4. The number of times my delicate wings have been broken and clamped behind my back.68. The number inked upon my skin, marking me the sixty-eighth pixie to be stolen.
87. The number of days I’ve been wrongfully imprisoned.
88. The first day the faeries will regret stealing me.
Devon Ashley has penned a novel full of romance (my weakness!), adventure and intrigue. Oh. And faeries!!! (also another weakness of mine) I have yet to review this book - I will very soon - so I will let the interview with Devon speak for itself!Me: Where did you get the idea for this book?
Devon Ashley: Hmm...for once I'm not really sure. I wanted to create something you don't see too often in YA lit: a prison theme. Sometimes you'll see a character get thrown in for awhile (like Ana in The Glimpse) but rarely will you find a YA book that centers around that location. I also knew I wanted to write something about the fae, particularly the pixies, so I incorporated them in, making the faeries come off more negatively than you find in most books. So I hope what I created for you guys will be seen as fresh and original, even if the slave camp makes the pace come off a wee bit slower than my other books. But even though Rosalie's days are quite repetitive, I made sure the chapters don't read that way. :)Me: I love faeries. Did the fantasy in this book come from you, or did you do a little research, too? Both? Devon Ashley: This was all me. But I won't lie, occassionaly some kind of Pixie Hollow show will be running in the background as my son watches the Disney channel, so it's always possible some of that seeped into my brain's subconscience without me knowing! And it was kind of a relief not researching more than a few tiny details for once. I've always taken a lot of time to do that for my Immortal Archives' books so the magical aspects come off as authentic as possible. And seriously, do you know how silly I felt buying wicca and tarot books when that cashier gave me that funny look? :) He probably thought I was ready to strip down and dance naked around a tree under the next blue moon. Anyways, I typically like to research basic facts and beliefs, leaving the base of the story to me, cause I don't wanna write another story you've read ten times over from various authors.
Me: Do you have any advice for self-published authors? Devon Ashley: For the love of God, don't torture yourself reading one star reviews. I know, I know, it's like that annoying cavity in your mouth. You know it's gonna hurt like hell if you suck air through it or bite down on, but you just can't help yourself! But seriously, if you want decent feedback and criticism of your work, read the three star reviews, cause they typically put in what they did and didn't like about it, and they'll say it without ill-intentions. I scan through a lot of reviews on goodreads for books I'm interested in, and most of the one stars out there are intended to be mean in an attempt to get attention. It's rare you'll find someone willing to write an honest one star review that isn't just a nasty hate-bomb. Besides, you're not writing the books for the haters, you're writing them for the people who gave you 3-5 stars, so focus on improving your writing and story-telling for them.
Me: What's your favorite writing snack? Devon Ashley: M&Ms. And York Peppermint Patties. And Gobstoppers. (Are you seeing a pattern here?)For more information on Dust, you can check out the Official Book Page!
(Synopsis taken from GoodReads)
