Evan Purcell
Author. Frequent traveler. Endearingly strange person.
Monday, January 29, 2024
Women on the Run
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Twelve Months of Horror
Thursday, November 23, 2023
Followed by Fear - COVER REVEAL
Aaaaaaaannnndddd... Drumroll please!
I am SO excited to reveal the cover of my brand-new romance novel Followed by Fear! The fine folks at Inkspell have been awesome to work with, and I can't wait for everyone to read it! It releases on December 19!
As the truck’s motor rumbled to life and led them into the cornfield, Sydney held on to the side of the truck. Her knuckles were white. So was her complexion. “You know,” she said, “this is a very perverse thing to do to a girl with a stalker.”
Preston gestured toward a scarecrow that was reaching out to them. “See, I disagree,” he said. “I think fake scares help us process the real ones.”
The two girls sitting next to them screamed in unison as a zombie ran out of the field, waving his green arms around like a cartoon character.
“See that guy?” Preston continued. “You know he isn’t really going to eat your flesh.” He waved at the zombie. “Good job, Ernie! Nice makeup.”
The zombie, apparently named Ernie, stopped running and gave Preston a big thumbs-up.
Sydney laughed and eased her death grip on the side of the truck. “You really do know everybody in this town, don’t you?”
“Even the undead,” Preston answered.
They rode deeper into the field. Three zombies, two scarecrows, and one laughing witch-woman later, the truck entered a clearing that had been decorated to look like an abandoned nuclear site. They passed big, rusted cans with oozing, glow-in-the-dark toxic waste.
Sydney leaned over the side of the truck to see what was inside the cans. She wanted to know how they were glowing. When her face got a little too close to the can, a neon green zombie popped out and screamed at her.
Sydney jumped back, falling into Preston’s arms. She was speechless for a second. Then she started laughing harder than she’d laughed in months.
“It feels good, right?” Preston asked.
She wiped the tears from her eyes. “It does. Who knew?”
Monday, November 20, 2023
Finding His Prince
Finding His Prince is finally out!
Dorji is the crown prince of Bhutan, a tiny Buddhist kingdom high up in the Himalayas. He lives a life of responsibility and rules, especially with his coronation fast approaching.
Michael is an American botanist working for the royal family after a very public scandal forced him to leave his country. He’s drawn to the handsome royal, but he knows that any interaction between them would lead to yet another life-derailing scandal. The two men come from different worlds, and even though the attraction between them is palpable, they can never give in to their feelings.
During a royal visit to their national park, Prince Dorji's bitchy fiancΓ©e, Karma, gets lost, and Dorji has to team up with Michael to find her. In the process, sparks fly between the two men. This sweet, comedic romance follows the two as they trek through the most beautiful country on Earth, all while a humbled and embarrassed Karma develops an unexpected side-romance of her own. But as the dangers worsen and the reality of their impossible situation begins to sink in, will Dorji and Michael accept that their love is stronger than the forces keeping them apart?
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Monday, October 16, 2023
I Hate Your Face - podcast
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Cuddles
Monday, May 1, 2023
Equivalent Retribution
Another season, another dreaded call of the siren! That's right! It's finally springtime, which means some Easter celebrations, family barbecues, and lots of pollen-related allergies. Good stuff.
It also means that we have another issue of Sirens Call, the (free) horror magazine with a little bit of everything. For this one, I went out of my comfort zone and wrote a sci-fi story (my first since that Golden Girls spoof about alien Betty White hanging out with a squid. Don't ask.)
This one's a lot darker. It's called "Equivalent Retribution" and it's about a woman who accidentally pisses off an alien and has to figure out how to make things right. The first draft was more of a comedy, but I ended up rewriting it with gnarlier EC Comics vibes.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Mama Mermaid
Killer mermaid time!
Friday, February 10, 2023
Estelle Harrow Gets Lucky
Saturday, December 17, 2022
The Sirens Call
The nights are getting longer and the days become cold...
