Elaine Evans: Never stop learning and growing. Your future books will thank you.
Becoming Mallory is Elaine’s debut novel. When she’s not writing, you can find her exploring her other hobbies of reading, cooking, and photography. But more than anything, it is the role of wife, mother, and dog mom to her black Pomeranian, Vinnie, that she cherishes the most.
Outside of the home, Elaine works in a children's hospital as a pediatric Medical Assistant, a job she loves. Ohio is her home, and it's there that she enjoys her quiet life with her family and, of course, Vinnie.
Blitz:
Name: Elaine Evans
Book title: Becoming Mallory
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Release date: February 6, 2024
Blurb/short description of the book: It’s a coming-of-age story that follows the first 25 years of Mallory’s life as she struggles to navigate this world with autism, anxiety, and depression.
Please tell our readers about yourself.
Oh boy. Why is it always so difficult to talk about yourself?? LOL!
Well, first and foremost, I am a woman. A strong, determined woman of faith who loves her husband and kids with all her heart and soul. My little family of four is my passion and the reason I do everything in my life.
And nothing compares to being a dog mom. I have a black pomeranian named Vinnie. He is amazing and full of sass! He adds so much laughter to our home every day.
Outside of the home, I work for a children’s hospital as a Medical Assistant. I love working in the medical field. Honestly, I should have been a nurse. But working with kids, helping them, and seeing them get better when they are sick is so incredibly rewarding!
Some of my other interests are photography, cooking, and, of course, reading. Before I started writing, I was reading upwards of 20 books a month. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book!
I love that you asked about pet peeves! For me, it’s when people chew with their mouths open. It makes me want to scream!
Other than all of that, I am pretty chill and, quite frankly, kinda boring. But boring is drama-free, which I like.
What inspired you to be a writer?
I think it was a handful of things for me. I’ve always had a love of the English language. My favorite subjects in school were the Language Arts courses. Math or Science was never my thing, but if the assignment involved writing poetry or a paper about Romeo and Juliet, I would get giddy. My classmates thought I was so weird but I didn’t care. Writing made me happy.
Growing up, the space under my bed was full of notebooks that contained short stories, song lyrics, poetry, and just general ramblings. I would also write poetry on my bedroom walls. They were covered. My mom hated it but stopped getting mad about it over time. There were a few times I would find her reading my walls with a smile on her face.
Also, my grandmother was a writer. She would write song lyrics for my aunt’s bluegrass band. Beautiful, heartbreaking lyrics. She was such a strong and inspiring woman.
Over time, though, life got in the way, and I stopped writing. Marriage, kids, and my job took priority. Then, about two years ago, a friend of mine was writing a book and wanted me to be an alpha reader for her. That got my creative juices flowing. With her gentle nudge and encouragement, I wrote one chapter of my book and never stopped. At this point, I’m mad at myself for letting so much time pass without writing because there is no way I am stopping! I’m in love.
Tell us about your writing journey so far.
Like I mentioned above, the love of writing has always been there. When I started writing Becoming Mallory, it was like an obsession. The story was spilling out of me and I couldn’t get enough. Numerous times my husband would have to pull me away from the computer so that I could take a break.
Women’s Literature, with a concentration of strong character development, has always been my jam. I love reading about people overcoming adversity to get what they want in life. So that was my focus when writing Becoming Mallory. Also, I really love a sweeping love story and that’s what my current work in progress is. I cannot wait for the world to read it!
I have so many story ideas tucked away in my memory bank. Two of the characters in Becoming Mallory are getting their own books, and my current WIP takes place in the Mallory universe, so some of the characters make appearances. Also, a lot of my beta and ARC readers have requested a sequel to Becoming Mallory, so that is in the back of my mind as well. A sequel was never in my game plan, but honestly, the story is starting to take shape in my mind, so you never know!
What is your writing process—from idea to final draft?
