Author Interview with Karen Charles, Author of 'EVAN'S STORMY VOYAGE' #authorinterview
Karen Charles grew up in West Africa and traveled across Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Europe. Her rich background and lifetime experiences are reflected in the depth of her writing. In her stories, she transforms real-life narratives into gripping thriller fiction. Her novels intricately weave threads of truth into a tapestry of suspense, intrigue, and riveting storytelling. She is the author of three children’s books in the “Evan’s Adventures in Africa” series, including Freeman Earns a Bike, Evan’s Gift, and Evan’s Stormy Voyage. Her three thrillers include Fateful Connections, set in the aftermath of 9/11, and Blazing Upheaval, set during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and the Northridge earthquake. A Glimpse Too Far offers the mystery and heart-pounding suspense of a psychological thriller and is based on a true story. Karen Charles has two businesses—a global company that trains international teachers to teach American English and an Airbnb on a beautiful bay in Washington State, where she and her husband currently live.
Karen’s latest book is Evan’s Stormy Voyage.
Visit her website at www.weaveofsuspense.com.
Connect with her on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.
My writing journey began at age eight during a family relocation to Nigeria in West Africa. Seeing the magnificent crowned crane for the first time left such a lasting impression that I wrote a poem about the experience. To my delight, it was published in the children's magazine Jack and Jill, giving me my first taste of sharing my writing with others.
Although teaching became my lifelong career, writing remained an important part of who I was. As I taught students the art of storytelling, I wrote stories alongside them, often casting my students as characters in our adventures. Those years nurtured my creativity and reinforced my belief in the power of stories to inspire, entertain, and connect people.
After retiring from teaching, I finally pursued my dream of writing thrillers inspired by true stories. My novels weave real events into gripping fiction, creating stories that resonate with readers long after they turn the final page. I have been honored to appear as a guest on podcasts and to speak as an author at schools, libraries, and book festivals, where I enjoy sharing my passion for writing and encouraging others to tell their own stories.
One of the greatest challenges of being a self-published author has been learning the world of book marketing. It has required persistence, adaptability, and a willingness to continually learn new skills. Despite these challenges, the overwhelming encouragement from readers keeps me motivated. Hearing how deeply readers connect with my characters and the true events woven into my stories is the greatest reward and continues to inspire me as I write the next chapter of my journey.
Your latest book, Evan's Stormy Voyage, is about an eight-year-old boy named Evan who leaves New York aboard a freighter bound for West Africa. What is he planning on doing once he gets there?
Evan is planning to go to an American boarding school in Jos, Nigeria, during the school year. He will spend his vacations with his parents, who will be working in Kafanchan.
When the voyage turns out to be quite treacherous with furious storms, how does little Evan handle it?
Evan is scared of the storm but handles it bravely. He and his cabinmate, Mateo, don’t get sick, so they support each other and spend the time together, playing games and reading.
What does your book teach young readers?
- Courage doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. Evan can feel scared, uncertain, or overwhelmed and still keep going. That gives children a healthier picture of bravery: I can be afraid and still be brave.
- Storms are temporary. The voyage can become a gentle metaphor for difficult moments in childhood. When things feel chaotic or frightening, children can learn that they can make it through and eventually find calmer waters.
- Trust yourself and keep moving forward. Evan’s journey can encourage children to listen to their inner voice, make choices, and discover that they are more capable than they initially realize.
- You don’t have to face hard things alone. The story includes people who help Evan, reinforcing that asking for help isn't a weakness—connection is part of courage.
- Adventure can come from uncertainty. The storm isn't simply an obstacle; it changes Evan and teaches him something. Children can come away seeing challenges not just as things to escape, but as experiences through which they grow.
What's the main reason someone should really read your book?
Filled with unforgettable characters, breathtaking ocean scenes, and heartfelt moments of friendship, Evan’s Stormy Voyage is a rich coming-of-age adventure that celebrates empathy, resilience, and the power of human connection across cultures. Perfect for readers who love emotionally rich adventure stories, this second book in the Evan’s Adventures in Africa series invites children into a world of discovery they will never forget.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most good to the people, what would that be?
