To schedule an interview with Mallory, please send email to Len Morton The Salem News Published July 11, 2006 Good triumphs over evil, as Salem grad of 2002 has first book published. by Brenda Jessen News Staff Writer Mallory Evans is excited about her first published fantasy novel. The 2002 Salem High School graduate said the new release is a religious fantasy fiction novel that is the product of her imagination. "What people can take from this book is that good always win no matter what," Evans said. Evans, 23, said her first novel titled "Beautiful Atrocity" is about a young girl in foster care and her struggles in life. "It has a horror twist with a surprise ending. People who have read it say they couldn't put it down," Evans said. The book's main characters include Nero, Adam, Mayu, Sachiko and Yanick. Evans said she relates most to Nero, wh o is angry about the way humans treat each other. A chronic reader when she was growing up, Evans said she remembers always having a book in hand when she was a child. She has always had a lifelong interest in writing, and English and art were her favorite classes in school. She remembers writing her first short story at age nine while spending the summer at her grandparents. She also wrote a movie script at age 1w and other skits and short stories followed, which now seem humorous and some a little embarrassing, she admitted. "I really hope that my book will open eyes to other points of view," Evans said. "If I can help even one person to hate less, I've accomplished something." Evans said she relied on a publishing house to market her book, because it is nearly impossible for a first-time writer to be published by a traidtional publisher. She also wants to be in control of marketing and sales. She plans to write more fantasy books and possibly a children's book. "I plan to donate a portion of the revenue from signed copies of the book to childhelp.org, an organization founded for the prevention and treatment of child abuse," she said. Evans is currently taking online classes pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree and eventually hopes to get a Masters degree in education. She also has a website where she markets props, such as tiaras and jewelry. Her book is currently available at Barnes & Noble or on amazon.com, or by calling toll free 1-222-820-7715. The interview with Mallory was conducted by Blake E. Underwood on June 1, 2005.                                                                                               BU: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? ME: I can't say I recall. I do remember writing a lot when I was little. Especially when I was about nine-years-old. I stayed with my grandparents over the summer and they had a computer. I wrote part of a story about a Native American warrior saving a princess, and it was bloody awful, but I was nine. My grandparents saved it, which surprises me. When I was twelve, I wrote a lot about dinosaurs and dolphins. I can't remember the first dinosaur story I wrote, but it was for my sixth grade English class. The dolphin story I wrote had something to do with-- actually, that's too embarrassing to get into. I wrote a movie script at the end of my sixth grade year, and I think it took up maybe two full pages. I got lazy and wrote something like "Make up your own lines here." I clearly remember spelling 'world' wrong and my mother teasing me about it. BU: What was the movie script about? ME: Dinosaurs, naturally. It was about a gypsy woman that put dinosaur DNA into rings, and the wearer of the ring would become that dinosaur. I was obsessed with dinosaurs, and that was about the time Jurassic Park came out. I didn't get over the dinosaur thing until I was in seventh grade. I went through a songwriting phase, and once wrote a skit for Jerry Springer. I still have that skit somewhere. It was disgusting. I also write fiction for keixryu, but I've not done so in a while. BU: What was your childhood like? ME: To be frank, I didn't have the happiest childhood. BU: Care to go into detail? ME: Well... I can't honestly say I remember a lot of specific details and some memory is gone completely. Meningitis wiped out a lot when I was twelve. My mother was almost always working two jobs, I got picked on at school a lot, my father refused to claim me as his child and never called. He never even came to see me whenever I was dying in the hospital. No call or anything. I suppose one could say I'm bitter, but I try not to be because I'm sure many people have had much worse experiences than I have. School was hard for me. I was extremely lazy, and with my mother never around, my homework was never done and I never got to go out for recess because I was frequently getting detention. Many of my teachers didn't seem to care what was wrong with me, and there were several days where I would cry on the bus home because of something horrible a teacher said to me regarding my intelligence. I even had a teacher talk trash about my mother. We moved a lot so I was always in a different school. My trichotillomania got so bad by the time I was ten that we had my head shaved and the kids at school called me 'cancer girl'. Getting called something like that was especially hard for me whenever so many of my relatives, including my grandmother, had died of cancer. I never had any really good friends until my junior year of high school. I was the fat, short kid, so naturally, the perfect target getting beat up, shoved into gym lockers, and whatever else kids do. I eventually put on a facade and had a lot of people convinced that I was tough. Or so I like to think. BU: What were things with your parents like growing up and how are they now? ME: I hated my father because he refused to help [my mother and me]. My mom struggled to make ends meet and we couldn't afford a