It's All About the Author with Daryl Devoré…
So, let's get this party started, can you tell us 5 interesting facts about yourself that readers might not know about
you …
- I have a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do
- I am a Raqs Sharki dancer (belly dancer)
- I am an only child
- I have a complete collection of Agatha Christie novels
- I write under 2 pen names
Holy Buckets, some of that kind of explains what we want to know next lol but anyway, what do
you like to do in your spare time?
Spare time??? Hmmm – I work in my garden, and veggie garden, I
read, I go to yoga, I belly dance and when I am totally worn out- I watch TV.
I would definitely be worn out too. The gardening is probably
my speed :) Is there
one book that you love to read over and
over again? If so, what is it and what is it that keeps
you
coming back to it?
No there isn't one book. I have the complete works
of several authors and when I am tired of edits and critiques, I go read one of
those books. I love getting lost in the stories. It depends on my mood whether
I get an Ellis Peters and go back to the 1100s or an Agatha Christie and settle
into a late 19th century manor house or a Rex Stout and pop over to
NY in the 40s.
I like the way you don't have just one. Keeps the mind alive !
So tell us, how did
you get started writing and have you
always wanted to be an author?
I started writing in gr. 10. In creative writing class, we
were supposed to write a first chapter. Well chapter 1 turned into chapter 2
and along came chapter 3 and pretty soon I had a book.
That's great, i wish more kids were that determined in high school.
If you
for some reason couldn’t be an author,
what would your other choice be?
I'd love to be a baker. Create those fabulous cakes and
desserts.
Baking would be a blast ! Were you one of those kids
that liked school? Were you a good student?
Loved school. And yes, I was a good student because once I had
my work done, I picked up a book and started to read. Although I did get in
trouble for reading Hamlet in gr 7. Was told it was inappropriate. My mother
told the teacher off – it was great.
Yeah, seems like that would be a parent decision, not a teacher one.
When you write, is there a specific way you
have to write,
ie: certain room, noise
or quiet, computer or paper etc…
I write mostly on my laptop as I am too lazy to write by hand
and then retype it. Usually I have to have quiet with no one around. If someone
is nearby, I am always on alert to see if they are going to suddenly start
talking to me.
Although, I wrote a couple of chapters at a gate in an airport
as we were called to seating. I kept writing even after the plane took off. I
just got on a roll and went with it.
Sometimes you just need to write when the story is talking to you.
If you could write a collaboration with another
author,
do you have one in mind and what would you write?
Oh jeez, no idea. But I
guess I could narrow it down, I'd love to write a murder mystery, so I'll go
for Agatha Christie.
Kudos for being able to get through a murder mystery, i'm not sure i could lol. How do you come up with your story
ideas?
No idea. A song triggered What
Happens in Bangkok which turned into a trilogy.
I once came up with the idea of a fabulous last line in a book
– so I had to write the whole story to get to that point.
That's as good a way as any. Do the titles stump you or do
they come easy? When do you pick a title, before the story is
written or when it’s done?
I am the definition of stumped when it comes to titles. I
came up with a cute one for an earlier book and no one seems to get the pun. For What Happens in Bangkok, it was called
the book with no name for over a
year. For my latest, I actually came up with 4 titles and a friend emailed me
and suggested something else and my 4 titles went flying out the window and Between Despair and Ecstasy was named.
And weirdly enough enough – I currently have a title for a
book that I haven't even started yet.
So I'd say I am pretty much all over the place.
All over the place isn't a bad thing, that just means your
imagination is keeping you busy :) Do you keep a notebook
near you for when new ideas pop into your head?
I have a journal that goes pretty much everywhere with me. I
belong to a local writers group and was at a meeting and scribbling away like
crazy because something triggered an idea for a scene and they weren't the
slightest bit insulted that I was ignoring them.
I think that's proof that they are a good writers group! If you write a series, do you re-read your
previous books before you begin the new one?
I don't see how you couldn't. You have to keep all the little
details straight. If your hero has green eyes, they suddenly can’t change to
blue without a really good explanation.
Very true, the extent of the details would confuse anyone
I suppose.How does your family feel about your writing?
