Question? Ask away!

January 6, 2013 /

chicken buddyI’m not particularly prone to making new year resolutions.  I’m a goal-oriented kind of girl, and usually just set a goal and aim for it.  But this year I resolved to try a few new things for my health, for my writing, and yes–for my blog!

The first resolution for my blog is I am going to post 2-3 times a week.  I’ll try to keep it simple: Monday, Wednesday, Friday for sure, and only add in other days if I have something worth saying that can’t wait.

The next change is I hope to share more excerpts, works in progress, and other pieces of fiction.  My planning isn’t solid on this yet, but the intention is there, and I resolve to make good on it.

I am also going to add a Frequently Asked Questions section to my page.  There are a few questions I get in my weekly email: “Why isn’t book 8 & 9 of the Allie Beckstrom series out in audio format”, “Is Magic for a Price really the last book in the series” and etc., but I have a feeling that there are plenty of other questions that people might want answers to.

So please, if you have time, ask me anything that you’ve been curious to know about the Allie Beckstrom books, the Age of Steam books, the Broken Magic books, my short stories, and yes, even knitting!  You’ll be helping me create a comprehensive FAQ section.

And since I really appreciate the help, I’ll randomly choose three people from the comments on Friday, January 11th before midnight PST, and will mail them the signed book of their choice from my Allie Beckstrom series, Age of Steam series, or my short story collection.

If any of the three people don’t respond in a week’s time, I will re-choose a winner in a first-comment, first-win post on Friday January 18 before midnight PST.  I will mail international.

72 Comments

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 10:23 am

      Right now, two. Although I’m open to perhaps two more depending on how well they do. 🙂

      Thanks for the question!

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 10:31 am

      My grandmas and aunties taught me when I was little. I think my first project was a truly hideous scarf made of scrap yarn they gave me.

      I picked it up again maybe…seven years or so ago and had to re-teach myself, which I did by tackling projects that were way beyond my skill level. 🙂

      Totally fell in love with it again.

      Thank you for the question!

  • Amy Skye
    January 6, 2013 at 10:28 am

    I’m so excited for the shame and Terric series! Are they written from Shame’s point of view or from both?

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 10:32 am

      Shame, all the way.

      “I’m the kind of guy who, given the chance, can break anything: hearts, dreams, lives, and yes, magic. Death magic user here. Everything I touch dies.

      It’s not as much fun as it sounds.”

      Thanks for the question!!

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 10:51 am

      Start with a small project, like a coffee cup cozy, or a bracelet, or a hat. Starting with a scarf is frustrating because scarves take more time to finish, although they give you a chance to get the basic knit stitch and tension worked out, just due to repetition.

      I’d suggest joining Ravelry (it’s free) because they have lots of free patterns, and people share pictures of their projects.

      https://www.ravelry.com/account/login

      When I was uncertain about how to do a stitch I would always go to this site:

      http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit

      If you hover over the “free videos” tab, you can see the different kind of stitches she will demonstrate.

      But most of all, just dive in, give it a try, ask questions on-line or at your yarn store, or heck, to me…and have fun! Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful!

  • Barbara Elness
    January 6, 2013 at 11:21 am

    How many books are planned in the Age of Steam series? I enjoyed both of the books out now and hope there will be more.

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 11:28 am

      It could be a seven book series. The third book, COLD COPPER is coming out July 2013…so I can safely say it is at *least* a three book series. 🙂

      Thank you for the question!

  • Tigger
    January 6, 2013 at 11:35 am

    I know that some authors are prompted to create a character because of some event. Others just…wake up with the character there and off they go. What prompted you to write about Allie? Are there real life people who are the basis for any of the characters?

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 11:41 am

      Allie began as a short story that needed to fit the anthology theme of “magic + business”.

      I pulled her together as I do most my short story characters, knowing I’d need someone we could care about in a very short span of words, someone who had a lot to lose, a lot to gain, and someone who had the strength to overcome the challenges that were facing her.

      No one in the books are consciously based on people in my life, though sometimes my family members tell me otherwise. 😉

      Thanks for the question!

  • Readsalot81
    January 6, 2013 at 11:48 am

    Hey Devon! Thanks for the Q&A’s, I love these! 🙂 What might be a fun factoid about you that your readership might not know yet?

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 11:59 am

      Hmmm….that I have no fun factoids?

      Let’s see. I always walk on the beach barefoot no matter if the sand is scorching hot, or numbingly cold. I’m a rotten shot with a slingshot, as proved by me once almost braining my husband who was standing behind me.

      Thanks for the question!

