DEBORAH ANN DAVIS has been writing since she was assigned to keep a
Journal in her 5th grade English class. She began to
look around for writing inspiration. Lo and behold, she found her world was
full of funny stories just waiting to be told. As she grew older, occasionally she
could manipulate one into some school assignment, but it never occurred to
her to pursue writing, not even when she discovered her flare for telling
stories at college parties.
After a string of college
majors, she realized she could have a captive audience EVERY DAY in the public
school system. As it turns out, teenagers love to laugh, and what could be more
entertaining than Biology, Earth Science, and Environmental Science? Then
there's the added bonus that once kids know you like to laugh, they want
to make you laugh.
Go figure.
In addition to Writing, she is
also an Educational Speaker and a Certified Personal Trainer. She taught for
25+ years, although somewhere in the middle of all that educating, she
stepped out of teaching for 6 years to do the Mommy Thing, and run the office
for their family construction company.
Even though they had followed
separate paths, Deborah reunited with, and married her childhood sweetheart,
twelve years after their first kiss. Together they coached their daughter’s
AAU Basketball Team, which swept States two years in a row. (Yay!) Then, for
several years their daughter and their money went to college.
They currently reside on
a lovely lake in Connecticut. She enjoys dabbling with living a sustainable life, writing
novels for her Love of Fairs series, dancing, playing outside, and
laughing really hard every day. She promotes increasing the amount of movement
throughout your day via Wiggle Writer posts on Merry
Meddling.
Remember, you can do
anything if you set your mind to it— including becoming an author at any age—
but it’s way more fun if you are grinning back when the Universe smiles down on
you.
For
More Information
About the Book:
What happens when a
Computer Geek challenges a Medieval Outlaw?
PETIR TAKES A ROUGH TUMBLE IN
THE CONNECTICUT WOODS, and awakens in the middle of old England. His instinct to freak out is tempered by the arrival of a
fair maiden wearing a bow… and arrow. In his college world, fair maiden types
don’t ordinarily go for computer geek
types, but for some reason, he is no
longer in his world. Petir’s fairly certain he can try whatever he wants
without consequence… but the fair maiden isn’t playing fair.
WITH THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE
ROYALS ESCALATING, MAID RIANNE has joined the outlaws hiding in the woods,
outwardly defying the handsome and accomplished knight to whom she is promised.
She is fairly certain she is simply flattered by Lord Petir’s uncensored
admiration of her skills with the staff and bow, the same unmaidenly pursuits
disdained by her knight. But, that doesn’t explain her reaction to Lord
Petir’s unguarded gaze.
TO PETIR’S DELIGHT, AND MAID
RIANNE’S DISMAY, the outlaws invite him to join their merry band. What better
way to get close to her? Throwing caution to the wind, Petir decides he has
nothing to lose by pursuing Maid Rianne. It’s fun and games, until Maid Rianne
is captured by the enemy. Now, a geek with no ability to defend himself must
find a way to rescue a fair maiden who has become much more than fair game.
“Adorably romantic!” An absolutely fun, adorable, romantic read that
will thoroughly entertain you, no ifs, ands, or buts! The plot was
extremely unique and I l-o-v-e-d just how unusual it was. It was thoughtfully
planned out and written with a smooth glide, seemingly effortless on the
author’s part. The ending was surprisingly unexpected and I’m thinking I
really, really like this new-to-me-author, Ms. Deborah Ann Davis! I’m already
anxiously awaiting her next book. Don’t miss Fairly Certain or I’m completely
certain you’ll be upset you did!
For More Information
Thanks for this
interview, Deborah Ann Davis. Can we
begin by having you tell us about yourself from a writer’s standpoint?
I started warming a chair at a monthly writers group meeting
because someone somewhere once said something I wrote (an essay) should be
published. So I unobtrusively sat in the back and listened to the speakers.
Until one day a speaker told us you don’t have to have a plot to write a book.
I thought, “Well, hey! I don’t have a plot, so I can write a book!” and I began
to write.
When not writing,
what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?
I love to go dancing but I hardly ever do because there
aren’t any dance places for my age group. So I dance around the living room
with my husband. I try to go to the gym every day, and hang out with my husband
in the morning. I like biking and laughing.
Congratulations on
your new book! Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can
get a glimpse inside?
