My Origin
Story
Hi, I'm Evan Pettway. A 28-year-old author, daydreamer, forklift wrangler, and professional snack avoider (currently). I was born on November 25, 1996, in Chesterhill, Ohio: Population: 268. Yes, that’s not a typo. That’s fewer people than there are books on my “to write” list. The Wi-Fi is questionable, the Amish community is large, and the people? Salt-of-the-earth wonderful.
I grew up bouncing between Ohio, New York, and Florida like a poorly packed suitcase. From Grove City to Columbus to Chesterhill (shoutout to small-town ghosts), and then all across the Sunshine State: Kissimmee, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Pierce. These places shaped my storytelling. Sometimes warm (Chesterhill), sometimes chaotic (NY & FL), but always full of character(s).
I was raised primarily by my mother, Nadine Norris, a real one. Though my father, Malcolm Pettway, left a lasting mark on who I am. He passed away during my childhood, but I know he’s smiling down at me now. My older brother has always been in my corner, too. I’ve been lucky to have a family that believes in this big, strange dream of mine.
One day soon, I’ll build a house on the land in Chesterhill, Ohio. The same land I was raised on, generously passed down by my grandfather. That’s the place I want to write from forever. It’s where I plan to live, write, and eventually pass the pen when the time comes.
For now, I live in Zanesville, Ohio and work at a warehouse, operating a stand-up forklift by night and building fictional worlds by day. I'm also deep into a personal transformation. Changing my relationship with food, losing weight, and discovering that self-care isn’t just bubble baths (though I don’t knock them).
Fun facts? Sure:
I can’t ride a bike (don’t judge me).
I’d die for a Reese’s Cup, but I’m trying not to.
I love music in nearly every flavor: jazz, rock, ‘80s hits, hip-hop, reggaeton, reggae, country. If it grooves, I move.
My dream is simple: to make storytelling my full-time reality. To write books that land on shelves and screens. I’m building toward the day I can ditch the forklift for a laptop and call writing my career, not just my calling.
pLOT ARMOR EQUIPPED, dREAM lOCKED iN
I’m a mixed Native American writer powered by insomnia, iced coffee, and cinematic dreams that don’t ask, they demand to be written. I don’t write for fame (though I wouldn’t say no to a rooftop HBO meeting); I write to leave something behind. Something that lingers. The kind of story that sucker punches you with emotion and won’t shut up in your brain for days.
My stories are genre-bending beasts: horror, sci-fi, psychological drama, absurdist comedy, and heartbreak you didn’t see coming. My brain doesn’t do tidy. It does, “what if the apocalypse was glittery?” and “can grief fall in love?”
I don’t have an MFA. What I do have is a growing body of work crafted for print and screen alike. One of my novels has been submitted to the Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest, and nearly everything I write is built with adaptation in mind. Cinematic, visceral, and (hopefully) binge-worthy.
My Dream Process (Literally)
I dream vividly. Not always coherently. Sometimes it’s chaos, sometimes it’s gold. But often, I wake up with a world, a character, or a strange emotional image I can’t ignore. I don’t write books straight from dreams, word for word. That’d be nonsense. (You try explaining dream logic to a three-act structure.)
Instead, I pull pieces. Sometimes 40%, sometimes 60%. And build around them. I rewrite the logic. I bend the chaos into something readable. I shape it so that at its core, it’s still dream-born... but the muscles and bones are pure storytelling.
What I'm Working On
Right now, I’m knee-deep in Echo Heart, a dark psychological sci-fi thriller about a cloned assassin who discovers she’s been grown to replace a legend that’s still alive. Think Orphan Black meets The Bourne Identity with a little Ex Machina soul-searching, soaked in betrayal, identity crises, and rebellion.
I’ve temporarily shelved two other projects while I finish Echo:
Tacos and Taper Fades, an absurdist comedy that lives somewhere between satire and spiritual breakdown.
No One’s Child, a gritty psychological crime thriller that asks how far someone will go when they’ve been erased by the system.
And the idea pile? Overflowing.
Her Will Be Done: A supernatural horror where a cruel matriarch’s control extends beyond death, trapping victims in a demonic nightmare ruled by twisted etiquette and punishment.
A fantasy racing novel where the MC uses his car like a modern-day Robin Hood. Except with horsepower and myth.
A creature-collecting saga for adults. No Pokéballs, no cartoon villains, just entirely original monsters, dark stakes, and world-shifting secrets.
And at least 5 more that haven’t even made it out of the “dream journal meets sticky note chaos” phase yet.
I’m looking for a literary partner who’s in it for the long game. Someone who isn’t thrown off by the fact that I don’t stick to one genre. I’m not a “mystery author” or a “sci-fi author” or even a “dark comedy author.” I’m a story author. Sometimes the tale is surreal horror. Sometimes it’s speculative romance. Sometimes it’s a glitter-drenched apocalypse or a psychological deep-dive dressed like a thriller. I don’t box myself in. And I’m looking for a rep who doesn’t need me to.
Ideally, you:
Understand that genre-bending isn’t a phase.
Are open to building a career, not just pitching a single book.
Have experience with screen adaptation or work at an agency that’s got that reach (film/TV contacts, foreign rights teams, etc.).
Can advocate for multi-genre voices. Or at least aren't scared off by a writer whose catalog sounds like a fever dream with structure.
Are cool with a client who builds books like blueprints for movies, without treating it like a gimmick.
Basically, if you or your agency has the tools, or the network, to support not just publication but eventual adaptation, we might just be a good fit. And if you’re new to all that but hungry to dive in and grow with a cinematic writer... even better.
I’m not looking for a magic wand. I’m looking for a teammate. Someone who gets what I’m building, who wants to help shape it, sell it, and watch it bloom into something unforgettable.
