325: Evelyn Ann Casey - Author of Candlewood

Our guest this week is Evelyn Ann Casey (Candlewood, Three Towers Press, February 2025). Evelyn's debut, set in the 1970's, is considered historical fiction and we commiserate about how old that makes us feel. Then we discuss how Flea Bag's second season with its "hot priest" theme helped her see deeper into her own novel which centers around both a predatory priest and a forbidden love story. Listen to hear her take on Catholic vs. Christian-based small presses and what a bookseller taught her about what shelf her novel actually belonged on (hint: it wasn't romance).     Evelyn Ann Casey writes stories filled with grace and gumption. Her writing asks hard questions yet reflects hope in the darkest hours. A love of language and storytelling grew from her Chicago roots in a multi-ethnic neighborhood filled with Irish brogues, Sicilian music, and the banter of Jewish delis. Evelyn worked in government relations in Milwaukee and Madison before managing outreach programs in healthcare at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When not exploring locales near and far with her husband, Evelyn attends music and theatre venues as often as possible and volunteers with community reading programs. To learn more about Evelyn, click here.