Meet Sabrina Devonshire, author of 'Message from Viola Mari'

Please welcome Sabrina Devonshire, author of 'Message from Viola Mari' to the blog.

What was the inspiration behind 'Message to Viola Mari'?

A few years ago, I joined a Tucson writing critique group that included world-famous meteorite hunter, Geoffrey Notkin. Notkin was constructing a memoir, recently published as Rock Star: Adventures of a Meteorite Man. Science has always fascinated me—I have a Masters in Geosciences as a matter of fact—so Notkin’s submissions ignited my interest in meteorites and catastrophic asteroid and comet events. I read articles on the subject, ideas started flowing, the personality of the lead character popped into my head and the rest is history.

Which character was the most fun to write?

Definitely meteorite scientist, Marissa Jones. Message from Viola Mari is written in first person from her point-of-view. Since I’m a scientist-type myself and took classes with some folks who got so absorbed in their rocks and minerals, they barely paid attention to their attire; I found it easy to write from her perspective. I hope readers will find her “quirky” personality humorous. She’s an expert in her field, finds primping a nuisance and is socially inept around men. Even though she’s super confident about her competence in her field, outside that realm, she often feels awkward and insecure.

Which scene is your favorite?

I got a kick out of writing the scenes from the science fiction writing class where the students—in particular, Marissa—argued with each other about what was and wasn’t working in their manuscripts. This felt so true-to-life since I’ve taken many writing workshops where people jumped down each other’s throats, getting too personal instead of remarking on ways to improve the writing. I’ve been on the receiving end of destructive criticism before, so I had fun overdramatizing these scenes and making them comedic.

You combine the genres of erotica and sci fi in this book. Do you have a preferred genre?

My aim is to provide readers with a great escape—so they can step outside their stressful lives for awhile and just immerse themselves in a new world. For that reason, my forte is adventure stories set in exotic places. Message from Viola Mari actually reads like straight contemporary suspense until near the end. I don’t consciously decide on a heat level—I just let that part develop. I aim to create sex scenes that are highly descriptive, but also intense in emotion. Expect characters to disrobe each other on beaches, in pools of water, forests, or even in caves.

On what other projects are you working?

A two-book series (Love in the Labyrinths), will released July 1 and July 15 by Extasy Books. Dangerous Descent and The Unseen are both romantic suspense. Here’s the “working blurb” for DD… A catastrophic accident during a Tucson area hike leaves outdoor adventure director Rebecca Devereaux unemployed. After months of being holed up in a dreary department store, Rebecca decides something has to change. When she learns Kent Dunbar is seeking assistants to accompany him on a caving expedition to Vietnam, she applies for a job.

Kent Dunbar believes Mountain River Cave may be the largest in the world. He plans an expedition to survey the cave and have a science channel film their work. In need of assistants to help him with his work, he’s surprised to receive an application from a voluptuous beauty from Arizona.

The two find attraction too hot to handle from the beginning. But Kent’s not used to commitment, both are coping with traumatic pasts, and murderous gem smugglers are on the loose near their camp. Will their tumultuous love affair survive?

What is the best writing advice you ever received?

One of my writing professors, Meg Files, told me to “beware of the easy phrase.” I try to reflect on this whenever I’m writing because certain words and phrases constantly pop in my head and it’s easy to just “settle” for them instead of straining the brain. But I really work at this, because too much repetition will eventually either bore or frustrate readers. I remember I wanted to scream when Anastasia said she felt like “Icarus flying too close to the sun” for the fifth (or was it the 50^th) time in 50 Shades.

What is so appealing to you about "going off the beaten path"? Where do you most like to go?

I like travelling to places completely different from where I live so I feel transported from my world of responsibility and “have tos” to where I feel relaxed enough to act on whim for awhile. I also relish the tranquility of places out in the middle of nowhere—an isolated beach surrounded by mountains in Costa Rica, a mountain peak en route to Macchu Picchu, a jungle lodge perched high on a cliff in Guatemala… It’s also fun to be somewhere I’m not easily reachable by phone or email. I get home from work and I have all these calls to make or emails to answer when I just want to collapse in my armchair with a book… I’m also a sucker for adventure, so I like exploring new places and staying active on trips; climbing pyramids, hiking through jungles, swinging on vines, zip-lining, snorkeling, diving, and/or open water swimming.

