I Couldn't Get Rid of the Body: Part Two of my Interview With Author Danielle DeVor

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

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/danielledevorauthor

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

An Interview with the Delightful....The Devilish... Danielle DeVor

Hello everyone,

 

I am so excited to have as my special blog guest, the devilishly delightful author Danielle DeVor! Danielle sat down with me for a lengthy interview and this is the first installment of our discussion. Her latest book, Tail of the Devil is a must read, rollercoaster vampire ride. Her upcoming book, which I am dying to get my hands on, deals with a defrocked priest, who is also an exorcist. Set in a town called Sorrow’s Point, at a haunted mansion terrifying enough to cause a few sleepless nights, its Halloween release date can’t come soon enough.

 

VC- Danielle, thank you so much for making time to be on my blog.

 

DD- How could I possibly resist? Thanks for having me.

 

VC- First, let me say your cape in your publicity shot is quite fetching.

 

DD- That old thing. I dug it up somewhere. Actually, it was dug up out of my friend's crypt. I'll return it one day when she isn't quite so...indisposed.

 

VC- So glad you could get the stains of decomposing corpse off of it.

 

DD- Oxy-clean is my hero.

 

VC- So, let’s start with your background. Where did you grow up?

 

DD- I was born in Morgantown, WV. My town is a valley in between the mountains of West Virginia. So, lots of snow and cold. Sometimes, I think that is one of the things that guided me toward writing about unusual people in hard situations.

 

VC- That’s an interesting point. How you’ve taken your environment and its hostile weather and turned it into an attribute that drives your characters.

 

DD- It’s very interesting how a certain environment seems to attract unusual people. For example, looking at Stephen Kings’ works like Storm of the Century, Salem’s Lot, The Shining and It. All are set in isolated locations, populated with a cast of unusual characters.

 

VC- Two areas I like to focus on are the process of writing and getting published.

 

DD- Both extremely painful processes.

 

VC- Nothing wrong with a little pain, as long as you are enjoying it.

 

DD- I think I just fell in love with you. (Laughing)

 

VC- It happens all the time. Moving on, what sparked the idea for your novel?

 

DD- Well, I’ve always had this thing for vampires, but it took getting the flu one year, and Mathias just popped into my head.

 

VC- Are you a linear writer? Or do you jump all over? Do you outline?

 

DD- I am a totally linear writer. I hate outlining because I’m also a pantser.

 

VC- Pantser?

 

DD- It’s an urban term, meaning “fly by the seat of your pants”

 

VC- So no outline?

 

DD- I have the idea sketched out in my mind, I may take a few notes, but no, no outline. I allow the story to lead me to its natural end.

 

VC- Describe in 5 words, your writing.

 

DD- Blend between comedy and terror.

 

VC- Did you learn anything from writing your first book and what was it? Besides it being a pain in the ass.

 

DD- Learn to write faster. (laughing)  No, seriously. Tail of the Devil took me six years to write. Part of that was me getting lazy and not working on it for months. If I wanted to make a career out of writing, I needed to force myself to write until the book was done. That’s what I’ve done ever since.

 

VC- I went through the same thing, but it was either my partner Joel telling me to take a break, because the book was beginning to be the third person in our life, or I had a small bit of writer’s block. Sometimes it was because I felt what I was writing at the time was complete crap.

 

Do you ever experience writer’s block? Do you have a favorite method or mental exercise to overcome the writer's block?

 

DD- I have, but I’d noticed a real help for me to get over writer’s block is a deadline. If I tell myself I have to get something done by a certain date, I tend to be a heck of a lot more dedicated.

           

VC- Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

 

DD- Not really. I just always dabbled in writing something. I've written poetry, songs, and plays over the years before I dove head-first into prose.

 

VC- Do you work on more than one book at a time?

 

DD- I can’t. Being a pantser, if I worked on more than one book at once, I’d mix plots together.

 

VC- Have you ever experienced writing halfway, and then suddenly lost the passion and inspiration to finish the story? What would you do?

 

DD- I have, on a number of books, done this. Usually in the dreaded middle. I just force myself to write, even if I think what I’m coming up with is utter poo.

 

VC- How did you come up with the title for Tail of the Devil?

 

DD- My father is a Vietnam War vet, and he told me a saying he’d heard during the war when things were about to get insane. He called it, “Riding on the tail of the devil.” It was just perfect for Mathias’ story.

 

VC- How do you conceive your plot ideas?

 

DD- I usually start out with a general starting idea. Somehow, the plot progresses along the way. I’m not sure I even understand how my brain comes up with it.

 

VC- How do you work with an editor without the pride thing getting in the way?

 

DD- I know that an editor is only there to help me make the best book possible, so when I get my editing notes, I take each note and really think  about it before I change something, or if I don’t agree with the note, I discuss it with the editor as to why their note doesn’t work.

 

VC- Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

 

DD- No matter what life throws at you, don’t give up.

 

VC- Were you always good at writing?

 

DD- Everyone in my life has always told me I was good at writing. I’m still wishy-washy about the whole thing.

 

VC- What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

 

DD- Without a doubt, writing query letters and the synopsis. I have a hard time condensing my books into such a small format because I make things difficult for myself with lots of subplots.