If I could start a movement, I would call it “Open the World to a Child.”
I grew up in Africa, became a teacher, an entrepreneur, and eventually an author, and each chapter of my life has taught me the same thing: when we help children understand people whose lives are different from their own, we plant the seeds of compassion.
I would love to see a movement that uses books, education, and personal stories to introduce children to cultures beyond their own neighborhoods and borders. Children are naturally curious. When they read about another child’s home, family, struggles, dreams, and adventures, that child who once seemed “different” suddenly becomes someone they understand.
That is one of the reasons I created Evan’s Adventures in Africa. In Evan’s Stormy Voyage, children experience the excitement of crossing the Atlantic on a freighter, meeting a new friend from Ghana, facing a frightening storm, making mistakes, forgiving one another, and discovering the courage to face the unknown. They are traveling the world without ever leaving their chair.
As a teacher, I learned that education is about far more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. We are also teaching children how to become human beings—how to be kind, curious, resilient, generous, and accepting of others.
Imagine if every child regularly read stories about children from other countries and cultures and then had opportunities to talk about what they had discovered. We might raise a generation that doesn't begin with, “How are you different from me?” but instead asks, “What can I learn from you?”
That is the movement I would start.
Because if we want to change the world, I believe one of the best places to begin is with a child, a book, and an open mind.
Life aboard the freighter feels like a floating world of its own. The ship carries only a handful of passengers, and Evan quickly befriends Mateo, another boy his age who is traveling to Ghana to live with his grandparents for a year. Together, the boys explore the ship’s narrow passageways, climb to the bridge where Captain Morales lets Evan help steer the vessel, and spend long afternoons in the ship’s library building model kits and solving puzzles while storms churn across the ocean outside.
As the days pass, their friendship deepens. Evan learns that Mateo misses his family as much as he does, and the two boys discover what it means to trust someone far from home. But when Evan’s prized airplane model kit suddenly disappears, suspicion and hurt threaten to destroy their friendship. Angry and confused, Evan must decide whether to hold onto resentment or search for understanding.
Meanwhile, the voyage itself grows more dangerous. A hurricane drifts far off its usual course, slamming the freighter with towering waves that leave passengers frightened and seasick. In the middle of the storm, Evan witnesses courage from the crew, compassion among strangers, and the quiet strength of his own parents as they face uncertainty together. Through the chaos of the sea and the heartbreak of betrayal, Evan begins to mature in ways he never expected.
When the ship finally reaches the bustling ports of Liberia, Ghana, and ultimately Lagos, Nigeria, Evan is overwhelmed by sights and sounds unlike anything he has ever known—towering cranes unloading containers, humid air thick with salt and diesel, crowded harbors alive with movement, and vibrant new cultures waiting beyond the docks. Yet the hardest moment comes when Mateo must leave the ship in Ghana. Their emotional goodbye forces Evan to confront how deeply friendship can change a person, even in a short time.
Filled with adventure, heart, humor, and emotional depth, Evan’s Stormy Voyage is a middle-grade coming-of-age novel about courage, kindness, forgiveness, and finding home in unfamiliar places. Inspired by the author’s experiences growing up in Africa, the story offers young readers a vivid journey across the Atlantic as it explores universal themes of friendship, empathy, resilience, and cultural discovery. Fans of heartfelt adventure stories will be swept into Evan’s unforgettable voyage as he learns that the greatest discoveries are often the ones made within ourselves.
Evan’s Stormy Voyage is available at Amazon.
╰┈➤Book Details
➺Title: Evan’s Stormy Voyage
➺Author: Karen Charles
➺Genre: Children’s Series
➺Language:English
➺Pages: 72
➺Publisher: BookBaby
➺Publication Date: August 24, 2026
➺Formats: Paperback
➺Paperback ISBN: 979-8317844738