I am a planner through and through! And not just in my writing but in every aspect of my life, so it makes sense that it would bleed into my writing process. I begin with outlining the book chapter by chapter. My brain will not allow me to write the story out of order. I just can’t do it. And that’s not to say the story doesn’t change or evolve during the writing process, but I have to start with the prologue or chapter one.
Also, I need quiet when I write, which, with two teenagers, a husband, and a pomeranian all crammed into a small house, can be hard! So if I write when everyone is home, I always make sure to have earbuds in. I love the immersive writing videos you can find on YouTube. They are amazing at keeping me focused and inspired. I also try to make it to the library for a few hours if I can.
I also keep a notebook by my bed when ideas or scenes creep into my head. For some reason, my mind comes alive at night. Inspiration always hits when I’m trying to sleep, so lots of coffee is needed the following morning!
You’ve recently published Becoming Mallory. What inspired you to write this book?
We’ve all heard the old saying, “Write what you know.” So that’s what I did. As soon as the idea of possibly writing a book popped into my head, I knew I wanted to write about my daughter. Samantha has high-functioning autism as well as anxiety and depression. Raising a child on the spectrum affects the whole family but in very different ways. To say that I had stories to tell is an understatement. Also, I knew that other parents trying to raise children on the spectrum or with mental illness might need to be seen and understood. I wanted to be able to say to those parents, “Hey, I see you and I understand.” I hope that’s what people feel when they read this.
Also, equine therapy has been invaluable for my daughter. I knew that had to be included in the novel!
What were your biggest challenges?
For me, it’s trying to find time to write. Balancing my writing life and my regular life is a juggling act for sure! Thankfully, I have a supportive husband who is my biggest cheerleader. If I want to write and the laundry needs to be folded, he folds it. There’s nothing better when challenges present themselves than having the support you need to overcome them. I’m blessed to have that.
What are you most proud of regarding this specific title?
Just that I wrote the dang thing! Honestly, when I see it sitting on my shelf, I get emotional. But also, I love that I decided to include autism and mental illness representation. I really hope the voice in this book touches people. I’ve always said that if one person reads this book and it helps them in some way, then it was all worth it.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Oh yes! First, I had no clue the time it would take. Every author deserves the biggest pat on the back for writing anything. It’s time-consuming, to say the least! Second, I thought I knew the English language. I did not. LOL! Also, I had no idea what was involved with the self-editing process. It’s a lot, yet I have learned so much! Lastly, how much fun it would be. I never thought I would love it and have this much fun with it. Never. It’s the best high.
How do you create your characters?
So obviously, Mallory is based on my daughter. That was an easy character to create and write. When it comes to Mallory’s parents, they are sort of extreme and fictionalized versions of me and my husband. A few characters in the story are inspired by people in my own life. However, the characters that were the most fun to create were the people that aren’t inspired by anyone in my life. Creating a fictional person from scratch was the most fun I had in this whole process. And now, they feel like real people to me, which is incredible. I had an ARC reader send me a message and ask if Caleb was based on a real person. I had to laugh because he is not. But he’s so perfect, I really wish he was.
What is the current (or next) project you are working on?
I just finished the first draft of my second novel. It’s an epic love story that spans 28 years. The book is full of drama, bad life choices, letters, emails, and text messages. Maria and Sam can never get it right, which makes for a great read!
Many of our readers are fellow independent writers, some of them at the very beginning of their journey. What advice would you give them?
My advice would be to just write. Your first draft is going to be terrible. You will read it and think, “What in the heck am I doing?” But don’t let those negative voices in your head take over. Also, you need humility. Don’t think too much of yourself. Someone out there will always be a better writer than you. So read those well-written books and learn from them.
Humbly accept any criticism you get from beta readers. And educate yourself! Learn everything you can about writing and self-publishing. Sign up for free courses, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos. Feed your brain with everything you can get your hands on. Then incorporate what you learn into your writing life. Never stop learning and growing. Your future books will thank you.
To learn more about Elaine Evans and her book, visit her website: https://elaineevansauthor.com or connect on Instagram.