babysitter so I had to stay home alone a lot. Things with my mom were always bad because I didn't understand that she was trying to support us. I had myself convinced that she worked so hard because she didn't love me. Thinking that caused me to rebel. She'd ask me to clean and I'd do the opposite. I eventually had a babysitter, but the babysitter would send me home two hours early. It was a very large waste of my mother's money. I was really angry with my mom for a long time. We didn't really know each other at all. I just happened to live in her house. There were actually a few points when I didn't live with her at all. Once when I was fifteen and once when I was seventeen, both for several months at a time. Now that I'm older, I realize that she did the best she could. She didn't work those two jobs because she didn't love me. She thought that working hard to keep us off of welfare was the best thing she could do for me. She didn't miss my band concerts, choir concerts, and art shows to hurt me. I do admit that thinking back to those times where she didn't go to my school activities does hurt me, but that's life. There was a lot going on and she was really stressed out all the time. My mother is obviously a strong woman, because had it been me in her situation, I know I wouldn't have survived. I'll be lucky to become half the woman she is. I have so much respect for her, and I want her to be proud of me. Yeah, I had a bad childhood, but I'm not going to shoot some illegal substance into my veins and crash my car head-on into someone on the highway. I took the negative things and used them as fuel to rise above it. Someday, I want to be able to give my mom everything she tried so hard to give me. BU: You didn't say much about your dad. ME: I suppose I didn't. BU: Would you like to say anything about him? ME: He missed out on my entire life. He knows nothing about me. I remember asking him if he knew when my birthday was and he said no. That really hurt me. I know a lot of people might say that's a stupid, trivial thing to be upset about, but this man is my father. He created me. He was married to my mother roughly sixteen months before my conception and remained married to her until four years after my birth. My birthday was something he should've known. He didn't want to claim me as his own simply because he didn't want to pay child support. I recall him trying to lie to me a few times about it, telling me that my mom was taking the checks from the mailbox and hiding them, but I was the one who checked the mail daily because my mother was at work. My mom didn't have to tell me that my dad was a deadbeat, because even to a child, it was exceedingly obvious. He was obviously immature and made some stupid mistakes. If he ever wanted to make up for his mistakes, I wouldn't deny him. I believe that most everyone deserves a second chance. Going back to my mom, another reason I really respect her is because she never told me how to think when it came to my father. She let me form my own opinion from my own observation. I do call him occasionally, but I don't think he's ever called me. I've only stayed with him three times my entire life, for a grand total of maybe two weeks, so I honestly know very little about that side of my family. I call them, they don't call me. It's hard to keep calling people that you feel don't care about you. BU: How is your relationship with the rest of your family? ME: I'm not really close with my dad's side. I call my grandparents sometimes and visit them, and I do miss them, but they never call me or come visit me. I keep in touch with my mom's side because they call me and we all visit each other sometimes. I'm not much for going out or making phone calls, so they call me or drop by. I'm a hermit and they seem to respect that. I love my family very much, if that's what you're getting at. We've definitely had our bad times, but I love them. BU: Do you have a favorite relative? ME: Well, I wouldn't say favorite because favorite is really implying that I love her more than I love anyone else in my family, which simply isn't true, but my cousin Alicia and me are really close. Not as close as we used to be because she got older and has a boyfriend, but she still calls me and I call her, and we visit each other once every couple of months. I'm the oldest of the three granddaughters on my mom's side, and Alicia's the closest to my age. She knows things about me that very few know because I trust her that much. Sometimes we get mad at each other, but I don't think I can name one person I've ever gotten close to that I've not been mad at. BU: What are your friends like? ME: My friends are quite a diverse group. I'm one of those people with very few close friends, but many acquaintances. I have only four really close friends, and five if you include my cousin. Ages range from fifteen to twenty-three. The fifteen-year-old certainly doesn't act his age. He acts much older. Also, three of those five are male. Looking back, I've only had one absolutely great female best friend. Most of the people I labeled as 'best' friend were male. BU: What do you mean by diverse group? ME: One is gay, one is married and pretty girlish, one is a hermit like me, and the other I think may be Djehuti reincarnated. I'm envious of his math skills. I think the hermit and me might possibly share a brain. BU: What were your favorite subjects in school? ME: Art. I spent almost every moment of my junior and senior years in the art room of Salem Senior High. I loved my teacher, too. I learned so much there. I definitely intend to donate a large amount of money to the art department someday. I also loved English. I had some very supportive English teachers. BU: Where did you grow up? ME: We moved a lot. Salem is my base, though. I wasn't born in Salem, but it's my base. I've