Andi Rhodes

Welcome! This weeks Author of the Week is Andi Rhodes. Andi is an MC author with several books under her belt. Taking time from her busy schedule Andi was kind enough to take time out to answer these questions! ​ Welcome Andi. Let's start with an easy question, can you tell us a little about yourself Andi? ​ Hey Elizabeth, I’m the proud wife of a Navy veteran and we live in Indiana with our pack of dogs! In my former life, I was a social worker but made the switch to being a full-time author in October 2019 and I’ve never looked back. I’m an avid reader and am addicted to MC romance but love any book about bad boy alphas and the women who tame them! I’m also a pro at binge-watching Netflix and am grateful that I am my own boss and can do that any time I want. My most binged show is Supernatural and I don’t see that changing any time soon. ​ Can you tell us about your books Andi, I know you've written a lot! ​ Broken Rebel Brotherhood series ​ Broken Souls Broken Innocence Broken Boundaries ​ Broken Rebel Brotherhood: Next Generation series ​ Broken Hearts Broken Wings Broken Mind Broken Loyalty (pre-order, releases 5/20/21) ​ Bastards and Badges series ​ Stark Revenge Slade’s Fall Jett’s Guard ​ Soulless Kings MC series ​ Fender (co-written with Nicole Cypher) Piston (pre-order, releases 7/15/21) Greaser (pre-order, releases 9/16/21) Riker (pre-order, releases 11/4/21) Nice list of books Andi! Can you tell us what got you into writing? ​ Honestly, being a writer was never on my radar. I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember and would read during every free minute I had. So many times, my family would tell me that I read so much, I should write a book. I always laughed at that. I was a social worker without a creative bone in my body. But then social work became so emotionally draining and driving home from work one day, a story idea hit me. By the time I got home, the storylines of all 3 of my Broken Rebel Brotherhood books were in my head. I walked in the door and told my husband I was going to write a book. I started writing it that night. At the time, I didn’t realize this would turn into a complete career change, but the more I wrote, the more ideas I had. It’s been a roller coaster ride but fortunately for me, I love roller coasters! ​ It sounds like burnout triggered your creativity! What’s the main thing you love and hate about writing? ​ Oh gosh, that’s a tough one. I absolutely love writing because it’s freeing. I get to become these people, these characters, and I get to live their lives and share their stories with readers. This is going to sound silly but what I hate about writing is the damn commas! I’ve got a master’s degree and commas are still going to be the death of me (haha). In all seriousness though, writer’s block is actually what I hate the most. It’s very real and when it happens, I tend to shut down. I’ve learned that when that happens, it usually means that the particular scene isn’t quite right or the characters aren’t happy with the way the story is going, so I have to take a step back and strategize. I’m not the most patient person so days where I’m not writing and moving a story forward are hard for me. I hate being unproductive! ​ Writers block must be the bane of most authors, it's a truly dreadful thing. Who is the worst villain you’ve ever written, and why? ​ I’ve written some pretty awful villains but for me, Kevin Vick in Stark Revenge is probably the worst. I don’t know if I should admit this or not but I based that character off of an old boss. That’s why he’s the worst to me… because I knew him on a level I didn’t know my other villains. Granted, my old boss wasn’t a criminal mastermind or the leader of shady and dangerous businesses, but the personality traits were the same. It was very cathartic to write that villain because I got to unleash a lot of pent-up frustration! ​ Oh I bet it was cathartic, what is next on your list to write/publish? ​ I’m currently working on a few Soulless Kings MC novels, as well as a few other projects that I have yet to reveal. What I can say is there’s going to be a new MC series coming and a series that also surrounds the world of Ink Spot Tattoos, which first appeared in Broken Wings, and the people who work there. ​ Sounds very interesting! Who is your favourite author, and why? ​ I don’t necessarily have a favorite author. I mean, there are so many amazing authors that it’s almost impossible to choose. When I’m in a slump, I lean more toward Catherine Anderson and Robyn Carr (Coulter series