When did you start writing, and what prompted you to write?
I feel as though I have been writing all my life. I have a memory of writing a novel in the 3rd grade. It was about a Korean orphan immigrant—not that I knew anything about Koreans, orphans or immigrants at age eight. I also illustrated it and I recall not being able to decide which I liked better, writing or drawing.
Today I do both writing and graphic design. Had I realized sooner that’s indeed what I’m meant to do I wouldn’t have spent so many years doing something else.
Have you ever had a dream that you've wanted to turn into a story?
I don’t recall having a story-idea dream but sometimes I wake up with a name in my head. That’s helpful because I find it a challenge to come up with names for characters.
Tell me about your current work, and who’s the heroine of the story.
My newest release is Naked Came the Sharks, a contemporary thriller of murder and mayhem in the Texas Coastal Bend. Holly Rivera Berry, the heroine, is a late twentyish young woman in San Francisco trying to make her career dreams come true. She returns to her hometown of Bonafides in the Texas Coastal Bend for what she thinks will be a few days to wrap up the estate of her recently deceased father. Instead, she finds herself mired in suspicious and deadly conspiracies.
Now I’m working on The King’s Redress, Book Three in The Bewilidering Adventures of King Bewilliam with an eye to a Summer 2014 release.
What makes your heroine special, or interesting?
In Naked Came the Sharks, Holly’s has lofty aspirations for herself as well as a strong streak of independence. She doesn’t like being told what to do by anyone, even those who are well-intentioned. The combination puts her on a path from which she won’t be swayed.
Can you share with readers what to expect when they pick up (or download) your books?
The common denominator in all my novels is ordinary people triumphing over extraordinary challenges. That’s “ordinary” as in “not superhuman or paranormal.” King Bewilliam of The Lost King and The King’s Ransom obviously isn’t “ordinary” he’s a king. However he doesn’t have special abilities. In fact at the start of the series he doesn’t even have royal status. Both King Bewilliam and Holly Berry rely on their personal strength and commitment to their values and goals to surmount the obstacles that they encounter.
If you were only allowed to read three more books the rest of your life, which would they be, and why?
Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and Gabrielle Rico’s Writing the Natural Way. I learn something new every time I pick up one of these books.
Where can readers find you online?
devorahfox@aol.com
What inspired you to write?
The Lost King was inspired by the predicament of a friend whose personal and professional life cratered overnight. He was having a hard time making a comeback and I wanted to write a happy ending for him. That turned out to be a bigger challenge than I had anticipated; I now have Book Three in the series in progress.
Naked Came the Sharks started as group effort with three other writer friends. We all belonged to the same book clubs, the same writer groups, did read-and-critique of each other’s projects. One evening we decided to collaborate on a story. We had the most fun. Eventually we put the manuscript aside and went on with our lives. Two of the four co-authors passed away but they were always on my mind, and so was that story so I picked it up again, put some more work into it and released it so that others could enjoy it.
If you had the chance to invite anyone to lunch (living or dead) who would it be and why?
I’d invite my husband and parents, all long gone. They all saw me as a novelist decades before I ever did. I would love to be able to show them that they were right and to thank them for enabling me to do this.
Who is your literary hero(ine) and why?
Rebecca from Ivanhoe. Let’s say that was my first literary heroine. Like my heroes, she stood up for what she believed and did the best that she could with what she had. No, she didn’t “get the guy” in the end, but she defended her honor and was true to herself. In many ways, my characters also stick with what they know is right despite the opposition.
What would you do if you could no longer write? Say, for example, the ability to use technology (computer, pens, pencil, paper, ink, paint, ect.) to write was no longer in existence.
I’m told that sooner or later I’ll develop macular degeneration, so while I still can I am writing as much as possible. I’d like to think that I’d find some other creative outlet but I suspect I’ll just sit around and sulk.
It's great to learn more about you, Devorah. And take heart. Just because a professional says you'll degenerate in the future, that doesn't make it so. By all means, plan for the eventuality, but some things never happen, as I found with a prediction about my health.
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ReplyDeleteAwesome interview! And I agree with Francene :)
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