Bold & Strong: Coffee Chat with Evan Face

For this bonus coffee chat, I’m talking with my firstborn, Evan. He is the kid who made me a mom and gave me tons of writing inspiration. He also gave me the need for excessive amounts of coffee in those early years because he wasn’t the best sleeper. He was sick a lot as an infant with many ear infections, bronchitis, and those really fun viral infections that never had a name or a cure – other than time. 

My memories of those first years of motherhood are rather hazy, probably due to a combination of pregnancy hormones and sleep deprivation. Fortunately, writing has served me well where my memory has failed. Because I wrote a lot about my experiences when I couldn’t sleep, I have some pretty cool and detailed stories of Evan’s infancy and toddlerhood.

Evan was born with a strong moral compass, curious mind, and sense of maturity and compassion that many adults haven’t developed. It is a privilege to be his mom, and I am so grateful to have spent all of this quarantine time with him. 

Fill your mug, prop up your feet, and read about what it’s like to be the focus of many essays and now a book, all in the words of nine-year-old Evan.

Me: Do you like coffee?

Evan: I’m not that big of a coffee drinker, but I do like mocha frappuccino.

 

Me: How do you feel about being the subject of many essays and now an actual book?

Evan: I think it’s really cool. I like to be in the book, and I like knowing I’m in something that people might read.

 

Me: Is there anything that you would prefer I not write about in the future? Anything you might find embarrassing?

Evan: Not really for me. But there are some parts about Delaney’s trouble making that are embarrassing!

 

Me: Do you enjoy writing? What do you write?

Evan: I already have ideas. I like writing about my life. I wrote Frog Dog a few years ago. It’s a comic about a creature who is bullied for the way he looks. Then he becomes a superhero. I read it for people at the library.

 

Me: What is it like to have a mom who writes?

Evan: It’s really awesome. I’m the son of an author, and I think that’s so cool.

 

Me: What is your favorite essay I have written?

Evan: “Baby Evan”, definitely. I like that it reminds me of when I was a toddler. It’s about when I was little and I couldn’t say my real name without “baby” in front of it.

 

Me: How have you helped with this project?

Evan: Well, I was there at the big reveal when you opened the box of books! I also passed out bookmarks at your signing and at the library.

 

Me: What do you think people should know about I Love You More Than Coffee?

Evan: People who are planning to be mothers or fathers should read it. It’s goofy and silly and they will know what parenting will be like.

 

As Evan gets older, I am increasingly careful about what I divulge in my writing and what I keep to myself. I know that sharing stories is a great way to reach others and make people feel less alone, but I never want to do that to my child’s detriment. My new policy is that I read essays to him before I hit submit. So far, he has given me the green light on everything!

 

To read more stories about Evan, purchase your copy of I Love You More Than Coffee here.