 

VC- I have to agree. What drove me nuts were the variations of query letters/ synopsis you have to create, all because agents and publishers all have different requirements. It literally becomes a full time job to work through the submission process.

 

VC- What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

 

DD- I love writing the last chapter of every story. There’s just something magical about coming to “the end”.

 

VC- What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

 

DD- For Sorrow’s Point, I had to track down long out of print books on exorcism and possession. I probably researched and watched exorcism and possession movies for about 6 months before I sat down to write the book.

 

VC- How much impact does your childhood have on your writing?

 

DD- It certainly did for Tail of the Devil, because some of Mathias’ life is based on mine. Other stories, not so much.

 

VC- Danielle, thank you for stopping by my blog.

 

DD- Thanks again for having me.

 

VC- Just a reminder, this is the first 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

 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/danielledevorauthor

 

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

 

A New Release From Crescent Moon Press: Son of a Mermaid!

Hi everyone, some pretty exciting news. Another incredible release from Crescent Moon Press: Son of a Mermaid!

It is an thoroughly entertaining and incredibly charming book. Perfect for summer reading... Don't miss it.


Summary:

Shea MacNamara’s life just got complicated.

After a freak tornado devastates his Oklahoma farm, the fifteen-year-old orphan moves to Cape Cod to live with the grandmother he's never met. Struggling to make sense of his new surroundings, he meets a girl along the shore who changes his life forever.

Kae belongs to an undersea world hidden from drylanders. The daughter of royal servants, she knows the planned marriage of her Princess to the foreign King should put an end to the war between the clans. But two things stand in the way of lasting peace: an ambitious Regent, and rumors of a half-human child who will save the oceans.

Sparks fly when she meets Shea, but could the cute drylander really be the Son of a Mermaid?

http://www.katie-osullivan.com/

- VC

Olive gives it four paws up!

New Book Release: The Grave Winner by Lindsey Loucks

Hi everyone!

Exciting news. Fellow Crescent Moon author, Lindsey Loucks just released her latest novel, The Grave Winner. Pretty fantastic stuff. You don't want to miss this one. 


Summary:
Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead -- just like the prom queen did.

While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.

She should have listened.

Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.

With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

Lindsey's Bio:
Lindsey R. Loucks works as a school librarian in rural Kansas. When she's not discussing books with anyone who will listen, she's dreaming up her own stories. Eventually her brain gives out, and she'll play hide and seek with her cat, put herself in a chocolate induced coma, or watch scary movies alone in the dark to reenergize.

She's been with her significant other for almost two decades.


http://www.lindseyrloucks.com/
http://www.twitter.com/LindseyRLoucks
http://www.facebook.com/LindseyRLoucks

Just sent my FINAL edits for Muse Unexpected to my Crescent Moon Press editor!! I am so incredibly thrilled, yet terrified. Next is cover art design and hopefully later this year I will be hosting my debut event. Stay tuned.- V.C.

The horrifying submission process

Hello everyone,

Sorry I’ve been away for a bit. I’ve been working through Muse, Unexpected final edits. I am excited to be so close to getting my first book published. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make this a longer than usual post.

Five years ago, when I began to write Muse, Unexpected, I thought writing my novel was going to be the most challenging part of my journey. I doubted myself constantly, wondering if I was good enough, wondering if my idea would interest anyone, feeling this immense drive to complete it. I had no idea what was driving me to write this story, but I had to finish it. 

The marketplace was saturated with Greek god young adult fiction. I remember one time walking past a Barnes and Noble and seeing a display for some mainstream published author, publishing yet another book of a young kid battling against the gods. This was three years into my novel and I almost set it aside, thinking I was wasting my time. Somehow, I managed to put these ill feelings aside and produced one of many versions of my novel. I felt I had achieved something great. I had several friends and colleagues read my novel and they all proclaimed it to be incredible. So with my chest puffed out and ego probably two sizes too big, I sat myself down and begun the…. Wait for it…. Wait for it…. Wait for it… the submission process.

Now, let me offer this, I knew the submission process would be hard. I mean, my gosh, poor J.K. Rowling had to submit her novel sixty plus times before someone decided she had something. So I prepared myself to get the usual, “thanks, but no thanks” responses. I figured it would take me maybe thirty submissions before an agent or publisher discovered that my novel was the next Harry Potter.

Yeah….

After I reached one hundred submissions, I changed my expectations and put my ego in check. 

Who knew a query letter made such a difference? And what the hell...a synopsis? Not just one synopsis, but several versions of a synopsis. You have your one pager, your two – three pager, and let’s not forget the eight plus pager! Are these people serious? I had just poured my blood, sweat and tears into my novel over the past five years. I felt my tale was way too complex to boil down into a single page synopsis.  I dreaded rewriting my query letter one more time. I was burnt out. WTF!