Speckles of snow fall through the air, obscuring the dark, hidden things that wait just outside our vision...
It's wintertime, baby! And what better time to curl up and enjoy some dark fiction?
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Kids Are Hell
An abandoned warehouse. A girl with a tail. Screams in an orphanage.
My newest story "Nameless Child" is finally out. The anthology Kids are Hell is the latest anthology from Hellbound Books, and I couldn't be more excited to be a part of this collection.
Sunday, July 3, 2022
The Great Miss Sampson... Again!
My family dramedy The Great Miss Sampson has just been selected in the Christian Family Film Festival, coming this August in New York!
This is its third festival placement, after the Faith in Film and the International Christian Film and Music Festivals. All good things ahead!
Friday, July 1, 2022
And Now... Snow White!
I'm really getting into the podcast world lately. I just posted about my Lovecraftian radio drama for Horrifying Tales of Wonder (please check it out if you haven't). I was lucky enough to be a part of Life on Pause Season 2, which was a total, total blast.
And now, I'm writing ten episodes of a new kids podcast that's a little bit Snow White, a little bit Buffy, and a whole lot of crazy. It's an adventure with chicken monsters, a wicked witch, some karate, and even a little music! Fun stuff!
Here's an early look at Snowii, one of our young leads:
Sunday, June 26, 2022
The Same Old Lake
I finally wrote an old-time radio podcast. This one is for the Horrifying Tales of Wonder series, which merges classic radio with Lovecraftian goodness. It's right up my alley, basically.
So if you're down for a little creeping dread, check out "The Same Old Lake." It was such a joy to write and the actors really knocked it out of the park.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Remember: Filming Soon!
For those who've had at least one conversation with me within the last two years, you've probably heard me go on and on about my horror screenplay. Well, it's finally a reality! We go into production this June and I couldn't be more excited.
It's called Remember, and it's a horror movie about a group of young people who go to a cabin in the woods and start getting murdered one by one. Yeah, you've probably heard that set-up before, but this isn't something you've ever seen before. After each kill, the surviving characters forget that the victim existed. Each murder is a reset, and with every change, the characters shift in their personalities, relationships, and abilities to survive. Our friends and lovers shape us in so many indescribable ways, and when their memories are gone, what do we have left?
Remember is low budget. It's wild. It's filming in June! And if you want to be a part of this awesome project, search for "TheRememberFilm" on all of the socials. The producers are still looking for investors to join the team so check out the Remember website to see how you can help!
Monday, March 28, 2022
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Kindness Matters
For those of you who know me, it might come as a surprise that I'm part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise. And yet...
This is my third story for them. It's a nice little mini-memoir from my time in Nepal. The topic is "Kindness Matters." And honestly, I'm really happy to be a part of this. I've used some of these Chicken Soup stories with my ESL students and they're always so charming. Little bit-sized bits of comfort.
(Cute, right? Kind ducks.)
And as far as publishers go, working with the Chicken Soup team has been amazing. They give you a bunch of advanced copies and offer all kinds of support. If anyone is an aspiring writing out there, Chicken Soup is a great outlet. (And every person out there has at least one real-life story that they could share.) Check out their calls for submissions. Seriously.
This story specifically was a bit hard for me, because I had to cut down a 3,000-word experience into something much smaller. Left out some specific details but kept all the big stuff.
Out of the three anthologies so far, I think I like this one the best. It has the biggest variety of funny/cute/dramatic/heartwarming stuff. Not sure how my story fits in that spectrum. Perhaps you could check it out for yourself.
And for the record, the other collections I was in were Life Lessons from the Dog and Grandparents, with one of my stories even included on their awesome podcast!
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Letterboxd
People, I've FINALLY joined Letterboxd! I just started using it, so not many friends yet, but add me if you have an account. I love to discover new movies by lurking on other people's profiles.
Today, I was supposed to work on a podcast script, but I procrastinated for probably four hours writing little reviews and ranking horror movie franchises. If you want to see some hot takes on 90s Whoopi Goldberg movies, check me out.
