SST Interview & Giveaway: The Island by S. Usher Evans

 

Sunday Street Team is a monthly feature highlighting upcoming releases and promoting new authors. SST was created and run by Nori over at ReadWriteLove28.

The Island by S. Usher Evans

Published by Sun’s Golden Ray Publishing on April 26, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

Pages: 260

Image and Description Credit: Goodreads

Prince Galian is third in line to the throne, but prefers his place as a resident at the Royal Kylaen Hospital. When his father urges him to join the military to help reclaim their colony, Galian is forced to put aside his oath to Do No Harm and fight a war he does not believe in.

Across the great Madion Sea, Captain Theo Kallistrate dreams of a day when she is no longer bound by conscription to fight for her country’s independence. But when the Kylaens threaten, honor and duty call her to the front lines to fight off the oppressors.

When an air skirmish goes wrong, both Theo and Galian crash on a remote island hundreds of miles from either nation. Grievously injured, Theo must rely on Galian’s medical expertise, and Galian must rely on Theo’s survival skills, to live another day in a harsh and unforgiving terrain.

Can they put aside their differences long enough to survive? Or will the war that brought them to the island tear them apart?

I’m so excited to have S. Usher Evans on the blog today to talk about writing, life, and her new book The Island! Plus, check out the giveaway below!

About the Author

S. Usher Evans is an author, blogger, and witty banter aficionado. Born in Pensacola, Florida, she left the sleepy town behind for the fast-paced world of Washington, D.C.. There, she somehow landed jobs with BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Television before finally settling into a “real job” as an IT consultant. After a quarter life crisis at age 27, she decided consulting was for the birds and rekindled a childhood passion for writing novels. She sold everything she owned and moved back to Pensacola, where she currently resides with her two dogs, Zoe and Mr. Biscuit.

Evans is the author of the Razia series and Empath, both published by Sun’s Golden Ray Publishing.

So, here we go!

Interview

Tell us about working at the likes of the BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Television?

OH! I LOVE THIS QUESTION!

I got into TV Production in my last year of high school, and when I got to George Mason for college, I decided that’s the career I wanted to pursue. I grabbed an internship with GMU-TV which parlayed into an internship at National Geographic Television which parlayed into an internship with the BBC, which turned into a year-long freelancing gig. (Discovery Channel was a craigslist-job-ad answer).

BBC was probably my favorite place to work. At the time, I was so into politics (now, eh…) and to be right in the thick of the 2006 election was amazing. I worked election night, and helped report on the major senate races. But for the most part, I watched a lot of speeches by George W. Bush. My job was to transcribe the videos so that the reporters could find interesting sound bites quicker in editing. Sometimes, they’d send me out to do a recording with VIPs in their offices. That was pretty cool!

I also had a press pass, which my mother stole and has somewhere in my “keepsakes.”

After such varied jobs, what brought you back to writing?

All the internships and freelancing happened in college, so when I graduated in 2007, I was faced with a choice: I could either continue to freelance with the BBC (and I was way down on the freelance priority list) or I could get a full time job with one of my friends’ dads at a government agency (yes, that’s usually how it works in DC). Fear of having no money sent me to the easy job, and that’s how I ended up becoming a consultant.

I went through a quarter life crisis two years ago after I realized just how miserable I was. I decided to publish a book just for me and just to see what would happen. I was also going through therapy at the time, and realized that I had let fear decide a lot of my life. Once I let go of that fear and began to trust myself, I decided to de-tangle the life I’d built in DC and move back home to write full-time.

Favorite genre to read and write? Why?

I am a HUGE fantasy fan, and I’m excited to begin publishing in the genre that comprises the majority of my WIPs.

Favorite character to write in The Island?

#TeamPrinceling over here. Galian is Mr. Optimism, and he tends to believe that everyone is genuinely good. But he, himself, has a lot of room to grow and I’m excited for the plans I have for him in The Chasm and The Union.

How much research goes into each novel?

Little to none. I prefer to make up things than align my imagination to reality (which is why the science in Razia is non-existent). For The Island, I did have to do a little bit more, though I had a lot of the knowledge of how to camp already in my brain.

Favorite place to write?

My new house has a dedicated office, and it’s yellow and gray and happy. I have a big antique desk that my mom gave me, and a 20” screen. I have two giant frames backed with fabric that I use as dry-erase boards to write ideas and projects on.

But sometimes I’ll unplug and go sit on my porch or my couch. It really depends on how I’m feeling.

Which author is at the top of your ‘To Meet’ list and why?

Jo Rowling. Besides my immediate family, she’s the biggest influence on my life. If it weren’t for the books she wrote, I never would’ve become the author I am today.

Favorite destination?

Pensacola Beach, FL. My happy place is now a ten-minute drive away.

Favorite historical site in Washington D.C.?

In a former life, I used to run almost every day with a group of runners. My favorite routes were the days when we’d meet up at 7am and go run around the monuments.

Sunshine or rain?

Sunshine, because then I can go to the beach.

Thanks so much to S. Usher Evans for answering my questions and opening up about life, writing, and The Island! Who’s excited to read this one now?

Giveaway

S. Usher Evans is graciously giving away a copy of The Island and swag to one U. S. resident!

Enter Here

I hope everyone gets a chance to check out this first book in an amazing new series and look out for my review coming up soon!