and Virgin River series respectively) because I’ve read them so many times and find them comforting. They’re my sweet romance faves. But I also love Heather Dahlgren, Chelle Bliss, Deja Voss, CM Genovese, Laura Kaye, Carrie Ann Ryan, Colbie Kay, Amy Davies, Lori Foster… the list goes on and on and on! ​ It's so hard to limit it to one author, there's so many great ones. Who encouraged you the most to write? ​ My husband for sure! He’s amazing and I’m thankful to have a spouse who has never questioned my decision to switch gears after having already established another career and he's always believed in me. Even when I don’t believe in myself, he’s there cheering me on and lifting me up. He doesn’t always understand what the hell I’m talking about when I’m going on about marketing and social media and royalties and the business side of things, but he listens and that means the world to me. ​ Your husband sounds very supportive, and a wonderful man. Are you as avid a reader as a writer? ​ I used to be. I would read a book or two a day before I started writing. Now, I just don’t have as much time. It’s odd because I’m my own boss and make my own schedule but I have less free time than I did when I was working for someone else. And sometimes, reading just feels like work. I do read, but not nearly as much as I used to or would like. ​ What’s your favourite genre? ​ MC romance, hands down. I love the alpha males, the bad boys, the loyalty and family, the heroines who are feisty and badass… I love everything about MC books. ​ We all love a bad boy! Do you listen to music when you write? ​ I either listen to music or put on Netflix. It all depends on my mood but I definitely can’t stand when it’s silent. When I listen to music, it varies from country to rock to rap to hip-hop. My tastes are very eclectic! If I throw on Netflix, it’ll be a show that I’ve seen before so it doesn’t pull my attention away from the work. Currently, I’m re- watching Grey’s Anatomy while I work on my WIP. ​ What a show! If you could interview any famous author who would it be and why? ​ Oh my gosh… I’ve never really thought about that. I genuinely have no idea. ​ Ah Andi, I thought you'd have a list ready. Lol. Tell me a secret that none of your fans know! ​ I don’t really have any secrets. I’m kind of an open book (no pun intended!). I guess if I have to pick something it would be that I HATE writing sex scenes (lol). I love reading them, I love having them in my books, but writing them just stresses me out. There are only so many ways you can make it happen so that it’s believable! ​ Finally a writer that suffers like me, I really struggle with sex scenes too. Tell me what your main character would say about you! ​ Which one? Haha! Seriously, though, they’d probably all tell me that I need to live a little more and not be so serious all the time. I’m not a rule breaker, I’m not a very social person. I’m a homebody and no doubt they’d tell me to bend a bit, have fun, be spontaneous. Do all the things that give me pause because life is too short and there will come a time when I’ll regret not doing all the things! ​ I wonder if you will take their suggestions! Finally, any words of advice? ​ Find your tribe, your people. I’ve learned that, in this business, there is a massive community of writers just like me. They’re supportive and want me to succeed just as much as they want it for themselves. DO NOT isolate yourself. It’s very easy to do but it’s not beneficial. Find your people and love them hard. Because they’re the ones who are going to be there to listen to you, to brainstorm and talk shop, to cheer you on and lift you up. This business is hard enough… don’t try to do it alone. Besides, you can never have too many friends and really, what’s better than surrounding yourself with people who understand what life as an author is like. ​ Thank you, for taking the time to sit and do an interview! To keep up to date with Andi please find her at, ​ Author Website: www.andirhodes.com Author Email: andirhodes@andirhodes.com Amazon: http://bit.ly/AmazonAndiRhodes Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorandirhodes Instagram: www.instagram.com/author.andi.rhodes Goodreads: http://bit.ly/GoodreadsAndiRhodes BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/andi-rhodes Newsletter signup: http://bit.ly/andirhodesnewsletter FB Reader Group: http://bit.ly/AndiRhodesFBReaderGroup TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJceBXf8/ B&N: https://bit.ly/32kB7FX

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