Meh. They are proud, but it's not something we talk about. An
older aunt scolded me because of the language that one of my characters used.
He was a gang member – gosh darn
wasn't in his vocabulary.
Thanks
for sharing “you as an author” with us !
We hope you’ll come back and visit again soon!
Would
love to come back. It was fabulous being here.
Excerpt
Set – up- Darien and Erika
have gone on a date to BBKs – Bo's Bitchin' Kitchen. They've met up with some
friends and Sherise and Bo the owners.
Sherise grinned. “Your momma’s just the sweetest. You say
hey back and tell her ‘n’ Patrick to
get in here. It’s been longer than forever since we laid eyes on them two.”
Darien pointed to a door. “Bo in the back?”
“Yeah, g’won. He been smokin’ all day. I’ll set you up a
table.”
Darien turned to Orion. “How many?”
Orion counted. “Me. Tami. Nathan. Elijah and the other
singer, Randi. Five.”
Sherise grabbed some paper place mats. “I’ll put you in
the big booth in the corner. Keep pryin’ eyes off ya, too. I’m guessin’ y’all
want the monster platter?”
“Hell yes. No one comes to BBKs to eat bunny food.”
Darien tapped Erika’s back. “Come meet Bo. I’d hire this guy in a sec to be my
personal chef.”
He led Erika through a back hallway, past the busy kitchen
and outside. Six large smokers filled the air with delicious fragrances. He
closed his eyes and inhaled. If anything smelled like home, this was it.
“Darien, ya son of a bitch. What y’all doin’ here?” A
former professional linebacker stood before him, with a grin from ear to ear.
“I needed me some BBKs.” Darien half turned and edged
Erika closer. “Bo, this is Erika. My fiancée.”
She smiled and inhaled. “I’ve been in flower shops that
don’t smell as fantastic as it does right here. My stomach’s just rumbling.”
Bo flashed a big grin, lifted the lid and pulled a strip
off a roasting piece of meat. He handed it to her.
“Oh. Hot.” She blew on it then popped it into her mouth.
Her eyes closed as she chewed. “Oh. My. God. That is one of the most incredible
things I have ever eaten. Are we going to have some of that for dinner?”
Darien nodded. “I ordered a monster platter. Everything
you smell will be on it, plus the North Carolina state vegetable.”
A momentary pang of jealousy shot through Darien as she
licked her lips. He wanted to lick the barbecue sauce off her lips. Could dribble some down her belly. A little
up her thigh.
“Okra?”
He hunched his shoulders. “What okra?”
“State veggie?”
Darien and Bo tossed back their heads and laughed.
“Northerner?” Bo asked.
“West Coast,” Darien smirked.
Tag - How can Erika prove to herself and
Darien that she loves and trusts him? Simple. All she has to do is jump out of
a plane.
Concerned for his fiancée, Erika
Bailey’s safety, rock star Darien Scott races to Bangkok to protect her, only
to discover his brother is missing. Fearing the worse, he contacts his nemesis,
Gan, and makes a repulsive deal that will free his brother and protect Erika’s
club, The Pink Flamingo. Or so he thought. When a python and Gan are involved, things
go sour, and Darien sinks into a deep depression.
Erika is disheartened by the betrayal
of her parents. Her father's destruction of her club, and the humiliation of
her mother’s drunken behavior have her feeling down, but those are the least of
her worries. She has a wedding to plan, but won’t. Having been betrayed too
often, she’s scared to trust Darien.
How can Erika prove to herself and
Darien that she loves and trusts him? Simple. All she has to do is jump out of
a plane.
About the Author:
Daryl Devoré lives in an old farmhouse in
Ontario, Canada, with her husband, a black cat named Licorice and some house
ghosts. Daryl loves to take long walks up her quiet country road or snowshoe
across the back acres, and in the summer, kayak along the St. Lawrence River.
She's touched a moon rock, a mammoth and a meteorite. She's been deep in the
ocean in a submarine, flown high over Niagara Falls in a helicopter and used
the ladies room in a royal palace. Life's an adventure and Daryl's having fun
living it.
Where to find Daryl Devoré