Ask the Author: Devanye Hansen
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Devanye Hansen
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Devanye Hansen
Don't be afraid to write about what scares you, to make yourself uncomfortable. It could be a scary scene, it could be a character's past or something in the character's psyche. It could be something that happened to that character or how that character happened to other characters. It could be a character that makes you question your own beliefs and values, who has no respect for your worldview, your religion, your politics. It doesn't even have to be that obvious, a lot of the time terrible things happen on a sunny afternoon in the middle of a gorgeous, unassuming day in the house next door.
What hurts you? What changed you? What touches you and disturbs you? What would you never talk about, even with your closest friends and family, even with God? Write about that. Chances are it needs release anyway.
What hurts you? What changed you? What touches you and disturbs you? What would you never talk about, even with your closest friends and family, even with God? Write about that. Chances are it needs release anyway.
Devanye Hansen
Generally, I'll harrass my family and friends. I'll talk about my book, about where I got stuck, which characters have gone into hiding, and vent out my writer's block frustration. By the time I'm done, I usually know what I'm going to do next. I'm very blessed to have patient people in my life who'll be my sounding board.
Other times, I'll take a break from the story, start a different one, or scrap it altogether. I've started over on Panthyr, the third book in the series, three times! Which is why I didn't publish Abednego until I'd started writing Gryphon, the seventh and last book of the series. There are easily 25-50 stories that I started and never finished. They're just sitting on my desktop until I revisit them. Some of them have been there for over a decade.
Other times, I'll take a break from the story, start a different one, or scrap it altogether. I've started over on Panthyr, the third book in the series, three times! Which is why I didn't publish Abednego until I'd started writing Gryphon, the seventh and last book of the series. There are easily 25-50 stories that I started and never finished. They're just sitting on my desktop until I revisit them. Some of them have been there for over a decade.
Devanye Hansen
I originally began story-telling when I was very young because I had vivid recurring nightmares and creating a happy ending for them once I woke up was an effective way of dealing with them. I was inspired to write, however, because of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I read the whole trilogy sixteen times between the ages of 11 and 13, when I was finally allowed to watch the movies. I wanted to make more just like it. I haven't yet, but a girl can try.
My writing process is very similar to how it started out, I still have vivid dreams, but now less of them are nightmares. When I wake up, I try to organize what happened, weave the dream and the explanation, and give the whim expression. It can be a very trance-like experience, which sounds bizarre, but it is what it is. I am very thankful for the great, caring people I'm blessed to have in my life who drag me out of my fiction and make the world I live in enjoyable.
My writing process is very similar to how it started out, I still have vivid dreams, but now less of them are nightmares. When I wake up, I try to organize what happened, weave the dream and the explanation, and give the whim expression. It can be a very trance-like experience, which sounds bizarre, but it is what it is. I am very thankful for the great, caring people I'm blessed to have in my life who drag me out of my fiction and make the world I live in enjoyable.
Devanye Hansen
I was raised to believe in angels and demons and a spiritual war raging in the background of our lives, and that every decision is a battle. As an avid fantasy reader I did always wonder why there weren't more books about angels, and more specifically about Nephilim, the offspring of angels and mortal women in Genesis and Jubilees. These were recorded in Genesis as the "men of renown", arguably the ancient heroes and monsters of Gilgamesh, and it seemed there was an entire genre of paranormal romance and fantasy adventure missing.
I am also a huge fan of shifter romance, and thought it might be interesting to have mythological creatures, such as unicorns and pegasi, as the surviving decendants of the origninal generation of Nephilim. Angels and unicorns are both considered protectors of innocence, which seemed a logical starting point, and so Abednego's character was born and the rest followed.
I am also a huge fan of shifter romance, and thought it might be interesting to have mythological creatures, such as unicorns and pegasi, as the surviving decendants of the origninal generation of Nephilim. Angels and unicorns are both considered protectors of innocence, which seemed a logical starting point, and so Abednego's character was born and the rest followed.
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