Angela Rush

When I began writing, I was reading a popular romantic suspense author, Susan Stoker. I noticed there were books by other authors listed in the backs of her books. She also had a link to her website which had a contact me with questions option. I emailed and asked why she had books by other authors at the end of her books. I didn’t expect a reply and certainly not from the author herself. I’d assumed she’d have a PA who answered emails on her site. I was mistaken. She actually emailed me back explaining that those books were fan fiction. The authors had written stories about her characters or used some of her characters in their story and she published them through her own publishing company. I wrote back I’d always wanted to write and she encouraged me to go for it and offered to publish me. That’s how I got my start.

As for why I chose military, it is primarily because I admire them for their sacrifice. I’ve had many friends and family members over the years who’ve served. I’m thankful for the men and women who are willing to do the hard stuff, things we can’t imagine and hope we never have to know about. We live in the greatest country in the world because of their willingness to defend our freedom and to help others who are being oppressed.

Many of my characters are medical personnel, because I write what I know. I actually had a reader email me once that she could tell I had a medical background when she read my stories. She was an EMT so she picked up in my descriptions that I, too had a medical background

I try to be accurate when writing about a medical condition or a trauma scene. I want the reader to know what would happen in a real ER or hospital, to get an idea what it would be like to experience it. Still, I’m writing fiction, so a little embellishment here and there is to be expected.

I try to remember that not everyone has a medical background when I’m reading, but it does bother me if something is grossly inaccurate. I don’t however email and bash the author for getting it wrong. I’m fully aware that I have inaccuracies in my early books where military jargon, rank, and customs are concerned.

My Finding His Destiny series is about a Marine Raiders special ops team. There isn’t a lot of public knowledge about the inner workings of this special ops team which I find intriguing. I wanted to be different from my fellow authors and write about a different type of special ops team.

I know that some of what I’ve written about my team isn’t close to what real Raiders do. I found this out after I’d written several books in the series. Most of us have heard about the Army’s Delta Force and Rangers, the Marines’ Green Berets, the Navy’s SEALs, and the Air Force’s paratroopers, but little has ever been publicized about the Raiders.

The Invictus series is a spin off from Daisy Book 3 in the Finding His Destiny Series. Invictus Securities is about Daisy’s brothers and their security company. It is still romantic suspense, but they are former military, so I don’t have to be as concerned about having them do something that would in real life get them a dishonorable discharge.

I want this series to complement the first and you’ll likely see glimpses of characters from FHD series in some of the Invictus books.

I want to tell a great story, not just write an action story or love story. It can be difficult to find the balance, but somehow my characters seem to find a way. I’m what is known as a pantser. I have an idea of what I want to happen in my story, but I don’t plot out the story beginning to end before I begin writing, which is likely why my books are on the longer side. I let the characters take me where they want to go. Sometimes it’s an easy journey, other times, I have to wrestle them for months to get them to tell me their story.

I have seen some of the most beautiful precious moments in life, the birth of a child, but also some of the worst, a stillborn, or a child passing away. I’ve held many hands as the person inside that body left this world. Some fought hard to stay, while others peacefully eased into the afterlife.

I feel having those experiences helps me to show a depth to my characters that might touch someone on a personal level. Maybe they’ve dealt with something similar or maybe they were feeling ashamed for how they felt about a difficult situation they faced. I hope my readers can relate or empathize with the struggles my characters face and work to overcome.

When I first began writing, I googled everything, trying to stay on actual military sites so that I would have accurate information. It can be challenging to find the information you need and not having a military background, I didn’t always understand what I was reading. I know I got things wrong like what my team’s job would be in real life and using correct rank, chain of command, and how personnel would move from one rank to another.

In the last year, I’ve met a former serviceman who is now a part of the book industry. He has graciously agreed to read and consult on my stories. He has been an invaluable resource in helping me understand more about being in service to our country and helping me to get details right. I’ll be listing him as a consult in future releases.

