Deniz Bevan answers #13Questions in OA's Debut Author Spotlight

13 Questions shine Operation Awesome's Spotlight
on this
2022 Debut Author

Druid's Moon by Deniz Bevan

1- Summer Fire was a 54-page erotic romance published in Dec 2017. Druid’s Moon is a 192-page paranormal romance coming in Sept 2022.
What prompted you to pick a slightly different genre and publish a book nearly four times as long?

I was impressed that I could write a full-length novel, ha ha!
I’ve been doing National Novel Writing Month for a few years now, and sometimes it feels difficult to reach 50k, even though I know that later, during the editing process, I’ll be adding many more words (so many scenes start out as dialogue-only in drafts!).
Anytime I have a story idea outside NaNo, it turns out to be a novella.
Druid’s Moon ended up somewhere in between – it was an idea that came from a scene in a dream, and it somehow could not be wrapped up at novella length.
Someday I’ll write the extra epilogue, which features a grand party to which many of my characters are invited!


2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Write every day, even if it’s just story ideas and meanderings; inspiration comes from momentum!

3- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

I’m always excited by the moment when the two characters in love finally admit their feelings and come together – I hope readers will be, too!

4- Is the "Baron of Lansladron" based on a real rank of nobility, and what country would that represent?

It is! It’s an ancient title from Cornwall. There was a Sir Serlo de Lansladron, of Lansladron in Cornwall, who was summoned to parliament as a baron by King Edward I (1272–1307), “but never afterwards, and of whom nothing further is known” (The Historic Peerage of England by Harris Nicolas and revised by William Courthope).

Of course, I know a little bit more about what happened to the family...

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book in a special setting?

Digital view of the book on a hazy day with the Alps across the lake.

6- How do you support your fellow debut authors and have any of them supported you?

Oh wow, the blogging community is so supportive! I love hosting blog tours and guest posts whenever I can.
There’s also a great community on http://thelitforum.com

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

Here’s me: DenizBevan
I’d love to! Though it’s difficult to narrow it down to only three, so I’ve chosen three who are currently posting new projects, have books available, and/or provide editing services!

Jane Anne Decker: writerjaned
Claire G: AuthorClaireG
TL Watson: tlwatson_

8- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?

I love to knit! Baking comes a close second.

Playing cards from Dancing Lemur Press

9- diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks What's your favorite book with a diverse main character?

I’m going to go historical for this question – one of my favourite authors from childhood is Jean Little. She writes about young characters going through difficult times (e.g. the death of a parent) and children with disabilities. I always appreciated how real both her characters and their environments were; no pulling punches!


10- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime? #WriteGoal #BucketList #WriterBucketList

Right now, I’d really like it if my seven-book contemporary/suspense/romance/family saga could find a home with a publisher!

View from my balcony

11- What was the query process like for you?

Long. Sometimes there are sparks of hope (such as when you receive a request for a full). Otherwise, it feels endless. I like breaking it up by submitting to contests and writing journals and so on.

12- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?

I have a fantasy world tour for myself based on trips my characters take and places they’ve lived: I’d go to Nova Scotia, Quebec, Yukon, Alaska, BC, Washington State, Oregon, California, New York, across to Switzerland, then up to the Highlands, then down to Spain, on a three-masted sailboat from there to France, Italy, Malta, Greece, and Constantinople, ending with a trip in Turkey along the Aegean Sea, then back home!
Where would your story-based fantasy tour take you?

13- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

Also, a story headed to the moon!https://t.co/1y0e4jy7EP

— Deniz Bevan (@DenizBevan) May 22, 2022

I’ve got lots of story inspiration photos on my Pinterest board! https://pinterest.ca/denizb33/story-inspirations/


Druid's Moon by Deniz Bevan