In Grade 1, Evan Braun won third place in a CBC writing contest, and the rest, as they say, is history. The story was called “The Magic Christmas Tree.” It was about going to a tree farm in Beausejour with his father to pick out a tree, which then happened to have magic powers.
“Riveting stuff!” jokes Evan. He became set on writing after that and he’s never looked back. “I never seriously considered doing anything else for a living.”
After high school, Braun went on to Red River College and graduated with a Creative Communications diploma. At Red River, he learned the building blocks of good writing and built off that foundation in his career in fiction. “I highly recommend a journalism degree for anyone considering a future in writing,” says Braun, “whether or not journalism is their endgame.”
Growing up in Niverville shaped him in many ways. His fellow small town residents have been eager and willing to celebrate and support his talent. It’s precisely that kind of support that develops potential artists into professional artists. “There’s something about being a big fish in a small pond that breeds confidence,” says Braun.
Braun’s breakout happened in 2012 when he published the first book in his trilogy. The Watchers Chronicle is made up of 3 books: The Book of Creation, The City of Darkness, and The Law of Radiance. His books were well-received and well-reviewed. The Winnipeg Free Press said, “There is an important difference between someone like Dan Brown and Evan Braun: Braun writes with some literary sophistication.”
The trilogy was first conceived in the mind of Braun’s co-author Clint Byars, a good friend. When Byars shared the plot with Braun, he was hooked. “The initial goal wasn’t to write a novel,” says Braun, “but rather a screenplay.” After some time passed, the team decided instead to craft the story into a novel.
Aside from being a novelist with 3 books completed and more on the way, Braun also works as a book editor, working on anywhere from 20–30 books per year for clients across Canada and beyond. And he does it all from his home in Niverville.
He also works as the editor of this newspaper. I should point out, despite my persistence, that his humility and tact prevented me from writing this article about him for months.
You may wonder what the life of a writer and editor looks like. Braun usually wakes up at 11:00 in the morning and does the bulk of his work between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. “It’s a very productive and creative time for me,” says Braun. “I really enjoy the peacefulness and lack of distractions.”
With the success of his first 3 novels behind him, Braun is looking towards the future. His next 2 books, which are unrelated to the Watchers Chronicle, are more or less already written. “And there’s a lot more where that came from,” says Braun.
We sure hope so.