gone to several different schools and I wasn't even a military kid. BU: How many schools have you gone to and where? ME: In kindergarten and first grade I went to William Lynch Elementary in Salem. First semester of second grade I went to Troy Primary School in Troy, but for second semester we moved and I went to J.L. MUDD in O'Fallon until the end of fourth grade. First semester of fifth grade was at Boone Trail Elementary and then we moved back to Troy and I went to Claude Brown Elementary until the end of sixth grade. We moved back to Salem when I started seventh grade. Seventh grade through first semester of ninth grade was spent at Salem Junior High, and then we moved to Rochelle, Illinois. I went to school at Rochelle Township High School for that one semester and then moved back to Salem during that summer. I started tenth grade at Salem Senior High and graduated in 2002. I graduated a year late. Not that I did drugs or anything. I can honestly say I've never done drugs, nor have I ever drank or smoked, but I was afraid of the people. I'm sure that sounds absurd, but school was hard for me because I got teased a lot for various reasons and I just didn't want to go. The assistant principal didn't seem terribly concerned with how I was treated and I eventually gave up and would skip school all the time. I think I missed twenty days of school during first semester of my senior year, which was strange compared to my perfect attendence my sophomore year. I do regret that I didn't try harder in school, but there's no use crying about it because I can't change it. I can only do the best I can with what I've got. I also went to Rolla Technical Institute for a year and got my certificate in business administration. I made some great friends and had a lot of fun, but I'm only in touch with one of those friends anymore. I still email my accounting teacher occasionally, and consider her a friend, too. So I suppose that means I keep in touch with two friends from RTI. BU: Has your business certificate been useful? ME: I believe so. It's helped me manage my cosplay shop, and I own half of my mother's business, Ivy Cottage Gifts, which should be opening at the end of August. BU: What hobbies do you have? ME: Writing, of course, is my number one hobby, but sometimes I draw. I love to sing and learn pop dances, but I think my biggest hobby is chatting online and writing in my online journal. My journal is friends' only, though, because I'm generally a private person. I do a lot of chatting on SMoD, which is a MOO where I talk to my close group of friends. Oh, and I also go to Wal-Mart at around 2 A.M., but that's mostly to avoid the heavy flow of people. BU: What is a MOO? ME: It's for programming objects. While I do program objects, I mostly chat. I'm a wizard in SMoD, which basically means I'm one of the bosses. There are three of us in SMoD. I'm definitely not qualified to be a wizard, but my best friend owns SMoD so I'm a wizard by association. He gave me a list called 'Handy Commands You May Need as a Wizard', and I've found it to be quite useful. I catch onto programming languages quickly, so I'm having a great time with the ;force_input() command. I imagine it's getting on everyone's nerves, though. BU: What other programming languages do you know? ME: I'm pretty good with HTML, but HTML is the only other thing I know. Oh, and LiveJournal code, which is similar to C++, I've noticed. I'm hoping to borrow my friend's C++ book, but I still have a book to read and a book to write, so I should hold off. BU: What sort of things are you in love with? ME: Right now, I have this affinity for chocolate milk. I'm also in love with the color red and clear lip gloss. That's about it. BU: How do you feel about politics and religion? ME: I feel that both are extremely touchy subjects, especially when mixed. I get annoyed when people try to force their religion on someone and then use politics to back it up. "This country was founded on Christianity. This country was founded under God." While I am a Christian, I recall taking a little class called American History, and if memory serves me, this country was founded on the principle of freedom. Free to be who we want to be, free to do what we want to do, believe what we want to believe, and so on. I believe people should be free to believe what they want and not be subject to persecution simply because someone disagrees. At the same time, I believe that just because you don't believe in something doesn't automatically mean it doesn't exist. Just because you believe in something doesn't automatically mean it does exist. It's all very touchy, so just believe what you want and leave everyone else alone. BU: Onto the book, when did you first begin writing Beautiful Atrocity? ME: Beautiful Atrocity began as a graphic novel when I was seventeen. I decided graphic was a bad idea because it seemed that every time I'd sketch up to page twelve, something bad would happen. Someone would tear it up just to be mean, it would get rained on, or I'd leave it laying somewhere and have to begin again. I was also lacking the patience to draw every frame. It was similar to the 'make up your own lines from now on' situation. Writing was easier for me. I didn't get really serious about Beautiful Atrocity until right after I graduated high school. It was May of 2002, and I admitted to my best friend that I was afraid I was going nowhere in my life. I had a lot of friends that had no ambition and I was afraid I would turn out that way. That's when I decided to start working hard for something I could be proud of someday. BU: What was your inspiration for the book? ME: My obsession for Toriyama Akira's Dragonball Z and Takeuchi Naoko's Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon fueled my imagination. Those two authors definitely aided in Adamiata