Being in the water speaks to you. Do you have a different experience in the ocean vs. a pool, for example? How does water help you?

If the water’s clear and warm, swimming in the ocean is amazing. Swimming over an underwater natural world, brilliantly illuminated by sunshine, that looks magnified because you’re peering through a water lens is unforgettable every time. I’ve seen so much beauty swimming, snorkeling, and diving in various locales and I share some of these scenes through my characters’ eyes in my books. My vacation ocean swims tend to be very zen. I swim for as long or short as I feel like it, not worrying about the pace, and I often take a dip in the water several times a day. Sometimes I’ll do backstroke and just stare at the cloud formations. Other times, I’ll hover around rocks or reefs and dive down and swim underwater with some schools of fish. The brilliant colors of the fish and plants never cease to amaze me. I’ve swum with sea turtles, sea lions, and dolphins, but not all on the same day  At home, I swim for exercise and mental therapy. It’s my hour during the day to work out my frustrations, enjoy the sensation of moving through the water, and jump out feeling refreshed and alive. Swimming is really one of the best gifts I’ve been given—it gives me my health, more energy, a better outlook and inspires loads of ideas.

What places are currently on your bucket list?

Here are a few of my top picks…I’d like to head to the South Pacific for a week of open water swimming, possibly in Tahiti or Vanuatu, and also dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. A memoir I just love called Beyond the Sky and Earth by Jamie Zeppa whetted my appetite for travelling to Bhutan.

What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a book junkie. A contest for a $100 Amazon gift card excites me almost as much as an image of a delicious, scantily-clad male.

Anything else you would like to add?

I wish everyone who celebrates a Happy Easter and everyone else a weekend full of blessings. Holidays are a wonderful time to express gratitude for all the good we have in our lives and to show our family and friends how much we love and appreciate them. Thanks to my family for being so kind and supportive—I love you all! And thank you very much for this interview opportunity 

Message from Viola Mari

by Sabrina Devonshire

Contemporary Erotic Sci-Fi Romance

Publisher: Extasy Books

Release Date: January 1, 2013

Heat Level: Sizzling

Length: 157 pages

Blurb

World-renowned oceanographer and meteorite specialist Marissa Jones uncovers evidence that a comet cloud will soon destroy Earth. When aspiring writer and her best friend Jennifer begs her to take a Saturday morning sci-fi writing class, Marissa reluctantly agrees. Writing her real-life story as fiction gives her an astonishing new perspective on the anomalous set of craters she discovered off the La Jolla Coast.

But this favor for her friend stirs up more than scientific results…writing teacher Justin Lincoln goads her constantly and taunts her with his irresistible curly blond locks and steely physique he knows only too well make women drool. Marissa teeters on the edge of anger and raging attraction for this irritating man. But it’s a terrible time to let lust call the shots when the world’s about to end and Marissa’s the only one who can save everyone.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains explicit sex scenes and/or situations and adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Reviews

5 Stars from Ellen Cross—“Marissa Jones is a young Oceanographer and Metorite specialist, with a poor track record with men. Driven by her best friend, Jennifer, to join a sci-fi writing class, Mari is forced to suffer the frustratingly personal attention of her beyond mouth-watering, yet insanely irritating teacher, Justin Lincoln. One look at Justin, and Mari doesn't know whether to follow her body's desire to kiss him, or satisfy her mind's urge to punch his lights out. Mari's research into the mysterious craters on the ocean floor, leads her to the discovery that the earth's end is approaching in a cataclysmic event that will claim all life. With no-one willing to believe her research, Mari is left with not only the fate of all mankind in her hands, but a best friend to keep happy, a sexy man to figure out, and a book to finish writing. Simple huh? Sabrina Devonshire has exploded into the sci-fi genre with "A message from Viola Mari". Her beautifully descriptive style with the delicious splashes of witty humour throughout, are a delight for the senses. “Message from Viola Mari” will keep you guessing right up until the very last page.”

