Gulf Breeze native releasing new book at Pensacon


  • February 25, 2015
  • /   Ben Sheffler
  • /   community-dashboard
Gulf Breeze native Whitney Evans will be releasing her second book, "Alliances," at Pensacon this weekend, nearly two weeks before its available online. Evans writes under the pseudonym S. Usher Evans. "Alliances" is the sequel to her first science-fiction book, "Double Life," both set in space. "Double Life" is about the main character Lyssa Peate finding herself through the struggle of her two lives — one as a pirate bounty hunter and another as a scientist who discovers and sells new planets. "You can't find heaven while putting part of yourself through hell, and that's kind of what she learns in the first book," Evans says. In "Alliances," Lyssa learns how to work with other people and be a good friend, Evans says, while she and a new character unravel a government insurance fraud conspiracy that ranges from planets D-882 and S-864 to the Universal Bank. [sidebar] Pensacola Comic Con Pensacon is Feb. 27-March 1 at the Pensacola Bay Center. For details about the event, click here. [/sidebar] "It's a very strong character that I've introduced in the second book and she really doesn't take any crap, and that's why she's such a good foil for my main character," she says. Jason Thomsen, vendor coordinator for Pensacon, says the convention for fans of science-fiction, comic books, and geek culture is rooted in supporting the economic and artistic growth of the community. That makes it a great venue to feature local talent like Evans, he says. "We're super-excited that she chose us to release her book," he says. "We're trying to help in whatever way we can to promote that book and make it a success for her." Evans has spent the last 10 years in Washington, D.C., as a project manager but decided to move back home. "Now that I've been away for 10 years, I realize that the things that are important to me are all in Pensacola — my family, my friends," she says. "These are all the things that really make me happy." Evans doesn't regret leaving Gulf Breeze for a time. "I think it was good for me to get out and see the world, and recognize that there's more than just Gulf Breeze and Pensacola," she says. After her first book was released last year, Evans says the support from people she hadn't spoken to in years, including her former classmates, was incredible. "For someone who was so eager to get away from Pensacola when I was a kid, seeing the support and the love that I'm getting is really humbling," she says. In quitting her job in D.C., Evans will put all her effort into writing and her publishing company, Sun's Golden Ray Publishing. Until last year, Evans thought writing was something private that she didn't want to share. "Then finally I realized that this is really what I'm supposed to be doing, and I've been doing it since I was 11-years-old," she says. "Everything has sort of aligned so perfectly that it just kind of seems like it’s time, that this is it." A big inspiration for Evans has been J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. She even used to write fan-fiction for it. "The community that has grown up around that book series is one of the most vibrant and inclusive communities that I've ever had the privilege of being a part of," she says. Evans has several other books to be released within the next year, including her third book on May 12. She has a book tour in the works this summer that will take her to Spokane, Wash., for the World Science Fiction Convention. Now that Evans is happy with what she's doing, she wants to keep it that way. "I really feel strongly that over the next couple years I'm just going to continue to find that happy place," she says.
Your items have been added to the shopping cart. The shopping cart modal has opened and here you can review items in your cart before going to checkout