Danielle DeVor | Interview
A vampire phase that never quit.
Meet Danielle DeVor, author of sci-Fi horror, dark fantasy, and her newest release Horses, is a young adult thriller.
Thank you for joining me today! Can you introduce yourself and tell me why you wanted to become an author? What has your publishing journey been like?
Hi! I’m Danielle DeVor and I love vampires, moonlight strolls, and a cheesesteak under the stars. No, wait. Wrong thing. I’m sorry. I’m Danielle DeVor, author of The Marker Chronicles. I was always the kid that everyone kept saying I should write a book. Except I could never think of an idea big enough. I used to write a number of short stories when I was young. Anyway, fast forward a stint as a playwright in college and a bad bout of the flu, and finally an idea that was big enough came into my head. That first novel took me 6 years to write. And it was published with a small press in 2012. It is currently out of print. It has had two titles: Tail of the Devil and Riding on the Tail of the Devil. Sorrow’s Point was the second novel I wrote—and it is the first book of The Marker Chronicles which are published by City Owl Press. To date, I’ve written nine novels. Soon, I’ll be starting on number ten.
So prolific! Excellent. Do you have any plans to re-release your first novel?
Eventually. There are some themes in it that I would like a sensitivity reader to take a look at. Things that I feel I can do better. But there is nothing currently in the works to bring it back out.
And can you tell me a little about your latest release?
Horses is actually a re-release. I started as a young adult author and Horses is my young adult thriller. It’s about a teen boy who wants to be an MMA fighter and suddenly he is targeted as being an object of a serial killer who leaves him gifts, like a cat. They are little horse dolls made of human skin and hair of the victims—which are people he knows from his high school.
Oh wow. Intense. What draws you to writing thrillers, horror, and dark fantasy?
I’ve always been the kid interested in the occult. I started when I was very young. When most kids have a dinosaur phase, I had a vampire phase that I never grew out of. LOL. So, anything unusual or supernatural feels like home to me. Writing, say, a contemporary romance would be so hard for me. Completely out of my element—not to say that I won’t one day try it. I like to give myself challenges. 😊
If you’re anything like me, as soon as you start writing a contemporary romance, you throw a mystery in there LOL. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you have pre-writing routine or do you just go with the flow?
I’m a total pantser. I once tried writing from an outline and the book sounded like the adults from a Peanuts cartoon. It was just bad. I had a lot to do to fix that one. LOL. I sit and percolate on an idea for a book. I might write down minor notes—like a big event I want to happen, and then I start writing and just meander my way to my goal for the book.
Describe your writing style or brand in three words.
Unsettling with humor
Oh! Now you have me even more intrigued with the humor aspect. What would you say is your funniest book?
The funniest? Probably book three of the Marker Chronicles, Sorrow's Turn, but all the Marker Chronicles have the same type of humor. So, imagine the character, Deadpool, trying to exorcise a demon. Slap stick moments, cussing, etc. Sometimes the humor is a little morbid and sometimes it is things like the old Parkay margarine commercial. LOL Jimmy Holiday is a unique guy.
I like his name! Super hero or super villain? What would your name be and what’s your special super power?
Oh, I’d have to be a super villain. I think my name would be The Queen of Worlds. My special super power would be to look at someone and say the word, “Die”, and they would drop dead.
I’m definitely going to stay out of your way LOL. If you could be transported anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A nice cabin in the woods with my best friend where we would spend the days watching horror movies, crushing on Chris Motionless of Motionless in White, and drinking wine.
I have to admit that I had to look up Motionless in White. And now I have music to add to my workout playlist! Yay! Are there any words of wisdom you want to share with new writers?
When people say the writing journey is a marathon, believe them. Chances of being an industry bestseller out of the gate are infinitesimally rare. Instead, try to put out as many high-quality novels as you can. Over time, you will gain your following. It’s a numbers game.
Excellent advice. Perseverance is key! What are you reading right now?
The Children’s Hour by Douglas Clegg. It’s a vampire novel based in West Virginia that has some elements that are a bit unusual.
Hmmm. Nice. Now you have me intrigued. What are you working on right now?
I’m waiting on book five of The Marker Chronicles to come back from my beta reader, so I can polish it up and send it off to my editor. 😊 After that, I’m starting humorous sci-fi romance and a non-fic book on the lost art of Toe-Tap (A dance craze of the 1930s where women did tap in pointe shoes).
A humorous sci-fi romance?!?! Um, yes please! And I’ve never heard of Toe-Tap. It sounds so unique.
Thank you for chatting with me today, Danielle! Let’s leave some links here so readers can connect with you and your work.
“The thing I love most about Danielle DeVor’s work is that she never takes the easy road. Her imagination seems boundless. Sure, there’s horror, demons, ghosts, and a myriad of other spooky goings-on. But I’ve noticed that she likes to mess with her characters. A lot. And the reader is better for it.”
– Steven Ramierz, Author
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