Author Chat with Eva Marie Everson on Dust, Her New Southern Fiction Novel
Today, I’m honored for you to meet Eva Marie Everson, a gifted author, mentor, and friend of mine. Among the many hats she wears in the writing industry, Eva is the conference director for the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference, which was the first conference I attended in 2013. She was so welcoming to me at that time, and since then, I’ve been privileged to be part of her Word Weavers organization and also sit under her teaching at conferences.
If you haven’t read her books, this one is a great place to start. Please join me in welcoming Eva Maria Everson to the blog today where she shares about her new release, Dust.
Q: Would you share what inspired you to write this story?
A: I heard the song “Dust in the Wind” on the radio, which of course, reminded me of the 1970s … my mind went back to my own marriage proposal (from my first marriage) and that my first husband came into the marriage with a secret and how it affected our marriage. Those two thoughts merged and left me with a question, “Are you just dust in the wind . . . or can an ordinary life leave an extraordinary legacy?” We know that extraordinary lives leave extraordinary legacies. But what about the ordinary, which are the majority of us?
Q: Why do you think this story is so relevant for readers today?
A: The story actually begins in 1965 and then jumps to 1977 … and the truths of that time are as true today as they were then. We all want a purpose in our lives. We all want to matter. And we all have fears that often wrap themselves within the emotion of love. The story then spans through the 80s, 90s, and on to today. Again, the truths throughout are the truths forever, I think.
Q: Dust honestly portrays the challenges of a blended family, the heartache of infertility, and the struggles relationships often face. How might this story encourage readers facing similar circumstances or help readers empathize better with those who are?
A: What I hope readers will see is that Allison always tried to do the next right thing. She stayed true to who she was and who she loved and the way she loved. She grew in her faith and in the strength of her marriage and the relationships around that marriage. I also hope they see that Allison made it through. All things are temporary but the choices we make can leave permanent marks.
Q: One element I loved about this story is how you placed mentors in young Allison’s life when she needed them. (I absolutely adore Miss Justine and Ro-Bay!) Why are mentors so important for young people or people of any age?
A: Titus 2: 3-5 says: Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. I had those kinds of mentors and now I hope to be that kind of mentor. In fact, my own Miss Justine just passed away . . . I was heartbroken, but the love and lessons she gave me will never be forgotten.
Q: You are very much a mentor to other writers through your organization Word Weavers International. Would you share briefly about Word Weavers?
A: Word Weavers International was formed in 1997 as writers helping writers through encouragement and critique. It has grown in these 24 years to include educational opportunities, conferences, and aid through the publishing process. FMI: Word-Weavers.com
Q: What is your favorite feedback that you’ve received about Dust?
A: SO MUCH!!! I received an email from one reader who said, “I cried! I never cry!” I loved that. I also received an email from a reader who told me how much it ministered to her in her older years. Again, that means so much to me.
Q: Can you hint about what next project you have in the works?
A: It’s a nonfiction work, The Third Path, which focuses on the questions we find in the Bible where God asked man questions and how those questions are still relevant today.
About the Author
Eva Marie Everson is the multiple award winning author of both fiction and nonfiction works. She is the president of Word Weavers International, the managing editor of Firefly Southern Fiction and the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference.
About Dust
Can an ordinary life leave an extraordinary legacy?
In 1977, when nineteen-year-old Allison Middleton receives a proposal of marriage from Westley Houser, she eagerly accepts, having no idea the secret Westley carries—a secret that will change Allison’s life forever. But Allison rises to the challenge of raising Westley’s toddling daughter as though she were her own.
Over the course of their lifetime together, Allison, Westley, and Michelle form the strong bond of family. As Allison struggles with infertility and finding her way during a time of great change for women, others—some she knows and others whom she never meets—brush and weave against the fabric of her life, leaving her with more questions than answers.
From teen bride to grandmother, Allison’s life chronicles the ups and downs of an ordinary woman’s life to examine the value of what we all leave behind.