5 Star from Dean C. McMillin—“Marissa Jones is an oceanic geologist specializing in studying ancient meteorite impacts. She's tough and serious with little need for anything else in her life ... But, when her best friend talks her into enrolling in a creative writing course, she falls hard for the instructor, Justin Lincoln, much to her embarrassment. Marissa can't believe that she's so attracted to the hunky writing guru. She has to get over her own insecurities and accept the truth of his love ... At the same time, she is uncovering an ancient secret that might mean doom for humanity ... Unless she can find a solution and decipher what she believes is an alien message of hope. Investigating ancient underwater meteorite impact sites with Justin, Marissa becomes involved in life-threatening intrigues in a conflict that leads to an action-packed climax. This was an offbeat novel which I found to be a quick and easy read. The characters were sympathetic and relatable, and writing was clear, the story briskly paced. The story veers quite heavily into science fiction territory near the end, which is set up very well earlier in the book. Overall, a fun, light read.”

Read an excerpt:

Men in my life, in La Jolla and elsewhere, had been few and far between. I spent most of my waking hours working alongside male coworkers who cocooned themselves in polyester and bathed infrequently. My mother suggested taking up tennis and golf to meet eligible bachelors, so I dutifully joined the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

On the tennis and golf course, the closest I ever came to a romantic encounter was when a Kevin Costner look-alike handed me a golf ball that had hit him in the head and glared at me. Then there was the titillating conversation I had with a dark-haired police officer after I sent a golf ball reeling through the window of someone’s BMW.

It’s not that I’m out of shape. I’m proficient at running and swimming. But engaging in any sport that requires swinging, balancing or hitting any kind of target—other than an unintended one—is a high-risk endeavor for me.

People often romanticize the typical day-in-the-life of a female oceanographer. They imagine that I stand with windblown hair on the bow of a majestic ocean vessel, my makeup undisturbed after photographing underwater scenes from the safe cocoon of my submersible. But no, I am the woman every mother prays her daughter won’t become. Once a tomboy who petted amphibians and reptiles and collected rows of muddy rocks, rather than dolls, I’m now an employed adult who rarely dons cosmetic products and spends most of my waking hours in a windowless laboratory.

I was completely content with my dirty fingernails, make-up free face, and solitary weekend nights in the lab until one of Jennifer’s schemes landed me face-to-face with a man who transformed my ordered universe into chaos.

Men in my life, in La Jolla and elsewhere, had been few and far between. I spent most of my waking hours working alongside male coworkers who cocooned themselves in polyester and bathed infrequently. My mother suggested taking up tennis and golf to meet eligible bachelors, so I dutifully joined the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.

On the tennis and golf course, the closest I ever came to a romantic encounter was when a Kevin Costner look-alike handed me a golf ball that had hit him in the head and glared at me. Then there was the titillating conversation I had with a dark-haired police officer after I sent a golf ball reeling through the window of someone’s BMW.

It’s not that I’m out of shape. I’m proficient at running and swimming. But engaging in any sport that requires swinging, balancing or hitting any kind of target—other than an unintended one—is a high-risk endeavor for me.

People often romanticize the typical day-in-the-life of a female oceanographer. They imagine that I stand with windblown hair on the bow of a majestic ocean vessel, my makeup undisturbed after photographing underwater scenes from the safe cocoon of my submersible. But no, I am the woman every mother prays her daughter won’t become. Once a tomboy who petted amphibians and reptiles and collected rows of muddy rocks, rather than dolls, I’m now an employed adult who rarely dons cosmetic products and spends most of my waking hours in a windowless laboratory.

I was completely content with my dirty fingernails, make-up free face, and solitary weekend nights in the lab until one of Jennifer’s schemes landed me face-to-face with a man who transformed my ordered universe into chaos.

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About the Author

Sabrina Devonshire, an avid swimmer most of her life, can usually be found near or immersed in a body of water. If she's not seeking an endorphin rush in a pool, lake or ocean, she's often encouraging people to work out or writing a book or magazine article. She also loves traveling to off-the-beaten-path places where phones and electronic devices tend not to work well. Peru and Belize are two of her favorites. Sabrina lives in southern Arizona with her husband, two children, and fluffy dog, Sugar.

Connect with Sabrina Devonshire

Email: Sabrina@corazondeloro.com

Website: http://www.sabrinadevonshire.com/

Blog: http://sabrinadevonshire.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SabrinaDevonsh1

Giveaway Info:
Prize is 5 eBook copies of "Message from Viola Mari" (1 each to 5 winners). Contest is tour-wide, open internationally and ends Apr 13. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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