Pilote's creation. A lot of people expected that I would do very little, if anything at all, with my life. That was inspiration in itself. BU: Your book doesn't have a full ISBN yet because you've held off on the release, yet you've still managed a fanbase. How does that make you feel? ME: Really surprised. It's exciting, though. I get fanmail from people that stopped by my website to buy some cosplay accessories, and they saw the link to my AuthorHouse preview and really liked what they saw. It's really flattering that so many people have already heard that I wrote a book and are excited about buying it. It means a lot to me, and it's refreshing to know that people still love to read. Especially the young girls that make up my fanbase. I want to be a good rolemodel for them. BU: Do you expect your book to sell well when it's officially released? ME: I really don't know. I'd love for it to sell well, and I really hope it does, but not for the money. While I do admit that the money would be nice, that's not really the point. It's a very fantasy book, but I really hope to open eyes to different points of view. There's a lot of hate in the world and I really hope I make someone hate less. Even if I can only make one person stop persecuting someone else, I've accomplished something. BU: Which character of Beautiful Atrocity do you relate to the best? ME: Definitely Nero. He's so angry about the way humans treat each other. I feel that way. He gives quite a speech. I'm speaking vicariously through him. That sounds creepy. BU: Do you have a favorite scene in the book? ME: The final death scene. Adam's transformation. You know she not only changed in body, but in soul. She's completely reborn. BU: Do you plan to write anymore books? ME: Oh, definitely. I don't know what else to do with free time. BU: What sort of books do you have planned? ME: More fantasy. I have plans for several books. I don't want to talk about what they're about, but I've named them already. Paisley Sage and The Hole in the Sky is my attempt at a children’s book. How To Be A Vampire, Mind Games, Beautiful Atrocity II: Nero’s Return, and Apparition X. BU: Do you think you will ever write a graphic novel? ME: No, I don't. I just don't have the patience. Though I would love to. BU: Did you read a lot as a child? ME: I did! I read every last Little House on the Prairie book with my mother, as well as many other things. The Little House series stands out in my clouded mind more than anything else does, but I do recall always having a book in hand when I was young. BU: How would you feel if a traditional publisher wanted to take on Beautiful Atrocity? ME: I would be incredibly flattered. Being published with any traditional publisher is an honor. I really like the idea of vanity press because I like to be in control of marketing and things like that, but being signed to a traditional publishing house is an incredible honor. BU: If a movie producer came to you asking for rights to Beautiful Atrocity, how would you feel? ME: Again, incredibly honored. There have been so many amazing books coming to the silver screen lately. I would be absolutely honored if any of my works ever joined the ranks of some of my favorite movies that were derived from books.                                                                                                       The Salem News Published February 1, 2004 Oscars Night: Salem artist's creation will be featured at Oscar Awards on Feb. 29. by Brenda Jessen News Staff Writer Mallory Lanham never expected that one of her craft creations would end up at the nationally televised Oscar Awards. Lanham, who makes replicas of the walking staff featured in the "Lord of The Rings" movies, recently had an interesting request. Lanham has been making walking staff replicas and selling them on eBay on the Internet. "I received an email from a Los Angeles production designer requesting that the staff he purchased from her be sent overnight delivery. He said it would be used in a skit with Billy Crystal that was being taped in advance to the Oscars," Lanham said. Lanham said that initially she did not believe Production Designer Dan Butts. But he had information about the award show that had not yet been publicized, including that the award show would be aired earlier than usual, Feb. 29, and that it would be held in California this year. She then did some research on the Internet and confirmed information about the production designer and his work in the television and movie industry. Lanham said the walking staff, a replica of the one used by Gandalf in the second and third "Lord of The Rings" movie sequels, are quite popular because of the popularity of the movies. She has sold several, with the highest bid on eBay at $152.50. The one expedited to be used in the Oscars show went for about $100 after postage fees. "I'm not sure what they plan to do with the staff in the Oscars skit, but I'm excited about it," Lanham said. The 2002 Salem High School graduate said she has always enjoyed making crafts and working with clay. She credits her art teacher, Wanda Nickles, for inspiration. She also received a degree in Business and Office Administration from Rolla Technical Institute (RTI) in 2003. She makes the staves out of wood-craft rods and clay for the top and it has to be baked and spraypainted. In addition to her "Lord of The Rings" replicas, she also makes a variety of other crafts, such as earrings, Sailor Moon tiaras and other replicas from the cartoon series. She markets her creations on her website, MoonPrism.com and on eBay. "It takes me about a week to make one of the staves, because of the handmade clay design, baking, drying and painting process," Lanham said. "I really enjoy designing and making the crafts, and since I'm a computer nut I enjoy marketing the items I make as well."