The Story Behind Karen Charles, the Author of the Evan’s Adventures in Africa Series

 

Eight-year-old Evan leaves New York aboard a freighter bound for West Africa, beginning an adventure of a lifetime across the Atlantic...

Eight-year-old Evan has never crossed an ocean before. Leaving behind the familiar streets of New York, he boards a massive freighter ship with his parents, bound for West Africa, where his family will live for the next four years. Excited yet uncertain, Evan watches the Statue of Liberty fade into the mist and wonders what waits for him on the other side of the Atlantic.

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
➺Author: Karen Charles
➺Genre: Children’s Series
➺Language:English
➺Pages: 72
➺Publisher: BookBaby
➺Publication Date: ‎ August 24, 2026
➺Formats: Paperback
➺Paperback ISBN: ‎979-8317844738

Excerpt:

Evan stood at the railing of the enormous freighter ship, his sneakers planted wide as the deck trembled beneath him. The engines rumbled low and deep, like a giant clearing its throat before speaking. New York Harbor sparkled in the morning sun. Restless seagulls wheeled overhead, crying out sharp and wild. Tugboats puffed along like busy little beetles, guiding the massive ship toward open water. And there she was. The Statue of Liberty stood tall against the sky, her torch glowing gold in the light. She appeared brave and steady, her torch raised high as if she were waving goodbye just to him. Evan raised his arm and waved. “Goodbye,” he whispered. The wind pressed against him harder now, flattening his shirt against his chest. It felt different out here, stronger, wilder. The water slapped against the ship’s sides with a hollow boom… boom… boom… like a drumbeat echoing from somewhere far below. Behind him was everything he had always known. He would miss this place. Ahead of him was Nigeria, West Africa, a place of bright sun, red earth, and tall palms that rustled like whispers of secrets. His parents had new jobs there, and he would be going to an American boarding school. He imagined classrooms filled with maps, new accents, new games, and nights under stars bigger than he had ever seen. Excitement fizzed inside him like fireworks. But underneath it, something else moved. A twisty feeling. Like clouds gathering where the sky had just been blue. He watched as the Statue of Liberty grew smaller and smaller, her torch shrinking to a tiny spark against the horizon. 1 The sky above the harbor shifted. A bank of gray clouds stretched low over the Atlantic, dark and quiet and waiting. The freighter pushed forward anyway. Evan gripped the railing tighter. The ocean ahead looked wide and endless, like a giant blue blanket that could shake itself awake. He took a deep breath. Adventure was calling. But far out on the horizon, where the ocean met the sky, something darker was rising. And it was coming their way.

– Excerpted from Evan’s Stormy Voyage by Karen Charles, BookBaby, 2026. Reprinted with permission.

 

The Story Behind Karen Charles, the Author of the Evan’s Adventures in Africa Series

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. 

About the Author

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.

The Economy Always Gets Better by Dr. Nikki Finlay

 

For those of us who forgot what we learned years ago or never had the opportunity to take an economics class, terms like recession, depression, tariffs, inflation, and gross domestic product can make our heads spin. If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place. In The Economy Always Gets Better, award-winning economist Dr. Nikki Finlay explains the economy in its simplest terms, making it easier to understand and giving readers the tools to approach even the most distressing economic information with confidence.

Dr. Finlay combines her knowledge and years of academic experience in this practical and accessible guide for anyone wishing to better their understanding of the economy. Using personal stories, useful metaphors, visual representations, and statistical data, she makes economics accessible to everyone. Whether you’re worried about the current economic troubles or trying to figure it all out for the first time, The Economy Always Gets Better will leave you better informed and better prepared to thrive.

Purchase a copy of The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times with Confidence on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org. Add it to your GoodReads reading list too.

 How I Set Up My Writing Practice With Mobility Impairment In Mind

I fell down a flight of stairs and nearly broke my neck. The good news is that I’m still here. A little less able to do the things I used to do. But still here. But it cost me my academic career. It also cost me three years of coping with the depression and learning to manage the pain.

So, in the summer of 2021, I decided to do something I hadn’t done in a decade—write. I started with an idea for a memoir about my life teaching economics. By December, I’d finished a healing draft. Then someone told me this: “I just don’t get inflation.”

And I said, “I can explain that.”

I combined the bits about the economy from the healing draft with notes I’d taken while I was teaching. Notes that were always intended as a book for my students. But I didn’t have the discipline to keep at it. That’s when I found my tribe, a group of nonfiction writers who meet each weekday at 4 pm to work on their books. I finished a 35,000-word draft in three months. Writing by hand, my preference, was too difficult at this time. So, I learned to compose on the keyboard. Badly!

I did most of the work on an iPad from my bed. Then my husband set up a desk in the converted garage for my office. But we had to make modifications because the circulation in my legs and feet was poor. Probably all that writing in bed. I stuffed an ottoman under my desk. While I can only sit there for an hour or two, I can get about 400-500 words out. That’s more than enough to write a book and publish on Substack. Occasionally there will be a 1,000-word day. Those days call for celebration. But I don’t depend on them.

