Meta A. Evenbly
Meta Evenbly is the heroine of Brave Face.
Fear chased her, but courage carried her. That is, Meta lived the story told in Brave Face. Born in 1935 to a German mother, she grew up in the Netherlands, which was occupied during World War II. When she had just turned 17, Meta met the love of her life, Frits, who was born to Dutch parents in the Congo but also grew up in the Netherlands. She married him at 22 and emigrated to Canada. There, the young couple started life with only $30, no jobs, no home, and lots of courage.
While living in Canada, the couple was blessed with a girl, a boy, and twin sons. The family moved to Iowa in 1967, where they had their fifth baby, a girl. In 1976, the entire family moved again, this time to England. So, Meta raised her five children in three different countries, none of them her country of origin, making a home wherever they were.
Finally, after moving to Texas, Meta had the chance to pursue her dream of gaining a university education. She graduated cum laude with a degree in Liberal Arts from St. Thomas University, Houston, in philosophy, psychology, and theology at the age of 59.
In 2017, Meta lost her beloved Frits. But, she doesn’t just have a brave face. She is also a woman of indomitable spirit and is not done with living. So, Meta is sharing her story with the generations who come after her.
Award-winning author, I. Caroline Crocker
I. Caroline Evenbly Crocker is Meta’s eldest child.
Like her parents, she is an immigrant–in her case, to the U.S.A. Over the past 20 years, Caroline has worked as a biology professor, the chief executive officer (CEO) of a startup company, the president of a nonprofit, a private tutor, a technical writer, a research scientist, a consultant, and a communications expert.
Caroline is a popular speaker on several topics, maintains a blog, and is the author or co-author of fourteen books. Caroline is married to Richard and has four grown children and eight grandchildren.
Caroline’s personal interests are as diverse as her professional roles. She finds joy in gardening, sewing, historical research, and long forest walks. But above all, she is a storyteller at heart, with a knack for weaving truth into narratives that read like fiction.
Caroline is an active member of the arts and writing communities. She served on the Fairfax Commission on the Arts until her speaking and writing became too demanding. She is currently a proud and active member of the Virginia Writer’s Club, the Women’s National Book Association, the Virginia Library Association, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.