Erika Rhys Interview Published on: 24, Jan 2018

I live in Belfast, a town in midcoastal Maine known for its historic downtown and community of artists and writers. As a child, I was a voracious reader, thanks to my mother, a teacher who stoked my reading addiction with regular visits to the local library. However, although English was my favorite subject, handwriting was my least favorite—my handwriting is still terrible—and I didn’t begin to enjoy writing until my parents bought our family its first computer.

If I ever won any kind of award for my writing, I’d thank my BFF and fellow author Christina Ross first—she’s the one who first convinced me to try writing fiction!

My fan encounters have been very positive so far, and I especially appreciate the fans who take a few minutes to let me know how they feel about my stories and characters through messages, reviews, etc. While a quick “Loved it!” is always more than welcome, in-depth reviews are truly helpful to authors!

With each new book, I like to give myself a fresh challenge. In The Gentlemen’s Club, the challenge was writing my first suspense plot. In Heir of the Hamptons, my challenge was writing from both hero and heroine perspectives for the first time.

I enjoy reading suspense, so writing the finale of The Gentlemen’s Club was deeply satisfying for me. I also had a lot of fun with Ronan and Ava’s sparring in Heir of the Hamptons! While I’ve never written a full-on comedy, my irreverent sense of humor frequently shows up in my books. As for whether or not I’m funnier than my characters, it’s probably a tie ;)

The Gentlemen’s Club series emerged from the idea of a down-on-her-luck business major who takes a job in an exclusive strip club, and grew from there. Writing has taught me a lot about who I am as a person and a reader, by making me more conscious of the qualities that I value in other writers’ books—steamy romance, thrilling suspense, and well-developed, sympathetic characters. It’s also made me tune into what makes me give up on a book and put it down—sex scenes that lack romance, too much backstory, and characters who are unlikeable or one-dimensional. I like to pair characters who are opposites in some way, which is why I often pair sexy billionaires with heroines from more average backgrounds.

My toughest write ever was my first series, On the Brink. I wrote myself into corners, junked tens of thousands of words, and completely changed direction halfway through the project! While On the Brink is a bit nontraditional in the sense that the heroine must choose between two men, it’s very much a traditional romance in that the heroine has to figure out what love means for her, and then fight for her HEA. My second series, Over the Edge, was challenging in a different way. I hope that Mia’s story resonates with readers who have had their own experiences with leaving abusive situations and building new lives for themselves.

The idea for Heir of the Hamptons came from my desire to write a hero/heroine pairing that began in a combative place. Since Ronan and Ava don’t get along at first, I used a fake marriage plot to keep them together long enough to fall for each other. While all of my characters contain pieces of me, Ava’s struggles with her startup business echo some of the challenges I’ve experienced as a self-employed creative.

Reversing the roles and having the heroine be the billionaire and her male counterpart down on his luck is one of several possibilities I’m considering incorporating in my next series.

While writing is a huge part of my life, I also love painting, gardening, cooking, and playing the piano, so if something stopped me from writing, I’d still manage to keep busy!

Write the kind of books you enjoy reading, and have fun doing it!