Storytellers Series – Adonis Devereux

I am pleased to welcome Adonis Devereux to the Storytellers Series. Before we jump into the interview, a little about Adonis Devereux:

Adonis Devereux is two people made one. He grew up in Michigan and in rural Indiana, a Midwestern boy with a passion for story. She was rootless, a Virginia native who lived in London, Paris, and Rome before her parents settled just outside Tokyo. Like him, stories burned in her. Together, they are Adonis Devereux.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

Before we got our first contract, we put the first chapter of our work-in-progress up for critique on a writer’s forum. One man who was retired from professional journalism told us that it was so boring that he couldn’t finish the excerpt. Ouch!

What is the easiest part of writing for you? What is the hardest part?

The easiest part is being able to work side by side with someone who loves writing as much as you do. We write as a team, husband and wife, side by side in life, writing, and everything else. The hardest part is keeping our six kids out of our hair while we write. This is why we use the buddy system. “OK, in age order, you take care of your buddy. Oldest, watch after number 4. Second oldest, watch after number 5. Third, watch after six!”

Do you have any advice to aspiring writers?

Don’t aspire. Do. If you write, you’re not aspiring. You’re a writer. If you’re aspiring, it means you probably want to write but are too lazy to do so because you spend all day on Facebook. Cancel your internet account and get writing. No distractions, no excuses.

Name some of your favorite movies.

Glory, The Shawshank Redemption, Boogie Nights, Blow, Terminator, and many more.

Name some of your favorite books.

Moby-Dick, Jane Eyre, anything by Vonnegut, The Master and Margarita, Dracula, and many more.

Do you have a writing regimen?

Our writing regimen begins before we ever open a new document file on our computer. We take walks and talk through our next novel. Once we have kind of an idea of the story we want to tell, we start outlining. First we get a general outline down. Then, from that outline, we break down our book chapter by chapter. Only when we have that chapter-by-chapter outline do we start actually writing. But if writing is some part storytelling, then we’ve been writing all along, haven’t we? While one of us writes, the other FB pimps or does other non-drafting author things. The female half of our duo seems to be able to write anytime, anywhere. The male half is a bit more limited in his concentration: he can write only when the kids are all in bed. She writes the heroine’s POV, he the hero’s.

What are the perks of being an author?

Just being an author! It is immensely gratifying. I guess the best-seller status from some vendors is nice, too, but we don’t brag about that. One of the best things is being around like-minded writers who keep us diverted on a daily basis. Thanks, y’all! You know who you are!