Featured Interview With Evy Journey
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in the California Bay Area where you’re surrounded by creative, progressive people. It took me a little while to get here from the Philippines, Hawaii, Illinois and then relatively conservative Orange County in SoCal. I’ve also traveled a lot and spent months at a time in Paris. I’m multicultural and have been exposed to various cultural traditions.
And no, I have no pets because my husband is allergic to animal hair, but I grew up with dogs, a goat or two and some chickens.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I got mired in words rather early in my life. What else would you do if you had three brothers who balked at taking you to catch tadpoles or ride a water buffalo? Me? I read and drew; then, I wrote. I love words. Beautiful seductive prose. My previous lives as student and mental health researcher/program developer required much writing, but of the academic sort. I started writing short stories when I was 13, now lost in the many moves I’ve made. I’m a latecomer to novels, though — my first one was published only five years ago.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have eclectic tastes though my all time favorites are Jane Austen and Dostoevsky — two very different writers I’ve reread. My current fascination includes Anthony Doerr, Chitra Divakaruni, and stories set in other cultures or from the point of view of “the Other.” I also enjoy reading art books. Every great writer or book I’ve read inspires me in some ways.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, Brief Encounters with Solitary Souls, is a collection of five short stories set in various locales — Paris, Honolulu, three California cities. All are tied together by this Eugene O’Neill quote: “Life is for each man a solitary cell whose walls are mirrors.”
Confronting personal crisis, each character realizes she (or he) is all alone even amidst a social milieu; but it’s then that she sees herself clearly. It’s an insightful turning-point moment that propels her forward.
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