When I began writing for Susan, I was clueless about publishing. All of the books in her fan fiction world are KU exclusive, so I didn’t have an option to go wide. After releasing seven books in her world, she urged me to spread my wings and begin self-publishing in addition to writing in her world. I chose to stay in KU because that is how I’ve found so many of my favorite authors, and because I know that money can be tight. Not everyone can afford to buy all the books they can or want to read in a month. With KU they can pay a small fee each month and read several books for one price.

I hope it has made it easier for people to give me a chance without risking a lot of money. Hopefully they will love my books and want to purchase them so they can have them forever.

I’m a total pantser. I have an idea, then sit down and begin writing. I’m pretty sure I was ADHD as a child and have residual ADD as an adult. I struggle with planning and focus. Although I crave order, I thrive in chaos. Growing up my room was always cluttered with things scattered about, but I knew where everything was at. My momma couldn’t stand it being a mess. Sometimes when she was off work and I was at school, she’d clean my room. I would be a mess for weeks, because I couldn’t find anything, lol.

My stories evolve as I write them. Often they throw me a curve I wasn’t expecting. It makes having deadlines and timelines for releases difficult. I’m trying to convert to a blend of pantsing and plotting, but I think I’ll always be a punster, through and through.

This can be a challenge, but my alpha heroes have a natural instinct to be a protector. Even when the world around them is in chaos, they will sacrifice themselves to keep their heroine and fellow teammates safe. For me, the hero putting the heroine’s needs first is very romantic. Whether it’s him keeping her safe from harm or just making sure she remembers to eat, take care of herself, and sleep when dealing with danger, those are just as romantic gestures as bringing her flowers or taking her to a fancy restaurant.

The most rewarding part of writing for me is connecting with other people. I’ve met so many amazing people through the book industry: fellow authors, readers, alpha and beta readers, cover models, photographers, cover designers, editors, proofreaders, personal assistants, and so many others who make publishing a book happen. I’ve been so blessed to make great connections with a variety of people from all over the world, which is so incredible.

One reader in particular told me she’s read some of my books multiple times, because she connected with the characters so much. Just knowing that I can bring someone enjoyment for a few hours makes me really happy and fulfilled. Having a reader reach out saying they love my books is so worth all the anxiety associated with getting one ready for publishing.

I don’t know that I balance very well. I’m an empath. My mood is definitely affected by the stories I write and even those I read. I’ve become more aware of this in recent years and have made an effort to realize it when it’s happening, to keep from spiraling down a particular path. I make an effort to get at least 30 minutes of sunlight a day when possible. And I spend as much time outside as I can. I often sit on my front porch or the back deck and write. I have a laptop tent to help with the glare. Being outside in nature helps feed my creative mind and lessen some of my stress.

I have used life experiences to shape scenarios or the flow of conversations in my stories. I’ve used some characteristics of people I’ve met and I frequently ask people with unique names or spellings of names if they mind if I used them in future stories. I keep a list of names in the notes app on my phone so when I need a name for a character, but it doesn’t readily come to me I have a list to choose from.

I have several new series planned as well as finishing the ones I currently have out. Finding His Destiny will have at least two new additions in 2025 which will bring that series to 9 books, but there’ll be at least two more, possibly three before the series is complete.

Invictus will have a total of 9 books in the series with books 3 and 4 coming out in the new year as well. I have a few other projects in the works. A mafia series with five books planned at this point. I’m also toying with paranormal and SciFi series as well.

I’ve been very pleased with AllAuthor services. I know I’m not fully utilizing everything they have to offer. I’m a writer. I struggle with the nuances of the industry as far as marketing and social media goes. I hope to utilize more of their features in the coming year. I was recently blessed to have one of my covers chosen for the cover of the month contest. As I’m writing this, my cover is sitting at number 10 in the third round. I have my fingers crossed to make it to the final week of voting.