My name is Sara E. DeVaney. I am 30 years old and live in Michigan. I am the youngest of four kids, sisters Amy and Brenna, brother James. I have six nephews and nieces – Owen, Noah, Grayson, Rosie, Nylah and Gavin. I have two dogs – Lucky and Lily – Lucky is a 12-year-old Labradoodle and Lily is a year-old Golden Doodle. I live with my parents – Judith and Daniel, both of who are retired from social work.
2. What genre do you write?
I usually write modern-day fiction, comedy and drama.
3. Do you have a vacation planned for the summer? If so where? If not, when?
My parents, brother and his family, and I rented a cottage and we are going August 13-20. Unfortunately, the dogs can’t come, so they are staying with a family friend. I hope to have lots of fun playing with my niece Nylah and nephew Gavin.
4. What are your favorite summer foods? Activities?
My favorite summer activities include – cloud watching, swimming, being lazy, watching fireflies, playing in the sprinkler and having fun. My favorite summer foods are – hot dogs, burgers, kabobs, s’mores, lemonade and strawberries.
5. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
My favorite hero – I mean heroine – of fiction is Hermione Granger because she’s not afraid to say how she feels or what’s going on with her. I love how she stands up for others (house-elves, Harry and Ron, just to name a few) and her sense of humor.
6. If you could choose to be a character in a book, who would it be?
I would choose to be either Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson or Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. For guys, I would want to be Legolas from Lord of the Rings or Four from Divergent.
7. Which book have you read the most in your lifetime?
The first Harry Potter book – the cover has been taped together and ripped so many times I can’t even count.
8. What is your favorite journey?
My favorite journey is to Hogwarts – Harry Potter was one of the first book series I read – I was eleven when it came out and I felt like I was part of the Trio – playing Quidditch with Harry, going to classes with Hermione and eating in the Great Hall with Ron.
9. What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
My advice to aspiring authors is to write what you know and know what you write. Also, read everything, even if it’s a menu – imagine what kinds of foods your characters would eat and what they would drink. If you have pets, imagine what kind of pet your characters would have. Use your imagination every day and you’ll go far.
On a side note, since I’m not published, you can visit www.fanfiction.net or www.fictionpress.com .
Here’s a blurb of this year’s novel – it’s called “In the Shelter”:
In the back room of Friendly Corners Animal Rescue, the animals of the shelter come together to tell their stories. Minerva and Athena, an owl and crow, run Shelter Group.
Here’s an excerpt:
The wind howled as two new residents – Night and Zirah – came into Friendly Corners Animal Rescue. Both of them growled and lashed out at the volunteers.
Athena watched from her perch, curious to know what was going on. She and the other birds – Minerva the Owl and Boston the Red-Tailed Hawk – watched curiously, along with the King Vulture named Queenie.
“They’ll make an excellent addition to Shelter Group.” Minerva hooted.
Boston ruffled his feathers, not impressed. It was hard to impress Boston.
Meanwhile in the Big Cat sanctuary, Juba paced, then stopped when the door opened. He let out a low growl to let the newcomers know that this was his turf.
“Easy Juba – they won’t hurt you. This is Night and Zirah.” The volunteer said as the door closed behind him.
Juba let out a low growl, “no one hones in on my turf.”
“We’ve had a rough night – leave us alone.” The panther – Night – growled.
The lioness – Zirah – was oddly quiet.
Juba narrowed his eyes at the others, “as long as you don’t make trouble, you’re welcome here. There’s Shelter Group in the afternoon tomorrow.”
“What’s Shelter Group?” Zirah asked curiously.