Here is the first page of Fairly Certain:
To Climb, or Not to Climb
“What do you mean, you can’t go?” Petir Capota
stopped stuffing his backpack to stare at his roommate, Chris Dunbar, who
leaned against his doorframe. Disappointment bubbled up. “Chris, this is our
chance to advance in the rankings.”
“I know, I know. But my boss called and asked if I
could add a few shifts.” Chris shrugged, avoiding Petir’s glare as he drifted
toward his friend’s computer array. “I need the dough, bro.” From the top of
his red head to the bottom of his raggedy Sketchers, Chris was the picture of
remorse. Even his crisp buzz-cut drooped. His summer job, a vital financial
component for keeping their new apartment, had not panned out as expected.
Blowing off his chance to put in some extra hours would be a serious mistake.
“Oh, isn’t that just great? First Jimmy bails; now
you.” Heaving a sigh, Petir plopped down on his bed. He snatched up his
favorite Ping-Pong paddle and swiped the air. Like that would change things.
“And get your carcass away from my computers.”
Unoffended, Chris stepped away from Petir’s pride and
joy. “You can always go by yourself, dude.”
“I can’t go by myself. We’re supposed to be a team.” Swish.
Swish. The paddle attacked an imaginary ball.
“Dude, no one will know.” Chris hung his head, then
scraped at something on his shirt.
A shaggy blond head popped through the doorway belonging
to their third roommate. “Yeah, Pete, take one for the team,” chided Jimmy
Montana. “Make Jackie Chan proud.”
“Aww, c’mon, you guys. I thought we were taking a
week for ourselves.” Petir’s vacation plans were heading for the toilet.
Would you say it’s
been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published
or pretty much smooth sailing? Can you
tell us about your journey?
I’m a pretty upbeat person so I rarely find the road rocky.
I began writing while I was teaching high school Science, so I made myself wait
until the summers write. Meanwhile, I copied down conversations from
eavesdropping in crowds, and threw the scraps of paper they were on into a big
envelope. I got a lot of ideas from songs. (All my books have a playlist at the
end.) Ideas jotted on sticky notes used up most of the room in there. It
basically took me close to three years to finish the book.
Two years ago I stopped teaching to become a writer
full-time. I knew I would miss the kids, but I was so excited to finally be
able to devote my time to writing. But, I am an Indie writer. Instead, I found
my hands full with trying to do marketing and promotions. To my surprise, I
didn’t write hardly anything that first year. Last year I did some writing, but
nothing that I would call productive. However this year I have two books
started, one of which is almost completed. And my second book, Fairly
Safe, is being published in July.
If you had to
summarize your book in one sentence, what would that be?
What happens when a Computer Geek challenges a Medieval
Outlaw?
What makes your book
stand out from the rest?
Besides the quirky characters, and the plot twists? That
would be humor and insight to teenage angst.
If your book was put
in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
Summer Vacation…because that’s when the story takes place.
Everybody goes to fairs, carnivals and festivals during the summer. There is so
much anticipation and excitement associated with them.
Would you consider
turning your book into a series or has that already been done?
The series is Love of
Fairs. Fairly Certain is the first book, in which a Connecticut geek
falls out of a tree playing a GPS game in the woods, only to find himself back
in old England. His instinct to freak out is tempered by the arrival of a fair
maiden wearing a bow…and arrow. When she is captured by the enemy, a geek with
no ability to protect himself must find a way to save the fair maiden.
My second book, Fairly
Safe, tells about a successful former foster kid who is trying to have
a relationship with a girl in Witness Protection…whose cover has been blown. It
will be available in July. (Yay!)
The third upcoming story, Fairly
Obvious, follows a seventeen-year-old who whisks away her younger
siblings to a traveling carnival so they can avoid foster care until she turns
eighteen.
What’s next for you?
Fairly Obvious won’t be out until 2017 because I have another
project in the works, Girl’s Guide to Good Guys: The Power of
Being Patient and Picky, my first non-fiction workbook for teenage
girls.
I’m on a mission to help the countless teenage girls
who repeatedly make bad dating choices. They’re stuck in a loop because they’re
afraid to be alone, afraid of being unpopular, and afraid they’ll never find a
good guy. After 20+ years teaching
high school, raising a daughter of my own, and spending seven years as a
teenage girl myself, I created a series of challenges to help teenage girls
become self-appreciating and independent. The exercises teach girls to become
comfortable with being single, to live their lives more fully, and to be
patient and picky until they are ready for a healthy relationship.