 

About the Author

Dr. Nikki Finlay is an economics educator and author of The Economy Always Gets Better: Navigating Turbulent Times with Confidence. She helps adults who feel intimidated by economics understand how it actually works in their everyday lives—without the jargon. With over two decades of teaching experience at institutions including Clayton State, Georgia State, and Gwinnett Technical College, Dr. Finlay has worked with students of all backgrounds and experience levels. Her approach is simple, practical, and rooted in real-life examples that make complex economic concepts easier to understand. Through her writing, Dr. Finlay translates topics like inflation, employment, and economic cycles into clear, relatable insights that help readers build confidence—not just knowledge—about the world around them. She lives just outside Atlanta, Georgia with her husband of over 40 years and enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her children and grandson.

You can follow the author at:

https://nikkifinlay.substack.com

www.linkedin.com/in/economics-for-the-rest-of-us

TV Series review: Agatha Raisin

                                                 

Agatha Raisin is a sharp-witted, very attractive PR executive who swaps her high-flying London career for a quiet life in the English village of Carsley, imbued with the bucolic charm that only English villages with extraordinarily high murder counts can achieve. The Cotswolds seem to be light years away from the hustle and bustle of London life, but Agatha is kept very busy as murders follow in her footsteps. Soon she is an unofficial sleuth, and very shortly after her talents are both recognised and deplored by the local coppers, she opens an official detective agency. The series is adapted from MC Beaton’s novels of the same name and blend quirky charm with cosy murder mystery and the unique sense of ‘Britishness’ of a typically English rural setting.

Ashley Jensen is Agatha; attractive, quick-thinking, and with a love of very expensive shoes with very high heels. I think a large section of the budget must have been devoted to the shoes. She lives next door to James Lacey, played by Jamie Glover, and their on/off love affair plays out over the episodes. He is handsome, rugged-looking, suave, and well-dressed. Even his jeans are pressed. However, he is a bit of a stuffed shirt and pretty soon I thought Agatha was better off without him. So did she. Then we have Sir Charles Fraith (Jason Merrells) who is a confirmed flirt and desperate to find love. He lives in a stately pile that any woman would be happy in. The exact opposite of James, Sir Charles always looks slightly dishevelled, as if he jumped into a laundry basket and then wore what stuck. He is so funny and disarming and is much more appealing.

The coppers mentioned above start out like the Keystone Cops so it’s easy for Agatha to run rings around them. Matt McCooey plays DC Wong, a handsome half Japanese officer who is utterly sweet and disarming. Jason Barnett plays DC Wilkes, a chubby black officer who is very officious and has a few run-ins with Agatha. These two are hilarious and prove that there are no small parts. However, the absolute scene stealer is Marcia Warren as Mrs Boggle. The name says it all; the old lady who inserts herself into every aspect of village life. She is so funny and well worth watching. There are no age barriers when it comes to acting.

The absolute joy in watching this series is the ensemble acting. The village has a great sense of camaraderie and so do the characters who make up Agatha’s team. There are a few more I have not mentioned. While there were a few determined DEI castings initially, I think soon the scriptwriters stopped meddling and the makeup of the village was determined by the stories and the situations leading to the murders. This is a great pick for weekend viewing but be warned: you will binge watch so make plenty of popcorn!

Movie Review: The Commuter

 

I started watching Fuze which sounded exciting; a WW2 unexploded bomb in London. What a boring and dismal movie. A wooden Aaron Taylor-Johnson headed up the army detail sent to defuse it. Long and dreary, with much time wasted in exchanges with various people who seemed to have no connection to the various departments in the army. No sense of panic and mayhem when people were being evacuated. It was so dull that I stopped watching and found The Commuter, starring Liam Neeson who does thrillers so well. Yes, it sounds like a rehash of Non-Stop, set on a plane, but this one is set on a train. When an insurance broker, Michael MacCauley, very strangely loses his job and is on his way home, his future in tatters, he is approached by a woman who says he can earn a quick $100,000 by doing one very simple thing. But as with all these scams, nothing is ever simple.

The photography is excellent and Neeson comes across as a man who has had his nose to the grindstone, weary and beaten down by life and mortgages and bills. His desperation fuels his frantic actions, as he must identify someone on the gradually emptying train. A witness to a murder committed by the cops. This is not just any murder. It reveals deep-seated political corruption. But as he tries and fails and tries again, it seems as if the woman who hired him has her claws in his family, and the people she works for have infiltrated so deep.

The action scenes are just spectacular and Neeson is incredibly fit. He was 64 when this movie was made. The focus is on his character, but this does not bypass others like Vera Farmiga (the woman), Sam Neill (chief of police), and Patrick Wilson (his former colleague in the force). Critics complained they were underused but there are no small roles, only small actors and an observant viewer will see the back script, the history behind the relationships, and the tiny nuances that say more than the dialogue. A look, an expression, eyes shifting sideways tell the viewer what is really happening. The suspense and tension escalate as the train journey comes to an end, and the witness must be found. The final train smash sequence is absolutely breathtaking, and it must have been spectacular on the big screen. If you want action, a hero, an almighty train smash, justice, and deep politics corruption in spades, this is your movie. Make popcorn. Lots!