Juicy Shockers #4

This is actually part of the Buccaneer Blogfest but we have decided to keep our pirate hats off for this one and return to our normal crazy routine for this author interview. 

Today we have the gorgeous Devin Berglund, who lives in the sunny land of Australia. She has a penchant for multi-tasking and being good at everything. A small non-exclusive list is writing, editing and photography. Sheesh, and we mortals have to pass our lives trying to be good at one tiny thing.

You can follow her blog at http://devinberglund.wordpress.com/, at Twitter and Facebook. She has a number of WiPs at the moment all listed here.

Oh and before we forget, the unbelievable Clare Dugmore has interviewed us and survived! We tried dialing down the crazy but it’s impossible. Read the sane questions and insane answers here.

And now on to our today’s guest. As usual Pineapple is Brighton and Lightning is Utsav and DivineDevin is well...DivineDevin.

Pineapple: Australia....mmmm. Both Utsav and I love the thought of Australia. So how does Down Under bring your writing Up Above?

DivineDevin: Well I am from Minnesota and I actually came to Australia in 2010 to study abroad at the University of the Sunshine Coast on the Sunshine Coast. While there I ended up meeting Johan and we started dating. But of course after studying abroad for a semester I had to go home to Minnesota to finish my studies. Then in 2011 I graduated at Minnesota State University of Moorhead with a degree in English/Mass Communications and a certificate in Publishing. After graduating I decided to take a year in Australia and work and write there while my boyfriend is in University. I like Australia a lot! It's been a great adventure and everyday I find new things that add to inspiration for stories. I'd have to say being surrounded by different people, places, cultures, and history can really make you see things differently! So, I think that being down under has helped me see people at a different level and when dealing with all sorts of people you have a chance to have different inspiration for stories.

Lightning: You were also in the UK in 2010. I know I got a kick out of seeing the famous Harry Potter Cafe. Tell us more about the British Literary Tour.

DivineDevin: Yes! I find that I really enjoy visiting places of literary significance where famous writers grew up and lived. I went on the British Literary tour for a class with other English Writing students! I had an amazing inspiring time on this trip! It inspired me so much when I got to see where the Beatles wrote and where Shakespeare grew up. I also really enjoyed experiencing the history and the oldness of the country. As a writer, traveling really helps by giving you a 'scope for imagination' as Anne of Green Gables said.

Pineapple: The road to getting published is arduous and bumpy. We’ve lost a lot of hair and teeth already. Okay, maybe not teeth. What options are you considering when you finish?

DivineDevin: I am going to start by searching for agents and sending queries in to them. Besides that, I will just keep writing and sending work in. I will keep persevering! :)

Lightning: You should see the amount of baked stuff Brighton puts in his novel. It’ll make the readers hungry. Any hobbies which filter into your writing and how you manage to keep them in a sane proportion?

DivineDevin: I really enjoy nature and details. So I would say that is something that is very important in my writing! If my character is at the ocean walking on the sandy beach, I want my readers to be there and feel the sand under their feet and the salt on their skin.

Pineapple: What is the New Branch of the Journey? How did that come about?

DivineDevin: The New Branch of the Journey is a literary arts book that I designed/compiled/and edited with an Indie book publishing company that I started. It started out as a big project for one of my university classes. It was really a great experience to see how a publishing company works and also how much goes into putting a book together! The New Branch of the Journey is a compilation of writing, drawing, and photography focused on the theme of "adventures and journeys in life"!

Lightning: You are writing a novel with your boyfriend. I know if I wrote one with my girlfriend, she would rap my knuckles for every typo I made. (And I claim to be the perfectionist.) How easy or hard is it co-authoring? 

DivineDevin: So far being a co-author has been pretty good because we have different characters that we write their perspective. I have found though that I am the type of writer who writes and writes and then edits after I'm done writing and he is the type that edits as he goes. 

Lightning: Quite a few WiPs you have on at the same time. And we couldn’t help but notice they have a Godly theme in common. How does that flow and how do you plan to bewitch atheists to read your books? Not us, we will buy them because we are interviewing you.

DivineDevin: Yes, I have a list of WIPs although I am currently only really working one at the moment. Its working title is The Created Ones. I write fantasy/paranormal fictional novels. One thing I really enjoy is writing in metaphor. My stories are more so adventures where the characters are thrown into unlikely but exciting adventures where they must bring light out of the dark!  I believe that everyone can relate to good overcoming bad and light conquering evil! :)

Pineapple: The usual number 8. Who would you cast as your lead characters and why?

DivineDevin: Ahh.. I love this question! Actually, one of my main characters Rider would be played by Jim Sturgis because he looks just like the character in my mind. Rider is a mysterious character who is thrown into the adventure because his village is burnt to the ground by rebels. That is where he sets out on the adventure. Another of my characters named Brimey would be perfectly played by my sister. The character was actually kind of created from my sister's personality.

Lightning: So much experience in the world of publishing and literary magazines already.  We need to know what you learnt from that experience. <Tries reading Devin’s mind>.

DivineDevin: One thing that I've found to be so true is that to be a writer you must write. And if you dream to be a writer - write. I am the type of person who loves reading books on how to be a writer and blogs with tips and ideas but in the end that doesn't help get the daily word count in. The only way to get your word count in is to write. 

That’s it for this week’s interview. Do hop by the other blogs for some fantastic interviews with other authors by other awesome authors. 

Thank you for staying for another edition of Juicy Shockers.

Signing off,

Pineapple and Lightning.