Hello everyone!
Welcome to the second installment of my interview with the delectable author
of everything that goes bump in the night, Ms. Danielle DeVour. This dark vixen turns the tables on me and leaves me begging for more... or was it pleading for no more. You be the judge.
VC: Thanks for making it for our second sit down, Danielle.
DD: Like I even had an option of saying no.
VC: Are the ropes too tight?
DD: Oh darling, I wish they were tighter…
VC: You are so naughty, you sassy little minx.
DD: I’d purr right now, if I weren’t so morbid.
VC: Duly noted. So let’s start by discussing a little more about
the writing process. It’s pretty hard to keep the usual humdrum aspects of
life, particularly when you are working on your latest manuscript. How do you
keep from resenting your duties and every human’s sleeping requirement when you
have to stop writing to take care of them?
DD: Well, I do almost all of my writing early in the morning. I
live with my parents. My father now has a lot of special needs, so it is a help
to my folks to have me around the house. So, I write after she has gone to work
and before my father wakes up in the morning.
VC: I’ve always thought it took a special person to be a
caregiver. Your parents must really appreciate having you there to help them.
DD: Thanks. What can I say, I love my Dad. I’d do anything to
make my parents’ life easier.
VC: If you knew your book was awesome, but others thought it was
horrible, would you try to convince them that it really is good, or would you
think to yourself that it isn't good at all?
DD: It would depend on who thought it was horrible. I am my own
worst critic, so it would be odd for someone else to view my writing harder
than I view it myself. So, I guess my answer is that I wouldn’t argue with them
because I would probably already know it wasn’t ready.
VC: I totally get what you’re saying. If I were at a point of
being comfortable enough to show a part of a work in development to anyone, I
already have it in my mind that I thought it was good. At that point, I would
be looking for comments on what works and what doesn’t. Which comes first? The
character's story or the idea for the novel?
DD: Usually, I have a loose subject idea I want to work with.
Then, I find the character that the story is about.
VC: If you were writing a book about your life, what would the
title be?
DD: How to drive yourself crazy in eight easy lessons.
VC: I’m guessing you in school you majored in that subject?
DD: Total Dean’s List.
VC: Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or
purely all imagination?
DD: Mathias’ life with his parents is based on my life. I was the
goofy kid that read all the vampire books, and my dad always teased me about
it.
VC: I was the same way, except I would always watch the old
Hammer films and would drive my mother crazy because I would then have
nightmares and end up sleeping in their room. What do you think are the most important
attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
DD: Having a sense of humor, knowing when to stop, and being
disciplined.
VC: Which makes me bat shit crazy.
DD: Well, since you brought it up…
VC: Careful, my dear. What do you consider your biggest failure?
DD: Not fighting against the downfall of the cape.
VC: Oh my God. Are we the same person?
DD: Honestly, probably not paying more attention to grammar
classes in school. I wish I could take a grammar class now.
VC: What do you do when you are not writing? Do you have a day
job as well?
DD: I do what I loosely call crochet art. Basically, it is sort
of painting portraits with yarn instead of paint. I also teach people how to
fit pointe shoes.
VC: Now, you come across as completely goth-ish and now I have
this picture of you crocheting.
DD: Don’t judge, even the living dead like a good piece of
crochet.
VC: Although the pointe shoes fitting is very interesting. Not
everyone understands how complex pointe shoe fitting is. Not all pointe shoes
are created equal. Blochs, Capezio, Grishko… all very different fits.
DD: I am stunned. How do you know so much about pointe shoes?
VC: In another life, I was a ballet dancer. Long story.
DD: You’re like an onion, VC.
VC: Moving on…What has been the toughest, demeaning criticism
given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
DD: I had one agent post on Twitter in a #tenqueries post that
the book I was querying to him was a piece of garbage- later that day I got a
request for a full from a different agent. The best compliment I have gotten so
far was that I depicted street life very realistically.
VC: What question have you always wanted to be asked in an
interview? How would you answer that question?
DD: Is there some emotional response that you hope that your
writing evokes? Yes, fear. I would love to scare someone with my writing.
VC: When did you first, without hesitation, call yourself a
writer?
DD: Probably when I started not being able to stop the stories
coming into my head.
VC: I still have a hard
time with it. Some friends of mine will introduce me as an up and coming author
and I can’t help but cringe. Hopefully in time, I’ll get over it.
DD: I have all the faith in that ego of yours.
VC: I always knew I could count on you. Is there a difference
between a writer and an author?
DD: I think there is a big difference. As a writer, you can
write anything from grants to research lab notes. An author either writes books
or articles based on research.
VC: I’ve always thought differently about writer versus author.
A writer writes, an author creates. God, that sounds pompous. Who is your
biggest cheerleader?
DD: Probably my dad. He tells all of his friends about my books.
VC- Danielle, thank you for stopping by my blog.
DD- Thanks again for having me.
VC- Just a reminder, this is the second installment of my
extensive interview with author Danielle DeVor. If you liked what you read,
please watch for additional installments where we will dive deeper into
Danielle’s novel submission process, along with pealing back the layers of the
onion that makes up this author’s mind.
Her novel, Tail of the Devil is available online at Amazon and
Barnes and Noble. You can also visit Danielle online at http://danielledevor.wordpress.com. Her
additional links are below.
Twitter: @sammyig
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/DanielleDeVor
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/danielledevor
Amazon Link for Tail of the Devil: http://www.amazon.com/Tail-of-the-Devil-ebook/dp/B00CJHO7D8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367324817&sr=8-1&keywords=tail+of+the+devil
Barnes and Noble Link for Tail of the Devil: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tail-of-the-devil-danielle-devor/1115225829?ean=2940016494050
