Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport BOOK REVIEW AND AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 255 KB  

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Genre: Young Adult

Source: Emily Devenport (in exchange for an honest review)

Language: English

ASIN: B0055F5P46

About the Author:

I'm a writer -- Emily Devenport, Maggy Thomas and Lee Hogan are the pen names I used when I wrote my novels. I've been published in the U.S., the U.K., Italy, and Israel. My novels are SHADE, LARISSA, SCORPIANNE, EGGHEADS, THE KRONOS CONDITION, GODHEADS, BROKEN TIME (which was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award), BELARUS, and ENEMIES. Look for my new novels, THE NIGHT SHIFTERS and SPIRITS OF GLORY, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Apple, and Smashwords.

A few days back I was contacted by Emily Devenport who asked me if I wanted to review Spirits of Glory as you guys can see I agreed and she also agreed to have a small interview with me.

Here is the Interview

When and why did you begin writing?
I was about 23 years old, and the urge to write came over me like a mental illness. I'm not trying to be a wise guy, I think there are actually a lot of similarities between the need to write and obsessive-compulsive disorder. You are haunted by thoughts about people who don't exist, and you feel compelled to make up stories about them and relate them to others. If you don't manage to be entertaining, people think you're crazy. And they're sort of right.

What inspired you to write your first book?
Most of my books are inspired by the same thing -- a really compelling dream that seems so real, I can't stop thinking about it. When I wake up, I wonder about the characters in the dream, why they did what they did, and what they might do next. I've had many dreams that never turned into a book, and many others that took years to finally gel into something interesting. I've also had dreams so inspiring, I ended up writing a 100-page treatment the very next day.

Do you have a specific writing style?
 I try to be straight-forward with my style, not too flowery. I think clarity is the most important thing a writer can accomplish. I also feel compelled to inject humor into writing, if I can. Sometimes the humor is black ad ironic, sometimes it's kind of slapstick. It depends on the story. I think I do this because I can't help looking at things from many angles, and if you do that long enough, things can start to look humorous.

How did you come up with the titles?
My titles that were published by NAL/Roc were often changed by editors. My book, BROKEN TIME, was originally called THE TENNESSEE WALTZ, because the heroine of the story loses her sweetheart the same way as the gal in the song (someone literally waltzes off with him). My publisher felt the title made the novel sound too girlie -- they were afraid it would limit the audience. Likewise, THE KRONOS CONDITION was originally titled THE KRONOS KID, but the publisher was afraid it would seem too YA. This was before YA turned out to be such a popular genre -- these days they would probably want to promote it as a YA book.

When I name a book these days, there's no one to second-guess me. I just think about it until I come up with something that feels right.

Is there a message in your books that you want readers to grasp?
I don't think I have a particular message. But I do think the themes in my books are pretty strong. I write about odd people with talents, people who overcome hardships and terrors. I think courage means trying to keep going even though you're scared, and hurt, and very imperfect.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
There are so many writers who inspired and entertained me over the years. They mostly wrote SF, Fantasy, and/or Mysteries. Like a lot of readers, I was pretty voracious when I first started reading. I went through a period when I read everything I could find about Asia. I discovered SF and Fantasy when I was about 12. I loved vampires, monsters, ghost stories, adventure. If I had to list a few whose style I find instructive, the list might include Agatha Christie, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Raymond Chandler, and Octavia Butler. But a complete list would be too long to read!.

 What are your current projects?
 I just finished recording an audiobook version of my Urban Fantasy novel, THE NIGHT SHIFTERS, that will be distributed by Amazon's Audible company. I'll be publishing one of my backlist titles, BELARUS, early next year, as well as a YA thriller I co-wrote with my husband, Ernest Hogan, titled THE TERRIBLE TWELVES. And I'm writing two YA fantasies, THE ORDER OF THE DRAGON and LORD MONKEY. Plus I'm trying to get a degree in Geology, so college is eating my brain.

 Till now how many books have you written?
 I've written 15 books, including the books I co-wrote with my husband.

