Today, I have another TBF author interview. I chatted with Eric Devine, author of Tap Out, Dare Me, Press Play, and Look Past. Check it out:
Miranda Reads: What inspired you to write Look Past?
Eric Devine: I had a host of inspirations for Look Past, mostly because the novel has various threads. To start, I was inspired to write a transgender protagonist because of my experience with one of my daughter’s friends, who happens to also be the child of two of my friends for the past 25 years. My daughter’s friend, is gender fluid, and this was obvious from the time birthday parties were arranged with “boys over here and girls over there,” and my daughter’s friend was utterly lost. As years progressed and it became obvious that gender conformity would never occur, my wife, my friends, and I, had many conversations about their thoughts, their child’s thoughts, and how they wanted to handle things.
Simply, anything with children is a delicate situation, and we wanted to support everyone involved, including our daughter, who needed assistance in understanding the situation. Which is why children are so great. My daughter loves her friend, but at the time, needed knowledge. This was a novel situation, and I am so glad that we successfully navigated it. So many situations where parents get things wrong is when they are not open-minded. Then, as serendipity would have it, I had a conversation with one of my colleagues (I’m a high school English teacher), whose cousin was, at that very time, transitioning from female to male. Thus began a string of emails and face-to-face conversations, because I was curious, and because he was so willing to help, and because it felt like there was a story to be told.
Additionally, so much of the religious aspects to the story are drawn from my experience with the Christian faith. The hypocrisy of preaching about love and then hating various groups never sat well with me. Nor did the strict lines of thinking when it came to gender and one’s right to one’s own body. Therefore, I knew if I was writing a story with a transgender main character, I would have to tie in some of the conversations I had encountered by people whose faith is paramount to individual rights.
Lastly, I have always wanted to write a murder mystery. However, in no way did I want to write a cliche and have a transgender individual be the victim. All of my main characters are tough, either from the outset or by the end, and Avery--the protagonist in Look Past--could be no different. In that vein, Avery had to suffer, as do all my protagonists, and the ways in which I torture Avery are all connected to the issues he would face as a boy in transition, staring into the horror of the murder of his first-time love.
Miranda Reads: Out of all of your characters, which one resembled you as a teen?
Eric Devine: I am most like Ben Candido from Dare Me. I often begin presentations with the line, “I’m not that smart, and I’ve made a lot of bad choices.” This is the truth for me and for Ben. Something about my makeup forces me to push the envelope, test the limits, and often end up broken or paying some terrible price for my actions. This is probably why I relate to my students so well, and will probably never be able to write Adult fiction. I still feel that desire to go too far.
Miranda Reads: Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind of music?
Eric Devine: No music, but white noise. I write from 4am to 6am, and so I’d wake the house if I was cranking music. Therefore, I have found the beauty of white noise to deaden the silence, while helping me ignore the creaks of my home or the padding of my dogs outside the office.
Miranda Reads: What was the last book that made you laugh?
Eric Devine: I don’t read a lot of stories, fiction or nonfiction, that are humorous, which is strange, because in real life, I crack jokes all the time. But the last book that made me laugh out loud, was Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy. I like dark, twisted humor, which is probably why if I want a laugh, I know I can always turn to David Sedaris.
Miranda Reads: Which TBF Author are you most excited to meet this year?
Eric Devine: I can’t answer that with just one author. I attended last year’s TBF as a teacher, with a book group from my area (what’s up Albany HIgh!), and I was hell bent on seeing A.S. King, again, as well as catching up with my pal, A.G. Howard. This year, I’m just thrilled to be in such good company. That may sound cheesy and like a cop-out, but it’s true. However, pressed for one, Barry Lyga--whether he remembers or not--owes me a certain adult beverage ;) I’m hoping to keep him to his word.
Thank you so much, Eric! We can't wait to meet you at TBF!
You can purchase Eric's books at Barnes and Noble or Amazon or you can check out Eric's books at your local library, here.
That's it for today! Be sure to check out the blog for more book reviews, author interviews, and TBF-related fun posts!
Miranda
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