  • Franziska
    January 6, 2013 at 11:54 am

    Hi, just read about the Terric and Shame books. Why a three year “time jump”?

    Do you write with music? If yes, which?

    Thank you 🙂

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 12:05 pm

      The time jump will make sense when the book is out. There are probably stories I could tell in that three-year time period, but I thought the most exciting story was this one. And it just happens to be three years after the end of book 9. 🙂

      Each book is different. I wrote to alternative rock for the Allie series, folk music and Irish drinking songs for the first steampunk, episodes of BBC SHERLOCK (yes, the TV series) for the second steampunk, and the Shame book has me listening to rock/alternative with a blues bent, or gritty down-on-your luck feel.

      Thanks for the question!

  • AYates
    January 6, 2013 at 11:56 am

    Have you considered doing videos while you are knitting and posting them? I would love to see you making Stone. I know it would be really cool and helpful for me because I am more of a visual and hands on learner.

  • Poppy
    January 6, 2013 at 12:09 pm

    I love your knitting but I’m curious if you do any other crafty things besides knitting? Have you ever tried crochet? I taught myself to crochet around 20 years ago and when I tried teaching myself to knit I found it so hard because it felt so wrong to my hands. I keep meaning to give it another try but I have so many other things I like to do too 🙂

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 12:23 pm

      I did a little crochet when I was younger and liked it.

      I’ve painted furniture and other various things, mod-podged, created costumes, cross stitched, embroidered, and thrown myself at random crafts like these mason jar emergency sewing kits I put together for the ladies of my family this year:

      http://ow.ly/i/1ilVJ

      Thanks for the question!

  • Northwoman
    January 6, 2013 at 12:40 pm

    Wow, I love this like everything else you do. I can’t wait to have the new books in Shame POV because I just LOVE him. I’m wondering if we will learn more about Cody and Stone as I love them also.

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 12:44 pm

      I don’t think we’re going to learn much more about Cody and Stone in HELL BENT, but there’s a good chance they’ll play a larger part in STONE COLD.

      Thanks for the question! 🙂

  • Naomi H
    January 6, 2013 at 1:00 pm

    Hi Devon! Happy New Year!!

    Do you have any plans to write outside of the Allie Beckstrom and Age of Steam worlds? Don’t get me wrong, I am really excited for Shame and Terric to have their own books, but is there something new for us on the horizon??

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 1:03 pm

      Yes! Always!

      When I have news on new projects, and when they’ll be out, I’ll be sure to share, but right now I can’t say anything. Rest assured I have been a busy girl.

      Thanks for the question!

      Devon

  • Meagan
    January 6, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    I read somewhere that you have written a lot of short stories, even more than in your short story book. How many have you written, and where can we find the ones that aren’t in the book? Also, which one was the most fun to write?

    • Devon
      January 6, 2013 at 9:28 pm

      The stories were published in a variety of magazines and anthologies over several years. I can try to put a comprehensive list together to post on the website. That’s a great idea, thank you!

      As for the one that was the most fun…oh. I don’t know. When I really get into the nitty-gritty of writing a short story, they’re all fun!

      • Devon
        January 11, 2013 at 9:04 am

        Happy New Years to you too! I did put together a collection of my short stories called: “A Cup of Normal”. At this time it’s only available in paper format.

  • Mashiara
    January 6, 2013 at 9:26 pm

    Any chance of there being prequel stories to the Allie Beckstrom series? I’ve always been curious about Shame’s dad.

  • Rose
    January 7, 2013 at 4:15 am

    Hello! I am trying to publish my first book and I always love hearing stories about how other writers made it. There is always hard work and trouble that makes me feel better when I hit a snag. Do you have a story about your first novel or “first big break?”

    • Devon
      January 7, 2013 at 8:58 am

      That’s a good question that will probably take more space to answer. I’ll try to do a blog post about it.

      Thanks for the question and good luck with your book!!

  • Cari Missan
    January 7, 2013 at 9:38 am

    my questions are: 1. do you write from beginning to end or in pieces and then just put them together?, 2. how long does it take for you to write a single novel?, and 3. how long did it take to finally get published?

    • Devon
      January 7, 2013 at 9:53 am

      Great questions!

      1. Beginning to end. Always.

      2. Depends on the book, and whether or not I have other deadlines I have to attend while writing the book. In general anywhere from 2 months to 5 months.

      3. I started my career writing short stories, and did that for 15+ years. I sold my first fantasy short story about a year after I’d been writing and submitting a story a month to different markets.

      I wrote novels off and on, but didn’t really get serious about it until 2004 (I think). Then I wrote a couple novels, spent a year looking for an agent, found an agent and she went on submission with my book.

