We were lucky to catch up with Evelyn Puerto recently and have shared our conversation below.
Evelyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I never wanted to be writer. All through school, I hated writing and dreaded completing the assignments. When I was in high school, one of my poems won an award. On the strength of that poem, I was offered a college scholarship. I turned it down, because I didn’t want to be a writer. Instead of pursuing a creative career, I got a master’s degree in hospital administration and worked in that field for a decade. After the Berlin Wall went down, I was taken with the idea of helping rebuild one of those countries. Eventually I ended up in Russia as a missionary doing humanitarian aid with doctors and hospitals. Every summer I’d travel to Ukraine to meet a team from my church from the US where I’d help as an extra interpreter and in the medical clinic. We met a man who’d been a Baptist pastor for decades during the time of the Soviet Union. He and his family had incredible stories of the persecution they’d endured for their faith and the many miracles they witnessed. After I returned to the states, I was asked to write this family’s story. I refused, saying I wasn’t a writer. After much persuasion, I agreed. Halfway through the process, I realized I loved the act of writing. Fitting a narrative together in a way that would engage and delight readers was like putting together a massive, complex puzzle. When that book (Beyond the Rapids) won an award, I began to think that maybe I could do this.
Evelyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
After deciding to write more, I settled on fantasy. Partly because I have always loved the escape and magic of the genre, partly because I can make up my own rules for the world and let my imagination go. Underneath the action and adventure, all of my works explore thought-provoking themes, such as how much freedom are people willing to give up in exchange for safety. And in contrast to much popular fantasy, I draw clear lines between right and wrong (although some characters are morally ambiguous) and I always hold out hope for a better world. Also, while many of my books have romantic subplots, the spice level is low. When readers tell me how much they’ve enjoyed spending time in the worlds I’ve created, with the characters I brought to life, I’m thrilled and delighted.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
When I first started, there weren’t nearly as many resources readily available as there are now. Some of the ones that I wish I’d had access to much sooner are books on writing like How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method or The Story Grid. Podcasts like Helping Writers Become Authors, The Creative Penn, and the Novel Marketing Podcast provide a wealth of information that is invaluable in writing and marketing. Most important is finding a community. Writing can be a lonely pursuit, and feedback from others is priceless. I’ve found communities in The Write Practice online and in the Sci-Fi Fantasy chapter of the South Carolina Writers Association. Without their feedback and encouragement, I would have given up long ago.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
When I write fantasy, I create characters out of my own imagination. I try to make them feel real and authentic, and give each one their own voice. So it’s very rewarding when readers tell me they love (or hate) a character, or relate to him or her.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.evelynpuerto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theevelynpuerto/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@evelyn.puerto.aut
