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.

AND, even better, two of my awesome students right here in Kazakhstan are also included. I helped them with the submission process, but the stories are all theirs. This specific issue is based around the general theme of "reading," so everything about this project is very close to my heart.

Banshee Girl at the Austin Film Festival!

Big news! I just found out my animated musical pilot script "Banshee Girl" made it to the second round of the Austin Film Festival! I am so excited, 1) because AFF is the coolest film festival in America, and 2) because I am so, so proud of this project.

Here's the premise if you're interested: After saving a human marked for death, a banshee girl is stripped of her powers and forced to team up with this (monster-hating) boy to find her way back to the magical world.

It's funny and weird, with wacky monsters and morbid musical numbers packed into its 30-minute runtime. One day, I'm going to make this! Mark my words. And in the meantime, if you're interested, PM me and I'll send you a copy of the script. I love getting feedback.

And this AFF news comes on the heels of a couple other film festival placements for my li'l banshee. It was a quarterfinalist for the Inroads Fellowship, Shore Scripts, and Fresh Voices contests.

 

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.

This one is not for the squeamish (or anyone with asthma).

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. 

It's a sci-fi/fairy tale mash-up about THE HAPPILY, a paradise dimension where everyone is royalty... where every meal is a feast... where your loyal clockwork subjects burst into song at pre-scheduled intervals... and where you can never, ever leave.

It's a trip. And as of this morning, it's ranked #9 in the fantasy manuscript category of the Red List, Coverfly's ranking of hot new projects! It first got on Coverfly's radar thanks Screencraft, and it's in consideration for a couple more contests right now. Fingers crossed!

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.

(shoutout to MadTV)

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.

Kotka and His Friends

I just had to share this. My friend Marina published her first English-language book. It's a short story collection about a cat named Kotka who goes on adventures throughout his little neighborhood. I was lucky enough to help her with edits and translations, so I've read through these stories several times. Always charming.

The ebook is out now!

 

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 doppelgänger 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!