      It didn’t sell. So I wrote a book based on a short story I’d written that didn’t sell. And that was the first Allie Beckstrom book, MAGIC TO THE BONE. It sold 6-7 months after I finished it.

      So depending on how you look at it, it took me about a year, or over seventeen years to be published.

      🙂

      Thanks for the questions!

    • Devon
      January 7, 2013 at 9:58 am

      It’s all about the emotional strength of a story for me. If I can feel the emotional storyline I want to explore through the characters, then I know the rest of the story will hold together. I can’t just world-build my way into a story. For me it all comes down to the people and the story they need to tell.

      That being said, I have a lot of unfinished stories that simply do not work. These things happen. Writing is a lot of trying and failing and trying again. 😉

    • Devon
      January 7, 2013 at 11:48 am

      I knew the end of the series not long after writing the first book, so that gave me something to go on. As the series progressed, I would make a mental note to myself to “remember to wrap that up” or “make sure you mention this” or “don’t forget that clue–give the payoff”.

      Before sitting down to write the book, I wrote a list of all the things I knew I wanted to touch upon, and then fit in the things that made sense and served the flow of the book, series, and finale.

      Thanks for the question!

  • Inga
    January 7, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    Happy New Year!

    Just found out about Q/A and ran here 🙂 Just one little question. Did you ever imagine yourself in Allies shoes? Like do you write and see yourself as her? Does that make any sense what I’m trying to ask? 🙂 Thank you!!!

    • Devon
      January 7, 2013 at 1:48 pm

      Happy New Year!

      I always imagine myself in my character’s shoes while I’m writing them. That way I can see what she’s seeing, and feel what she’s feeling and understand why she’s reacting the way she is. But as soon as I stop writing, I don’t feel like I am Allie anymore, and don’t imagine myself as her.

      Thank you for the question!

  • DeAnn Rossetti
    January 7, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    Happy New Year, wonderful Devon!
    I loved your Allie B series, and your Steampunk novels, and I’m really looking forward to the Shame/Terric series, too.

    That said, I was wondering which writers influenced your writing in either style or content?

    Also, if you still live in Portland, OR, do you make regular pilgrimages to Powell’s City of Books? I try and visit Powells, which is a mecca for bibliophiles, at least once a year, so I was just wondering. Do you have any other favorite bookstores either in Oregon or anywhere else in the US?

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 9:23 am

      Writers who influenced me are Henry Kuttner, Ray Bradbury, Anne McCaffery, Raymond Chandler, Andre Norton, Anne Maxwell, Roger Zelazny and many others.

      I live in Salem, Oregon, a bit south of Portland. When I’m writing on tight deadlines, I don’t get out to the bookstore very often (or at all, woe-is-me!) but when I have a spare minute, I shop Powell’s both downtown and the Cedar Hills branch (LOVE them both!!) and also stop in at my excellent local new/used bookstores too: Escape Fiction, Book Bin, Reader’s Guide.

      Thanks for the question!

  • diana
    January 7, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    any funny crazy moments that happened whillie writing shame an terric books eg like cravying coffee and calling your dog stone lol

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 10:20 am

      Well, I always crave coffee, lol.

      I’m not sure I’ve done anything “funny” but conversations with me are always filled with errors when I’m multi-tasking several deadlines. The holiday deadlines (I hand-made gifts this year and also was the host-house for several gatherings) on top of writing the book might have made me a little loopier than normal, but then I am often loopy! 😉

      Thanks for the question!

  • Melanie
    January 8, 2013 at 4:15 am

    Balancing your creative life and ‘real’ life – please discuss 😉
    eg any magic spells for keeping the kids happy,everyone fed and the house clean while mum gets some writing/knitting/reading done?

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 10:32 am

      Great question. Wish I had a great answer. Honestly, when the kids were little, writing was shoved into the moments they didn’t need my care (school, bed, playtime, etc.) even when I worked a day job, I’d tuck writing into lunch breaks, waiting in the car/doctor’s office, and at night after the kids were in bed. For me, the kids/family came first, but that didn’t mean writing wasn’t a priority. I gave up watching TV so I could write instead, stopped going to movies, cut back on my reading, didn’t knit, carved out a weekend morning for writing time.

      Now that they’re older and I have deadlines I can’t miss, I work 12+ hour days. Mostly writing, but also research, and doing things like keeping this blog updated. I still make dinner from scratch every night, am the main house keeper-upper, and handle bills, errand, Dr. appts and etc.

