A Slice of Cake With... Barbara Evers

Today I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Barbara Evers.

Barbara began storytelling at the age of four.  She couldn’t read, yet, so she roped her Aunt Vivian into taking dictation for her.  She is an award-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee with short stories and essays appearing in several anthologies.

When she’s not writing, Barbara is a professional trainer, speaker, and freelance writer/editor. Outside of work,  Barbara loves reading, photography, and exploring wildlife and the great outdoors.

Barbara lives in Greer, SC with two of her grandchildren, her husband, Bruce, and a rescue dog named Roxy.

What kind of books do you write?

My stories tend to have matriarchal cultures or societies. In The Watchers of Moniah trilogy, the kingdom of Moniah is ruled by a queen, and the Watchers are women warriors gifted with enhanced sight,  visions, and prophecy. The Watchers protect the queen and all of Moniah. Men do play important roles in their society, too, so there is a male branch of the military, the Soldiers of the First Sight.

Also, animals play a big part in my writing. Each member of the ruling family of Moniah bonds telepathically with a giraffe. They can sense and share emotions and see what the other one sees. This is significant in the first chapter of the first book because Adana, the heir to the throne, experiences an unexpected “journey” through the bond that warns her of the return of a traitor long-thought dead.

My next series also has a matriarchal society of enchanters, and the members of that society form bonds with a spirit animal, usually wolves. This is a series set in our current world and times as opposed to the Moniah series.

Can you describe your writing why?

I have always written stories, even going so far as to dictate them to family members to write down before I could read or write. The characters in my stories will not let me ignore them. They are quite insistent that I give them life on the page. It’s such a joy to do that and experience others’ responses to them. I love opening up their worlds and sharing that with readers. 

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

I can’t say I enjoyed one book more than the next, but this is a scene that occurs early in The Watchers of Moniah. Due to the return of the traitor, Adana has been sent to the allied kingdom of Elwar for her protection. Unlike Moniah, a savanna of flatlands where her gifts of Watching can discern much from the surroundings, Elwar is a closed-in kingdom, a patriarchy, and the culture is very formal. Here’s a brief scene as she tries to adapt to her host queen’s expectations.

Swaths of cloth enveloped Adana’s legs as she stumbled along the twisting corridor of the castle. She kicked at the material, unable to feel her legs under all of it. “How do they manage?”

“Did you say something, miss?” A startled maid stood, mop in hand. Eyes widening in recognition, she dropped to a quick curtsy. “My apologies, Your Highness. I didn’t recognize you without your uniform.”

“Me neither,” Adana said, unable to escape the snarl in her voice. She kicked at the layers of petticoats and finally reached down and grabbed as many hems as she could and pulled them up.

The maid blanched at the sight and turned away.

“Blazes,” Adana said and dropped the skirts again. It wouldn’t do to ruin propriety on her first days in Elwar. She rushed down the passage, kicking her anger out on the thick underskirts each time the material ensnared her legs.

After three wrong turns, Adana stood before the door to Queen Quilla’s torture chamber, known as the small dining room. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Kiffen turned toward her, his eyes a mixture of concern and regret. Leera’s blond head popped up, a look of vicious glee on her face. She slanted her gaze at her mother whose back straightened, if it was possible to be any straighter. A frown of displeasure darkened the queen’s face.

Breathe. Adana entered the room, each foot placed with careful precision. “I apologize for my tardiness, Queen Quilla. The halls still—” The skirts swirled in odd directions, catching her off balance. She stumbled and caught herself on the back of the chair closest to her.

Kiffen half-rose from his seat before Quilla stopped him with a look. Crimson bloomed in splotches along his cheeks, and he returned to his seat, head bowed. Adana watched a muscle flex in his jaw.

“Clumsy savage,” Quilla said, a sneer stretching across her features. She laid down her fork and studied Adana. “I guess it’s no wonder, I’ve heard the horrid details of your uncivilized kingdom.”

The chair took the pressure Adana squeezed into the wood without complaint. She pushed and shoved the skirts, lifting them just enough to slide around the legs of the supportive chair and settle in its seat.

Quilla raised an eyebrow. “You plan to break your fast way down there?”

Tell us about your latest project

The Watchers of Moniah is an epic trilogy. The first book deals with Adana’s coming of age in the face of many trials:

An elite Watcher trainee, fifteen-year-old Princess Adana had everything going for her. Everything, that is, until her mother, the queen, dies. Too young to be queen herself, her mother’s last royal act is a decree that seals Adana’s fate—she’s to be sent to the neighboring Kingdom of Elwar for her own protection. She’ll be alone there, as the only person Adana knew in Elwar—her betrothed, Prince Serrin—dies at the same time as her mother.

The three-year stay in Elwar seems like a death sentence, as she will be separated from her telepathically-bonded giraffe and removed from her Watcher training. It only gets worse when she meets the person who will be teaching her about the rules of court protocol and politics—Serrin’s stepmother, Queen Quilla, a sharp-tongued woman who dislikes everything Adana stands for.

When a vision shows her the existence of Maligon—a tyrant thought killed twenty years prior—she realizes everything is not as it seems in the Four Kingdoms. Evil is at work in the shadows, and Maligon will stop at nothing short of total control over the Four Kingdoms. Will she be ready in time to claim her birthright, or will Maligon succeed with his malevolent plans?

The second book, The Watchers in Exile, and third book, The Watchers at War, follow Adana as she and her Watchers seek to defeat Maligon and his treachery. Her throne lost to her, she learns that traitors surround her and knowing who to trust isn’t easy. Along with the displaced leaders of the Four Kingdoms, she struggles to conquer Maligon and gain her throne.

What is your favourite cake?

I tend to prefer pie to cake—my favorite is pecan pie—but I recently discovered a butter pecan cake that is to die for. Coconut pecan icing is mixed into the butter pecan cake which gives it an incredible flavor. It’s amazing with white or cream cheese icing.

You can find out more about Barbara’s upcoming books and sign up for her newsletter at www.BarbaraVEvers.com. Also, you can follow her on Facebook @BarbaraVEversAuthor.

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Sunee Jones. 

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Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.