I recently had the pleasure of asking Michelle Devon some thoughts on her books and writing, please join me and welcoming her to Celticlady's Reviews!!
How did you get the idea for the novel?
For CELESTE, I’ve actually had the idea in my head for a
long time, maybe six or seven years. I vaguely remember watching a television
show in which a man had gone insane, and he was seeing and interacting with
people who weren't really there. Eventually, the man wasn't able to hold down a
job, pay his bills, etc., so he became dysfunctional. Then there was one with a
woman who saw spiders crawling on her, and she had to be sedated to keep
herself from scratching and hitting herself.
But what if, I wondered, he hadn't become dysfunction? What
if the things a person saw weren't scary spiders but were good things? What if
he happened to pay his bills, hold down a job, interact with family—and he was
happy—but he still saw and interacted with people or things no one else could
see? Whose reality would then be real, his or ours? And since he's not
dysfunctional, would society still try to cure him?
Of course, CELESTE didn't exactly follow those thoughts, but
it was the basis from which I formed the story, and then it sort of took a life
of its own.
What kind of
research did you have to do to bring this story to life on the page?
Not much research was required because, in this instance, the
story was in my head for so long, it virtually wrote itself before I finally
sat down to write it. The only issue I had was the ending. I needed the ending
to be perfect. When it finally came to me, it felt just right.
Which came first
the title or the novel?
Great question… Definitely the story. I actually do have two
books that I had a title first, a title I just loved, and the story came only
afterward, and wrapped around the title. It was neat, because it was a
different way to go about it. But with Celeste, the original title was actually
INVISIBLE, but after the ending, that didn't work anymore. The story changed,
and the title had to go. I had no idea what title to use, so my friend
suggested CELESTE, and I thought it worked fine, all things considered. I
frequently suck at titles for my own works. I’m pretty good at suggesting them
for other folks though. No idea why that is.
What are you
working on now?
I'm finishing up ABDUCTION, my next novella that is due to
be released later this month. It's in the final editing stages, and I just did
a cover reveal last week. The cover is… aweeeeeesome!
Other than that, I'm finishing up two novels, and shopping
one around looking for an agent. I plan to release one novella per month
between now and the end of the year, and I'm hoping to have an agent representing
at least one of my completed novels by the end of this year too. I have a
couple of shorts in a major literary competition, and one of my novels is
currently a contender in two unpublished novel contests. I have my toes crossed
on those, so I can have luck but keep typing!
Thank you Michelle and good luck on your future endeavors!!!
About the Book
Kyle McRoy doesn't know who to trust. He became a wealthy man after his parents died in a freak accident, but Kyle lost control. A mental breakdown led to hospitalization in what his brother called a Behavior Therapy Center, but something about his brother tugs at the back of his fragile psyche. While at the center, Kyle meets the lovely Celeste but soon discovers there are things about Celeste he doesn't know. Things, perhaps, no one can ever know.
No, Kyle McRoy doesn't know who to trust... least of all, himself. After all, it's hard to know who to trust when you're not even sure what's real.
About the Author
Michelle Devon (Michy) has two children, a daughter (24) and a son (18), who refuse to finish baking, no matter how many times she shoves their heads in the oven. Michy is also in love with an identical twin (4?), though she’s not sure which one he is. Her best friend, lovingly known as Buffy (??), rounds out her perfect family of choice, along with three kitty cats, two dogs, and a few invisible friends, along with the people who live inside her head.
Michy was faced with making a choice between her head exploding or becoming successful as a novelist. Determining that the latter would be more painful, she nearly chose the explosion, until she was reminded that the kids were bad at cleaning up messes so she’d just have to do it herself. Novelist it would be.
Diagnosed with congestive heart failure and pulmonary arterial hypertension in 2011, she has spent most of the past two years learning how to live again after nearly dying twice. If asked what she does for her ‘day job’, she’ll answer, “I’m a full-time professional dreamer…”
Michy was faced with making a choice between her head exploding or becoming successful as a novelist. Determining that the latter would be more painful, she nearly chose the explosion, until she was reminded that the kids were bad at cleaning up messes so she’d just have to do it herself. Novelist it would be.
Diagnosed with congestive heart failure and pulmonary arterial hypertension in 2011, she has spent most of the past two years learning how to live again after nearly dying twice. If asked what she does for her ‘day job’, she’ll answer, “I’m a full-time professional dreamer…”
You can find Michelle and read more about her books at the links below..
I just saw this today! thank you so much for the interview! It was a blast to answer. I'm off to promote this and hopefully send some of my readers and friends your way! Thank you again! Love, light and blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteLove and stuff,
Michy
Thank you Michelle!!!
ReplyDelete