But something in the back of my mind kept pushing me on. My novel was good. Not perfect, but good. It had potential. I just had to find the right publisher or the right agent who believed in Muse, Unexpected. I stopped submitting my novel and took a break to do some research. Several writer friends pointed me in several directions to various websites that offered submission advice. I adjusted and readjusted and then readjusted my readjusted query letter. It couldn’t be two pages, it needed to be one. It couldn’t be too formal because it needed to be written in my voice. It needed to explain to the potential publisher or agent who I was and why they should select my novel, out of the thousands they receive each year. I needed to be smart, but relentless. With a reenergized attitude, I sat back down at my desk and started again.

When I hit two hundred submissions, I threw my coffee mug (one I didn’t care much for, it was ugly) against the wall, smashing it. I keep a small, broken piece of that mug to remind me of my journey and how humble I needed to be. So, I took another break and found an editor to help tame my novel. It started out at 126,000 words.

(Go ahead. Laugh. It was a bloated novel full of page upon page upon page of unnecessary descriptions that one publisher called lyrical, but unnecessary. ) This kindly and very generous publisher offered some advice and a small critique of my novel. She stated, “This was a very hard decision for me. But, I’m going to have to pass and I want to tell you why I’m passing.” She wrote my novel had great potential, but was nowhere near ready for publishing. She cited various examples of where she thought it needed help and strongly suggested I work with an editor to tighten it up. She was also kind enough to offer a suggestion of an editor she has worked with on a consultant basis. I was heartbroken that after so many years my novel was still a wreck, but had hope. She saw the potential and stated she believed in my talent.

Four months later I had a new novel, totaling 87,000 words. It was my voice, but improved. The story was darker…much darker as I placed my characters in more peril. I was sure I had something. This was it.

When I hit three hundred submissions I cried. I still hadn’t found the right home. Rejection letters began to develop a new level of sting as I became depressed. I was kidding myself. I had spent money I didn’t have on an editor that appeared to make no difference. I didn’t have any talent. 

I was sick, and to make matters worse, getting my book published was turning into an unhealthy obsession. My partner, Joel, suggested I take a break from it and forced me to give up my laptop and focus on us. You see, my novel had become the third person in our relationship and I was hurting the person I loved the most. So I took a break. Several months went by without me making a single submission. Not that the rejections stopped because I had submitted so many queries that agents and publishers were finally catching on their workload.

A co-worker suggested that I send my book to her niece, while another suggested I send it to her daughter. (Just to get a true, young adult opinion on it.) I did, expecting both girls to toss the book away. The last thing I expected them to do was finish reading the book. The very last thing I expected them to do was to finish it in three days.

They loved the book. One girl of the ripe old age of twelve proclaimed it as the best book she has ever read. (I laughed a little at her statement.) The other stated she identified with the main character Sophie and her struggles with self-esteem. They wanted to know when it was going to be published. I told them, soon.

So I decided to give myself two months. Two more months of submissions and if Muse, Unexpected hadn’t found a home by then, I would self-publish. Two more months of what I was sure would be rejections.

I sat at my desk and wondered what I could change. I wasn’t going to change the novel. I needed to have faith in something. I decided it had to be my query letter. So I did some additional research, reviewed it, and tightened it up. I also looked at my dreaded synopsis and refined it some more. 

I took a deep breath and began submitting, again. Rejection… rejection…rejection…rejection…not for me, no thanks, please keep on trying since this is a subjective business…blah blah blah. Regardless of the reaction I got, I continued on. 

I took a break for about a week, realizing I was coming to the end of my two month milestone. My heart sank. While I was down in my basement, doing some laundry, I came across a box of letters that my mother had written to me. At the time they were written, I was struggling with the decision of whether or not I should quit the ballet and go to college. My mother wrote, “From the day you were born, I saw such incredible determination in your eyes. I knew whatever you put your mind to, you would accomplish. Realize no matter which you choose, I will continue to be so incredibly proud of you. Make a decision and never look back. What if’s are not for you.”

My mother was right. So I kept calm and carried on. Rejection...Rejection…Rejection…and Rejection. Thanks, but no thanks, Not for me, Not for us, Not for anyone, Don’t quit your day job…

Finally reaching the end of my two month period, I decided to self-publish and amazingly enough I felt okay about it. Maybe my work wasn’t for everyone. Maybe it wasn’t main stream. It didn’t make it bad. It just made it my own. This was great. Nowadays everyone is self-publishing.

Buzzzz, buzz… My cell phone kept on buzzing, which meant I had received an email. I happened to be at work and decided to check it on my computer. I saw three responses in my inbox.

1. Thanks, but no thanks.
2. Not for us.
3. We would love to offer you a contract. Are you still interested in publishing your novel?

Holy Shit! I read the email again. Called a coworker over to read it to make sure I wasn’t having a stroke. 

There it was. Crescent Moon Press had requested my full manuscript and had fallen in love with it. I sat there for a while, staring at the email, wondering, what I should do now.

My friend/ co-worker said, “You might want to say yes.”

More to come.

V.C.

An Exciting Cover Release From A Fellow Crescent Moon Press Author

Good morning everyone,

An exciting part of the publishing process is the cover reveal! I'd like to share Author Shawna Romkey's "Speak of the Devil" cover reveal. Isn't it incredible? What are your thoughts of it?

http://www.shawnaromkey.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shawna-Romkey-Author/137998326331706?ref=stream