Friday, February 18, 2022
Listen to Cannibals!
I just saw the new Texas Chainsaw movie. Great stuff. A lot of people have some major problems with some of its choices, but I dug it all around. Wild and gruesome stuff.
Anyway, I figured now would be the perfect time to let you all know that my CANNIBAL short story is now in audio form. I love hearing wildly talented narrators take a crack at some of my horror stuff. For a refresher, this is the anthology:
Thursday, February 3, 2022
Kunzum Reading Corner: My Interview!
I got interviewed! The awesome people at Kunzum Bookshops in India have reached out to talk to me about my Karma Tandin: Monster Hunter series. It was a pleasure to answer the questions (Thanks, Shruti! You're awesome!) including one particularly difficult question about representation that I found quite interesting.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Evan Gets Literary!
As you probably know, most of my writing is pretty genre-heavy...
BUT I'm also a serious author (kind of), so it's important to branch out. For the first time in years, I've written something non-horror/scifi/fantasy/romance, and it's included in the second issue of the Blydyn Square Review. It's under a paywall, so you'll have to subscribe, but these guys publish some great, eclectic content.Thursday, September 9, 2021
Banshee Girl at the Austin Film Festival!
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Underground Monsters
Underground creatures. Everyone loves 'em... from Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers to, I don't know, molemen. The concept of weird beings living just under our feet has been the premise for several of my stories, including a particularly gnarly yarn in the San Cicaro anthology.
But this new one is a real doozy. The collection is called "Underground" from COLP, the eclectic magazine from Gypsum Sound Tales. Man, these stories are wiiiiiiild. Mine is called "Rosemont Hills Primary School" and it's about a little girl whose first day of first grade goes horribly, horribly wrong.
Sunday, June 13, 2021
I'm on the Red List!
Happily Destroyed started out as my entry in the 3-Day Novel Contest (top-ten finalist, baby!). After a BUNCH of revisions, the short novel was finally published direct to Amazon, and I'm quite proud of it.
Monday, March 29, 2021
Evan Gets Interviewed (Kid Reporter Edition)
Check out this ultra-charming review from a very professional young reviewer. I made this as part of a writing workshop thing I did for preteens. Man, it was fun.
Sitcom Girl
If you know me personally, you've probably heard me go on and on about "Sitcom Girl," a comedy webseries I wrote. If you don't know me, here's the gist:
A washed-up former child star tries to get her life back on track, but her big comeback is derailed when the fictional sitcom character she once played shows up on her doorstep. It's raunchy and fun, and for me it's a great outlet for my unending passion for cheesy retro sitcoms.
Anyway, this project has had a wild ride. I sold the pilot to an indie company that was all set to make it. Wrote a ten-episode season and worked closely with the producer guy before he pulled the plug on the whole project. Then COVID happened. Then my depression set in.
I still think this show has a bunch of promise, and I've been trying to get it out there as much as possible. It just got honored by Table Read My Screenplay (woo-hoo!) and Wiki: The World's Fastest Screenplay Competition. Not the biggest names in screenplay contests, I know, but still exciting.
So basically what I'm saying is that if you're interested in making a webseries with me, let me know. I figured that if no one's gonna buy this thing, I might as well do it myself.
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Kotka and His Friends
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Karma vs. the Evil Twin
Karma Tandin Is In Trouble
Everyone in Jakar knows that Karma has always defended his village from monsters. But suddenly his friends and neighbours are angry with him and accusing him of crimes he knows he didn't commit.Karma suspects he has a doppelgΓ€nger who is terrorizing the town, but no one believes him. His friends Chimmi and Dawa and even his mother do not seem to trust him.
But with every monster in Bhutan suddenly turning up in Jakar, will he be able to stop his adversary in time?
The third book in the Karma Tandin, Monster Hunter series, set in Bhutan, is a rollicking adventure that will keep you riveted till the very end!