France Devine Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.  

A. My name is Frances Devine. I’m a Christian, a mother of 7, grandmother of 14, and now great-grandmother of 5. I was born and raised in Texas, but have made my home in Missouri for nearly thirty years.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. When I was nine years old. The dream never died, but I was in my 60s before I was published.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?  

A. I was invited to be part of a novella collection. The Spinster Brides of Cactus Corner. I loved writing it. But while waiting to hear back from the publisher, I was having lunch with some friends one day when I got a call from my daughter, Tracey Bateman. She was so excited that Barbour was starting a new book club for cozy mysteries. I’ve always loved mysteries. But she told me the slots were already filling up and I needed to get on it. Fast. I think when I finally realized it could really happen, I had one weekend to get a chapter by chapter synopsis and the first three chapters written. That was so much fun, so scary, and so hard. But it wasn’t long before my contract arrived. And that’s how the Miss Aggie series began. Since then I’ve had eight books published and two more novellas.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release? 

In Miss Aggie's Gone Missing, Miss Aggie is the central figure in the book, but is in it very little. She disappears in the first chapter. Victoria Storm is the thirty-year-old who inherited the house from her grandparents. She and the other seniors aren’t satisfied with the way the sheriff’s investigation is going, so they begin looking for clues in order to find their friend.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Miss Aggie’s Gone Missing?

A: It actually grew out of a different idea. Years ago I read a hilarious book about a senior boarding house. I think it was in Canada. I loved it. I think that sort of inspired my cozy mystery series. But my original idea got lost along the way as the characters of Cedar Chapel Boarding House took over and wrote their own story.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: The friendship and love between Victoria Storm and the residents of Cedar Chapel.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: Oh, I have several favorites. Maybe the one where Victoria and her friends search Miss Aggie’s room looking for clues. Or the one where Victoria goes for a hair-raising drive with Miss Jane.

Q: What inspires you to write?  

A. I guess it’s just something God put inside me. I can’t imagine not writing.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?  

A: I didn’t know it would be hard work. And I didn’t know I’d get myself in crazy deadline situations because of procrastination.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Two things. Get on a schedule from the beginning and form good work habits. Get a good critique partner as soon as possible.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A. I’m almost finished with Scent of Magnolia. It’s book two in a historical romance series about teachers in a school for the deaf.

Q: What is something your readers might be surprised to learn about you?  

A.  I used to go to Star Trek meetings. J

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?  

A. Read, watch tv, visit Silver Dollar City in Branson.  I usually have a patio garden in the summer.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?  

A. I’m so excited that the Misadventures of Miss Aggie series and all the other great Spyglass Lane cozies are now in e-book form. This is an exciting new adventure. And I hope to write at least one more Miss Aggie book sometime in the future.

Thanks for interviewing me, Susan.