      I’ve prioritized. Family comes first, but writing is my *job* and the hours are at least an 9-5, often with overtime. I’ve been selective in how I spend my free time, for good and bad. Not a lot of TV watching, not a lot of seeing movies, but I’m slowly resurrecting my reading habits, I fit knitting in at least once a month.

      Mostly, I think it comes down to letting go of the things you won’t miss, (like perfectly folded laundry) and holding on to the things you love (like spending time with family and friends, and having a great, if time-consuming, job that pays the bills).

      Thanks for the question!

  • Marianne Ackermann
    January 8, 2013 at 9:12 am

    I really didn’t think about this until the end of the series but I realized that for most of the books Allie didn’t lose memories to magic anymore. Is there a reason behind this? Was it just because her dad wasn’t fooling around with her brain so much anymore or something else? I know she lost memories in the first two books but she didn’t seem to lose anymore in the other books except for when her dad closed her with his discussion with Jingo.

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 10:41 am

      SPOILER ALERT. DON’T READ THIS ANSWER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS…….

      You have been warned……

      She doesn’t lose her memories because her father is possessing part of her mind for most of the books, which changed how magic affected her in some ways. He was the main force behind taking her memories. In book one, she channeled a wild magic storm, which would kill most people. While it didn’t kill her, it did injure her and gave her amnesia. And while extreme events like the wild magic storm could take her memories away, *mostly* her father, and the things he did to her with magic, caused her memories to disappear.

      Thanks for the question!

      • Rev. Bob
        January 12, 2013 at 11:43 pm

        Hunh. For some reason, I’d just assumed she’d gotten Closed a lot (which would look like memory loss to her), but after Book One that was no longer a viable strategy, so the Closing (and thus the memory loss) stopped.

  • Martin
    January 9, 2013 at 1:28 am

    Hi
    What tips would you give someone who was thinking about getting into writing, is a “creative writing course” or similar worth while?

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 10:57 am

      It depends on where you’re at in your life and what you’re hoping to achieve by taking a course, or a class. If you’re just starting to dip your toes into writing, then yes, I think most creative writing classes and some courses can be helpful, whether offered by high school, college, at local writing conferences, community centers or by legitimate teachers/writers/professionals online. (heck, writers never stop learning, so really, any time can be the right time to take a class)

      I don’t know if you’re talking about short fiction, novels, or other (screenplays, comics, poetry) but if nothing else, a class will give you a set deadline so you will have a finished work by the end of it.

      Great question, thanks for asking!

  • popcorn
    January 10, 2013 at 10:46 am

    I enjoy stone to no end, and especially his interactions with the people in and around him. Is it possibly there will ever be a stone 2 or that stone gets a girlfriend?

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 10:59 am

      I love Stone too! Well, since Cody made Stone, I suppose there is always a chance there could be more made. But he is a pretty rare critter.

      I wouldn’t rule it out though. 😉

      Thank you for the question.

  • Jessi Szigethy
    January 10, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    When using locations that are based in the real world, do you go on field trips or use previous visits to that place as a base? I ask because I had to go on a field trip to Cathedral Park this past weekend. I needed to see where stuff has happened. Plus there is a good brewery near by now.

    Thank you for your books. I’m going to be very sad when I finish up with Allie.

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 11:03 am

      If I can, I go on a fact-gathering field trip. If I can’t actually spend the time $$ to go on location, Google maps (and other resources) help me keep details straight.

      Thanks for the question!

  • Jennifer
    January 10, 2013 at 6:39 pm

    I have a few questions:

    What was the spell with the infinity symbol that Mikhail gave to Terric, how did Terric know what to do with it toward the end of Book 8, and what exactly did it do?

    What is the story behind the ring on Shame’s keychain that seemed to have an effect on Terric (in Magic on the Storm)?

    Also, are we going to learn more about Shame’s relationship with his father (seems like it would be interesting, especially if his dad actually begged Jingo Jingo to kill him)?

    Thanks!

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 11:09 am

      Jennifer! Great questions. I’ll have to go back and look at the specifics of what you’re talking about before I answer the first two, but for the last one, yes, I think we’ll see a little more about Shame’s relationship with his father in the Broken Magic series.

      Thanks for the questions!

  • Caitlin
    January 10, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    Hey there, and Happy New Year! I was just wondering, will you ever write about Terric’s past? I’ve always been curious about his family and his relationship with Shame. Thanks!

    • Devon
      January 11, 2013 at 11:15 am

      You know, I think it would be a blast to write a short story, or tie-in novella about Terric’s past and his family. Good idea! I will totally keep it in mind!

      Thanks for the question!

Skip to content