Which of your books was the easiest/hardest to write?
 BROKEN TIME was the easiest to write -- it just seemed to flow without much effort. The hardest book to write was BELARUS, because it actually wasn't the original book I intended to write. When I pitched ENEMIES to my publisher, I told them some of the backstory, and they decided they wanted 2 novels instead of one. I said, "Sure, no problem!" But when I sat down to write the first book, BELARUS, I realized I had written two wars into the backstory. OMG!!

 Which of your books is your favourite?
 My favorite book is usually the one I'm working on at the time. But in retrospect, BROKEN TIME and SPIRITS OF GLORY are probably my all-time favorites.

 Talking about Spirits of Glory , How long was the writing process of Spirits of Glory?
SPIRITS took about a year to write, because I had to write it on my lunch hour. This is kind of contrary to what a lot of writers will tell you about the creative process: that you have to do it several hours a day. Several hours a day are great, if you have them -- I had 1 hour a day. I had just purchased a laptop, and I found it wonderfully helpful in my writing process. So every day at lunch I sat down and buried myself in the story. On my days off I was sometimes able to write for a few hours too, so I slowly got it done.

Why name your Leading character Amber Rodriguez but use Hawkeye through the story?
Rodriguez is her family name, and Amber is what her mom named her because of the color of her eyes. But Hawkeye is who she really is. She has very keen eyesight, like a hawk -- but she is also extremely perceptive. She spends a lot of time puzzling stuff out in her head. She sees stuff, then ponders what it really means. That's why the Northern gods advised the Neighbors that they should take her along to the Forbidden Cities. They said, "Hawkeye sees farther."

Time Fractures are the most important events on the book, how did they came to be?
My novels are often inspired by dreams. The first thing I dreamed about SPIRITS OF GLORY was a time fracture. It happened during a rain storm -- I actually describe it in the book. As to why the fractures are happening, it's because of things the Northern and Southern gods are doing, things so weird and complex, humans probably wouldn't understand it if it were explained to them.

Humans, Neighbors, scavengers, Ghosts, Gen altered animals and Gods, how did this conglomeration of beings came to life in a single book?
I think it's because of the way my mind is wired. I don't think in a linear fashion, and I'm often juggling several tasks and concepts at once. I try to make sense of it all, and over the years I've gotten pretty good a weaving what you might think of as "weird tapestries."

For me Bertie was, a representation of all the fears Hawkeye has through the book, what was he for you?
He was Mr. Wrong, and he taught her a lot. Being involved with him forced her to be more strong and independent, and taught her caution -- but it also wounded her heart. She has that experience in common with be a hermit and retreat from the world. Being Hawkeye, eventually she has to see that.

 If you had to describe this book in one sentence, what would that sentence be?
"One morning the People in the North woke up and the people in the South were gone." I like that sentence, because when you read it, you can't help but wonder, "Why?"

Thank you so much Emily for a wonderfull interview.

MY REVIEW

When I started this book, I did so without any expectation, Science Fiction is not usually the type of book that I would pick for a read, but when I was offered the chance to read this books, I knew if I said no, I was going to make the biggest mistake ever; you know what? I was right!!!!!!!

Spirits of Glory is a magnificent piece of art.

Through the whole book we accompany Hawkeye on a journey she wasn´t prepared to take, we watch her grow comfortable under her own skin. What I liked the most about this book was the strength the female character has; it´s something very unusual in YA literature. Hawkeye is an intellectual, caring compassionate woman, whose thirst of knowledge drives her to take part on a trip that will change her life forever.

This book is an unusual ride into a unique science Fiction YA, the intricate plot makes you thought everything at least twice before continuing reading cause every sentence has significance, every words is full with symbolism, every single detail counts.

I´m usually very good at figuring where the story is going and even thou I took several guesses at where this book was headed I got to say that half my suspicions where wrong and when the truth of truths was finally on display it was so obvious; Emily Devenport made a flawless job at webbing this story with so intricate detail that even thou all the signs where there, cause she did left signs as to where the story was headed ; you are so absorbed on the story that you can´t help but to miss them.

I loved this book is one of the best reads I’ve had on 2011, you guys should be looking this book ASAP.

Actually i´m going to make it easy for you here is the link

Now Go guys BUY, BUY, BUY!!!!!