FORTUNE’S FOLLY is here and so is DEVA FAGAN to tell us about her book and the author behind the story. Welcome, Deva. Let’s start by knowing a bit about Fortunata, your fortune-telling main character. Here’s how Fortunata’s story goes.
Ever since her mother died and her father lost his shoemaking skills, Fortunata has survived by telling fake fortunes. But when she’s tricked into telling a grand fortune for a prince, she is faced with the impossible task of fulfilling her wild prophecy-or her father will be put to death. Now Fortunata has to help Prince Leonato secure a magic sword, vanquish a wicked witch, discover a long-lost golden shoe, and rescue the princess who fits it. If only she hadn’t fallen in love with the prince herself. . . .
So how about Deva? Here’s what I’ve read.
Deva likes searching for patterns, which is how she explains both her degree in mathematics and the echoes of old fairy-tales in her stories. She also loves tea, gardening, and playing the fiddle. She lives in Maine with her husband and her dog.
Deva took some time to tell a bit more about herself as a person. I asked her a few questions and here’s what she told me.
Of all your favorite books, which one do you wish you had written?
Tough question! I don’t think there’s anything quite like the experience of reading a book — writing a book is fun and thrilling in its own way, but I don’t know that I would sacrifice the enjoyment of the first time I read WATERSHIP DOWN or THE BOOK OF THREE or THE HUNGER GAMES or ANNE OF GREEN GABLES to be the one who wrote them.
You’ve chosen one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables. What fictional character do you wish you could be?
I would be Betsy Ray, from Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series. I’d get to enjoy the wonderful, warm Ray family, taste one of those onion sandwiches Mr Ray is famous for, have Miss Mix make me pretty clothes, hang out with a bevy of high-school chums, making fudge and singing and dancing, go on picnics with Tacy and Tib, flirt with Joe Willard, and even spend a year touring Europe in preparation for being a Writer.
Everyone who writes complains in varying degrees about “writer-block,” and most of the ones I’ve talked to say they rely heavily on comfort food during these muse-less days. After chocolate what do you eat to make the writer-block pain go away?
When I encounter writing troubles I tend to drink even more hot black tea with milk than I do usually.
Sounds very comforting, Deva. Thanks so much for the interview. I’ve enjoyed your visit.
Deva’s book is available at Amazon.
