Featured Interview With L.K. Evans
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a native to Arizona, though I had a 4 year stint in Texas and a few months in Arkansas when I was a little girl. I honestly don’t remember much from those other states except tornadoes, my cat (Misty), and a nice older couple who always had a pile of toys at their house when we’d visit.
Sadly, and no offense to those who live here, I’m not a fan of Arizona. I prefer green stuff, trees that are actually alive, clouds, and lots and lots of rain. And cold. I love to be cold. So hopefully come 2018, I’ll be writing from a forest somewhere in Washington… where there’s water… lots of water.
I have two siberian huskies, two cats, and three newts. I’m a fan of pretty much any animal which means animals will always play a vital role in all of my books. My favorite is elephants, though I haven’t written them in to any stories yet. I’m deathly afraid of crickets and cockroaches. And I’m not a fan of grasshoppers. I do run from bees and wasps, though they’re kinda cute so I feel bad. Oh, and monkeys are my least favorite.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Books have been a part of my life since I can remember. Both of my parents are teachers, so they brought home their passion for it. My sister was a bigger reader than me when we were younger, but I’d like to think I caught up to her over the years.
In high school, I tested out of english and was able to take creative writing instead. That’s when I realized how much I enjoyed and needed to write. It was a way to express myself since I was—and am—an extremely shy person. I stopped writing when I got recruited into the corporate world right out of high school. Because my family was never finically stable and we were even homeless for a time, I sought job security and stability from an early age and ignored my passions. I had a knack for accounting and worked my way up into management, handling exorbitant amounts of money in a highly stressful environment. It was about 4 years ago when I started to realized how unfulfilled I felt, so I quit my job with the support of my husband and found myself again (as cliche as that sounds, it’s the truth). So, my long winded answer is that I’ve only been seriously writing for the last two and half years.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite genre has and will always be epic/sword sorcery/dark fantasy. I’ve tried other genres and the only way I like the book is if I’m in love with the writing. Which brings me to some of my favorite authors. First off, in the fantasy genre, I love love love Patrick Rothfuss, Anthony Ryan, and Michael J Sullivan.
Patrick Rothfuss has a beautiful writing style that I’m simply in awe of. I admit, his story was a little slow to start and it took me a bit to get into it, but once I did I couldn’t put it down. His character came alive for me and, again, his writing is stunning.
Anthony Ryan has written the only sci-fi series I like. Of course, he’s better known for Blood Song, which was simply brilliant, but I’m as in love with his Slab City Blues series. It’s his characters and accessible writing style that I admire. Plus, his stories are engaging and fast, another bonus.
Michael J Sullivan has written one of my favorite characters of all time. I spent a weekend reading his Riyria series with little to no sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about them and it took weeks for me move past them. He’s truly an amazing story teller and a very approachable author. I sent him a little note expressing how much I loved his books and he responded quickly and sincerely. I was very moved by his humbleness as well as his appreciation for his fans.
Another author who has my attention is Thaddeus White. He wrote of comedy fantasy called Sir Edric’s Temple that I can’t seem to get enough of. I’ve never laughed so hard. His other serious novels are entertaining and he can give me some intense, nail biting moments. I’ve never read a comedy fantasy, and I have to say his wit is unmatched. So I’ll always read anything he writes.
As far as other genre authors, I have two that I’ll buy anything they spit out. Zachary Jernigan writes sci-fi (No Return) and though I didn’t absolutely love it, I’m in amazement over his imagination and writing. The other author is Zichao Deng who wrote People Like Us. It’s a murder thriller type book which, again, is not my preferred genre, but his characters were AMAZINGLY funny and cynical. I’m in awe of his writing, witty dry humor, and captivating story.
I’m sure more will be added to my list, but these are the ones I have so far.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book, Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 is an epic fantasy; some have called it dark, some have called it adult, some have called it young adult. The heart of the story is about two inseparable brothers, Wilhelm and Salvarias Laybryth, who are forced by a dark god on a journey of trials and tribulations.
One thing I find fascinating is the human mind. I’m not a worldly person by any means, but I’ve been around enough people to see some truly inspiring individuals and some absolutely vile ones. I’ve always believed that every person is capable of good and evil. I strongly believe that our childhood experiences and influences impact us as individuals on an immeasurable level. So what I did was create a character, Salvarias, where the evil is an actual force within him—a presence, a being—that lives in his mind and manipulates him. I wanted to test a group of people to see how they perceive situations involving Salvarias. I wanted to see how they judged him. And I want to see how the readers react when secrets are unveiled throughout the series. I’m curious if readers will correctly guess who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy. In order to do so, I’ve put my characters in horrible situations and I’ve delved into several of their minds to give readers a chance to experience more than one viewpoint (each broken into its own section so as not to float mid paragraph). My mission is to see how low I can take the brothers before they break. I want them to overcome all I throw their way, but I’m not sure if they will. Book 4 is still a work in progress, so not even I know the outcome.
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