a kickass witch, doesn’t care about the rules, and who feels and falls for every man he meets (the latter was probably true about myself before I got with my husband) but I don’t think I am that kickass. I wish.
I’m probably a lot more like Sandy from my Rapunzel retelling, Hair & Heart. He’s full of snark and talent, and opinions, but is also very insecure, even if he doesn’t let it show to anyone but his close friends.
- What is your favorite trope and why?
Hands down enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and it’s the trope I’ve explored most with a lot of books. Or a variation of it with opposites attract and grumpy/sunshine.
- How many half-written stories are on your hard-drive and what do you plan to do with them?
A lot. I can’t even begin to count them. But most of them are from my pre-Rhys Everly-Lawless era. I used to be a lot more all-over-the-place than I am now. In fact I haven’t not finished a story since I launched the new pen names (Rhys Everly & Rhys Lawless).
As to what I’m going to do with those old, half-written (and in some cases, fully written) stories? That’s a good question. I’ll probably wait to have a stroke of genius of how I can incorporate them in a new project, or maybe rewrite them in my current style and with my current knowledge and publish them in one shape or form. The truth is a lot of them are probably going to stay buried in the depths of my drives.
- What are you working on next?
What a tricky question. You wouldn’t think it would be, but for the past year I was writing to my deadlines and working on the book that releases next until the last minute, but this year I managed to catch up and jump ahead so I’m actually writing a book that’s coming out in June.
It’s the 4th in my small town series, Cedarwood Beach, called Storm Bound and it features a doctor, his nurse, big-time nerds, and a sub/dom relationship. Oh and storms. A lot of storms. 😂 You can pre-order that here: https://readerlinks.com/l/1668783
I’m also working on my Patreon-exclusive serial which is currently titled Zodiac Witches (but which will probably change very soon) and that’s proving a lot of fun and you can get involved with it by joining my patreon. https://patreon.com/rhyswritesromance
As for what’s coming out next? That would be Fables Retold, my MM Urban Fantasy Anthology that I’ve organized and which includes stories from Sam Burns, W.M. Fawkes, Morgan Brice/Gail Martin, Meghan Maslow, Richard Amos, and moi. We have all rewritten fairy tales into urban fantasies and my story is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with fae, aka mutants, geneticists, and a controversial cure. It comes out April 26th on Amazon and KindleUnlimited. https://readerlinks.com/l/1765736
Rhys Everly-Lawless Newest Release
My legacy is to hate him, but I can’t.
This woman appears and tells me I’m an elf and she’s my grandmother. Not quite what I expected on a Thursday evening after another day at the office.
Soon, I’m thrown in a world of duty, magic, and monsters.
And a family feud as old as time itself.
I would have run. I would have gone back to my old life. Or started a new one.
But when the man I’m supposed to hate turns out to be my elven soulmate the only thing I can do is fight for my right to love him.
No matter what kind of monster gets in the way.
Elven Duty is part of the multi-author Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains a forbidden love, a ton of creatures, a secret “baby”, and a guaranteed HEA.
Buy Link
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Free Book!
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Giveaway!
Comment either on this post or on the corresponding post in Andy’s Gallorious Readers Facebook Group for a chance to win a book from Rhys’s backlist straight to Kindle!
About Rhys Everly-Lawless
Rhys Everly-Lawless is a hopeless romantic who loves happily-ever-afters.
Which would explain why he loves writing them.
When he’s not passionately typing out his next book, you can find him cuddling his dog, feeding his husband, or taking long walks letting those plot bunnies breed ferociously in his head.
He writes contemporary gay romances as Rhys Everly and LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romances as Rhys Lawless.
You can find him and all his latest projects on rhyswritesromance.com
Where to Find Rhys Everly Lawless
| Website | Facebook Group | Newsletter Signup |
Hello Andy and Rhys!
I am loving your books Rhys! I am looking forward to the Fables Retold anthology. A lot of my favorite authors are a part of that, yay! Thank you for creating so many wonderful worlds to escape to.