Thanks for having me! Where to begin?
Like anyone my age, my childhood was cut short by the Total
War. When eventually the fighting stopped, I fled to the shadows of Beacon
City, where I’ve spent the last fifteen years living without the Mark and hiding
from the Department of Marked Emergencies (DOME).
Recent events have forced me to speak up, so I began writing
the Swipe series, and here we are
today.
My name is Evan Angler. But if anyone asks, you know nothing
about me. I was never here, and Christian Bookshelf Reviews never interviewed
me. I’m in enough trouble already.
So are you, if you read my books.
Will
you tell us about Swipe and what inspired it?
Swipe is the first volume in the chronicles of Logan Langly,
Erin Arbitor, and the Dust. It takes place soon after the end of the Total War,
in the newly formed American Union. Here, basic rights are only acquired
beginning at age 13, once people are mature enough to Pledge allegiance to
Chancellor Cylis in exchange for his Mark of citizenship.
A few years ago,
while I was still living as part of the undergound Markless community in Beacon,
I spent a lot of my time helping Unmarked refugees sneak in and out of the
city. It was through these interactions that I began hearing whispers of Logan
Langly and what he was getting involved with out west in Spokie, outside New
Chicago.
It wasn’t long before these whispers caught the attention of DOME.
They began rounding us Markless up, taking my friends away, never to be seen
again, and I realized that these were events I simply couldn’t leave untold.
Swipe tells a
story of what happens when a country ignores its biggest problems for too long.
Environmental destruction, political inaction and polarization, severe cultural
divisions, constant fear—these are the things that have led to the state of the
American Union, and as a writer, I felt I needed to respond to that.
But at its heart, Swipe is, most simply, a story about friendship
against the odds. It’s a story about a group of boys and girls who come
together to do the unthinkable: to stand up for what they believe in.
What
is something the average reader wouldn't know about you?
I’ve been hiding from DOME for so long, by now I’d be more
curious to hear what the average reader does
know about me...But here’s a fun factoid: I wrote the first draft of Swipe in winter, and it was freezing
inside the building where I was staying. Consequently, I wrote a good bit of Swipe while wearing the warmest clothes
I could find: outer space print pajamas and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled
up. How’s that for work attire?
When
did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
There was never really a question of me being anything else.
Even before I was good with words, I would spend my free time “writing” stories
by drawing them in pictures. Eventually I graduated to putting things in
sentences, but the storytelling process never really changed. It’s the thing
that makes me happiest, and that’s the way it’s always been.
How
many books have you written/published and do you have a favorite?
Swipe is my first published book, and it’s definitely my favorite Evan Angler
novel so far.
The second book in
the Swipe series—Sneak—comes out in September, and that will probably become my
favorite Evan Angler novel once it launches.
What would you say is your most interesting
writing quirk?
What, you mean besides the outer space pajama uniform?
Honestly, when I am really writing, my mind is so far away
in the world of my fiction that I have very little awareness of where I am or
what I’m doing outside of it, and that makes it hard to pinpoint any one quirk that
I may have during the process. It’s a lot like asking me what my sleeping
quirks are. I’m sure there are many, but I’m not fully there to find out!
Where
do you like to write?
I love to write in motion. I do a lot of my writing on
trains and on electrobuses. Something about the physical progress feels
inspiring to me (or maybe that’s just the motion sickness).
What
do you like to do when you're not writing?
When I’m not writing I like to be outside. I’m a long
distance runner (as so many writers are), and when I can make it out of Beacon,
I love to hike and camp. I also love playing pre-Unity musical instruments,
especially the piano, acoustic guitar, and banjo.
Is
there a place you’d like to visit, but haven’t yet?
I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of travelling in the time
I’ve spent running from DOME. I’ve been all over the American Union and the
European Union, so these days, anywhere not under direct DOME surveillance
would be fine by me!
Someday, I suppose I’d like to visit the area that used to
be called Japan.
Do
you have a favorite song and/or movie?
It’s so hard to pick. I like songs and movies that teach me
something, that transform me in one way or another. Favorite songs include hits
by pre-Unity musicians like The Beatles, Sufjan Stephens, Mumford & Sons,
and Joanna Newsom. My favorite movie is probably the pre-Unity animated classic,
WALL-E.
What
is your favorite dessert?
Ice cream. Mint chocolate chip.
Current favorite: Matthew 25:40. Whatever you have done for
the least of my brothers, that is what you have done to me.
Here
are a few this-or-that questions:
Snowstorms
or Thunderstorms?
I’ve been hit by lightning (true story), so I’m going to
have to go with snowstorms on this one.
Tea
or Coffee?
Neither, usually. When it’s really necessary, I turn to tea.
(And when it’s really necessary, I
turn to coffee. Black—no milk, no cream, no sugar.)
Print
or eBook?
I prefer print (it’s harder for DOME to trace). That said, I
do about half of my reading on eBook at this point.
Early-bird
or Night-owl?
Both. It’s 2:45am right now, but I work just as well at 5am.
Usually I end up spending my afternoons avoiding DOME, so I like to be creative
in the hours when no one else is awake.
Cats
or Dogs?
Iguanas. No, I’m kidding—cats. I did have an iguana as a kid
though.
Are
you currently working on any new novels? If so, could you give us a hint?
I am! Right now I’m working on the third novel in the Swipe series, and it’s a doozy. The
second novel, Sneak, is finished, and
it’ll launch this September. Needless to say, DOME is not pleased.
Thanks
so much for being here! Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers and
where can we find you on the web?
Thank you for having me! I’d just like to remind everyone
that the Swipe series is officially
banned throughout the American Union, so please do be careful about just
leaving these books lying around—especially if you’re Markless.
If DOME does give you any trouble, let me
know, and I’ll see if I can pull any strings within my network. Best places to
find me online are www.facebook.com/swipeseries, www.evanangler.com, and www.twitter.com/evanangler.
Giveaway!
Enter to win a copy of Evan's book, Swipe! This giveaway is only open to the US and Canada.
