While writing at his kitchen table in his previous home in Woodbury, Allan Evans heard a slooooow creak of a cabinet door behind him. Leary, but undaunted, he continued to type away. He called out to his daughter, Abbey, in hopes that the noises would be silenced. Glancing over his shoulder, heart thumping, he realized no one was there—and only open cabinets remained.
An advertising copywriter by day, Evans has always had a desire to write for more than just clients.
The kitchen incident—and other ghostly encounters experienced by his children, as well as other paranormal stories he'd heard about—were what influenced his debut novel, Abnormally Abbey, which was released in September. In addition to this novel, Evans has also released the short story Haunted Yuletide in December, and Killer Blonde, another novel, last month.
Evans' thrill-seeking journey to publishing took an unconventional route. After receiving many rejections for his original manuscripts, he set out to Twitter, a newly found haven for the literature world, to enter a pitching event. Tweeting the premise of his novel in just 280 characters using the hashtag #PitMad, he was soon discovered by Immortal Works Press.
“If you have given up after 100 rejections, then you have given up too soon,” Evans says.
Through a “like” of the tweet by Immortal Works, Evans was given the “OK” to directly send his query for Killer Blonde and, eventually, Abnormally Abbey, without going through an agent.
“There is a thrill of discovering a new author and being able to find a good book and bring it into the world,” director of acquisitions at Immortal Works Beth Buck says.
As a new author, Evans says it is important to find your own voice, and explains that a unique perspective is developed throughout a rigorous
revision process.
What makes Evans’ writing so unique is his ability to balance spooky and spine-tingling suspense with light-hearted humor.
“He is aware of what he is doing which makes it enjoyable,” Buck says. "He is 'hanging a lantern on it,' if you call attention to the fact that it is ridiculous, then it makes it work when it otherwise wouldn’t."
Story synopses:
Abnormally Abbey: After being sent to a troubled teens camp in River Falls, Wis., 14-year-old Abbey must use her powers to solve a mystery that could save the lives of her friends.
Killer Blonde: With virtually identical looking women being murdered in Minnesota, pressure to get this Twin Cities killer off the streets is higher than ever.
These thrilling stories are available at local bookstores, including Lake Country Booksellers, and on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and more.
