Synopsis

Clarissa Martinez, a biracial young woman, has lived in seven different countries by the time she turns twenty. She thinks it’s time to settle in a place she could call home. But where?

She joins a quest for the provenance of stolen illuminated manuscripts, a medieval art form that languished with the fifteenth century invention of the printing press. For her, these ancient manuscripts elicit cherished memories of children’s picture books her mother read to her, nourishing a passion for art.

Though immersed in art, she’s naïve about life. She’s disheartened and disillusioned by the machinations the quest reveals of an esoteric, sometimes unscrupulous art world. What compels individuals to steal artworks, and conquerors to plunder them from the vanquished? Why do collectors buy artworks for hundreds of millions of dollars? Who decides the value of an art piece and how?

And she wonders—will this quest reward her with a sense of belonging, a sense of home?

Amazon

Interview with Evy

How long have you been writing?

At least 50% of my time in previous jobs was devoted to writing proposals and reports. Before that, I wrote short stories for a school paper, term papers, a thesis, a dissertation. If you include those, then I’d say I’ve been writing a long time. As far as published fiction is concerned—twelve years.

What is your next project?

How about a novel on Edouard Manet (“father” of modern art, Le Dejeuner Sur L’herbe) and Berthe Morisot, one of very few female Impressionist painters? Were they more than friends, or was he just a mentor/painter to her student/muse? She eventually married his brother. If I find enough intrigue in what’s been written about them, I’ll be sorely tempted.

What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?

The chapter before the Epilogue was supposed to show the male character, in his POV, disclosing his feelings for Clarissa, and what happens  after she kisses him. More intimate and a bit sexy, it’s part emotional hook/part deeper characterization, but I decided it would distract from the story’s main themes and is out of sync with the story presentation. And why not leave something for the reader’s imagination? So, I excised it before I sent my draft to the editor.

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

My author website tagline reads “I see, I listen, I think. Therefore, I write.” I live in a multicultural region where my reality consists of stories of the “Other”—multiracial or transcultural characters navigating separate “realities.” I’ve packaged my stories of the “Other” into a series (Between Two Worlds) of standalone books, each of which delves into a specific subject that interests me—for The Golden Manuscript, it’s art.

TheGoldenManuscripts-FIN.mp4 from Evy Journey on Vimeo.

About the Author

Evy Journey writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse.

Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois). So her fiction spins tales about nuanced characters dealing with contemporary life issues and problems. She believes in love and its many faces.

Her one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has visited and stayed a few months at a time.

Website * Facebook * Instagram