Q&A with Author Evette Davis

What book are you reading right now?

ED: I’m between books, but I have two waiting in the wings. One is Witches: A Novel, and the other is The Raven Song. Both are supernatural thrillers connected to witches or healers. I’m in that kind of mood.

What is your favorite book?

ED: I hate this question because I LOVE books and have read so many, but if I had to choose, I would say Dracula is a book I’ve read many times. I’ve also reread A Discovery of Witches several times and adore the Historian. My all-time favorite book is probably To Kill A Mockingbird, but again, it’s so difficult. Also, my guilty pleasure: I re-read Lisa Kleypas’ romance novels when I need to escape. She is a great writer.

How do you approach your writing?

ED: With a chair and a whip on some days. These last few years have been marred by the pandemic and the untimely deaths of my parents, so my creative brain has been hard to reach. Usually, I start by reading a research book from my library about poisonous plants, cursed objects, or ancient weapons, or I reread chapters I’ve been working on. I often write letters to people – anything to warm up my writing muscles. I usually write in the evenings and on weekends.

What is the hardest part about writing for your genre?

ED: It’s a blessing and a curse to have so much flexibility. I can bend time and put a vampire in the daylight – my imagination is my guide, but at the same time, readers need to feel a shred of truth about the situation even when they’re reading fantasy and science fiction. The struggle is to find the right balance so readers can invest in the story and your characters. Another issue for me is that my main characters are often irascible women. They push the people who love them away, avoid conflict and run head-first into danger. I’m mindful of how far I can go before I stop readers from bonding with the character. You have to want to root for someone, even if they’re a mess.

What is your publishing story?

ED: I tried going the traditional root for my books and grew frustrated with the query letter/begging an agent for scraps of information upon rejection route and founded my imprint to publish. Flesh & Bone has published three novels. I have a team of editors, book cover designers, and a publicist. It’s more difficult and expensive, but I have made peace with it.

Who is your favorite character in your books?

ED: Josef. He becomes a vampire after being murdered by the Nazis while working for the resistance. He’s so flawed and vulnerable while being a deadly warrior. I enjoy writing his story.

What is your favorite bookstore?

ED: Only one? In San Francisco, we have an embarrassment of riches regarding bookstores. My first pick is Borderlands, and my next is Green Apple. Both have been very supportive of me as an indie writer.

How long did it take to write the Darkhorse books?

ED: It’s a work in progress; two of the three in the trilogy are finished.  I have a first draft of the third book completed and am about to dive into a second draft. From there, I'll hand it off to my editor. I stuck a stand-alone novel in the middle of my work, so I am probably going on seven-plus years to complete the trilogy.

What are you working on now?

ED: I am trying for a second draft of my novel and a few newsletters for this year.

What is your ultimate goal for Flesh and Bone Publishing?

ED: Eventually, I’d like to publish other female authors, but I’ll probably have to quit my day job.