In The Spotlight with Bayou Book Junkie ~ Author Devon McCormack

In The Spotlight with Bayou Book Junkie ~ Author Devon McCormack

Today we’d like to welcome Devon McCormack to Bayou Book Junkie. Devon is the rockstar of social media among the M/M genre readers. He has a huge and loyal following on Facebook, who anxiously await his daily musings. Okay, let’s be honest we all sit on the edge of our seats to see what outrageous story or comment will appear on his timeline next. At least I know I love and look forward to being entertained by him on a daily basis. Devon lives with his boyfriend in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the dirty birds, I mean the Atlanta Falcons. (Sorry Devon, no offense intended, but I would be a horrible New Orleanian and Saint’s fan if I let that pass without comment <3) 

He has been a published author since 2013 with twelve books under his belt. He has books published through Wilde City and Harmony Ink, as well as some self-published titles. Most recently he has made the transition into the Gay Romance genre. He has collaborated with one of our favorite authors here at Bayou Book Junkie, Riley Hart, on the very emotional story Weight of the World, and most recently self-published his first solo gay romance, Tight End, in October 2016 and Filthy Little Secret in November 2016. Devon spends his days alternating between writing, having interesting and enlightening elevator conversations with friends/neighbors and participating in wild brain sex with twinks at his local gym, while said twinks’ bf looks on. Then, of course, he comes home and post all about it on his FB page, because as I said earlier we are all awaiting these hilarious and informative posts from him. Okay, I have babbled enough, let’s move on the interview portion.

Devon: *blushes*

Tracy: Hi Devon, thanks so much for agreeing to sit down with us today. Tell us a little about yourself and your current project(s).

Devon: Hi, Tracy. Well, there’re quite a few things in the works. I try to keep things interesting, so I don’t reveal too much about my future projects. All I’ll say is the McCockalypse is upon us. LOL. That means there are a lot of projects that I’ll be releasing. They’re all gay romances. I have some non-romance novels that I’ve finished, but in terms of time management, it’s easier to just focus on the publishing and marketing of the romances consecutively, and when I finish with the McCockalypse, I’ll start editing/publishing the non-romance titles I have up my sleeve.

Tracy: You’ve written in the contemporary, paranormal and dark erotica genres. Which genre do you prefer to write the most? And which do you prefer to read?

Devon: I love them all. I know some authors prefer one genre over another, but as long as I have a good character who I can get excited about, then I’m happy to be working on erotica, romance, or even young adult novels. It really is all about finding a way to love whatever project I’m working on at the time. That’s what I feel my responsibility is to readers. It’s not just a matter of waiting for the muse to strike. It’s finding a way to fall in love right now with whatever story I’m in the middle of…and to stay in love with it until I’m done.

Tracy: When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how old were you when you wrote your first story?

Devon: I didn’t want to be a writer. I thought it sounded like the most boring job in the world, and my dad would always tell me that’s what I’d grow up to be, so that made me hate the idea even more. I was always writing stories, but I didn’t write my first novel until I was fifteen. And I just kept writing them. I’d submit them to publishers, and I’d get some nibbles and some rejections. This went on for a long time before I ever published my first book. Write a book, submit to agents and publishers, get rejected, and then start the whole process all over again.

Tracy: What is your writing process? Do you begin with an outline or do you just go with it and let the story flow?

Devon: I do both. It depends on what I feel I need to do to get the story down. Sometimes, I will write a meticulous outline that details every point I want to hit. Other times, I’ll just jump right in because my vision for the story is so strong that I know I don’t need that. I don’t have any set way. I can start writing a book with the last chapter or a scene that takes place somewhere in the middle. The first draft for me is about getting it down on the page. And I do whatever it takes to make that happen. And most importantly, so that I really get those raw feelings that drew me to the idea initially down on paper. But I’m a work horse when it comes to sitting down and doing the work. It’s not always fun or pleasant. I can love an idea or a character, but the writing part is still work.

Tracy: Weight of the World is a collaboration with Riley Hart, what is the writing process for a collaboration? Do each of you take a character or chapter?

Devon: That’s exactly what we did. Before either of us wrote anything for the book, we chatted with each other about our characters. We discussed who we thought they were. What drove them. What they were reaching for. And then we talked about the important elements of the story. After that, we just started going and didn’t stop until it was done. We shared Rob’s chapters, though, and that was just born naturally out of the way we approached it. We would each take on his POV whenever we felt inspired in that direction.

Tracy: I just want to say, I loved that y'all added Rob's POV. Most authors would have left Rob in the background, but I adored that y'all brought him to the forefront of the story and made him real, and not just a fixture.

Tracy: What’s the most difficult part of collaborating with another author?

Devon: Being nervous about what the other will think of your chapter. I make myself send the chapter right when it’s done because if I don’t, I’ll just sit on it all day and tell myself I needed to “edit” it. But if you’re collaborating with someone, you need to be comfortable with them seeing your “rough” work. You can’t be paranoid that they’re going to hate what you’ve done because if that’s the case, then that’s way too stressful. Riley’s pretty effortless to work with, though. We both care about writing a book the other person will be proud of, so there’s not a lot of stepping on each other’s toes.

Tight End

Amazon ~ GoodReads

Tracy: What do reader reviews mean to you? Do you pay attention to literary criticism or ever take a reviewer’s advice?

Devon: If it’s something I put into a book intentionally, even if it comes up in thirty reviews, I’m not likely to change it. For instance, I have a novella called Cheating Bastard. The main character is a cheating bastard (shocker), and the story has a warning in the blurb to let people know it doesn’t have a happy ending. I got so many reviews from people who wanted that to have a happy ending, but those don’t carry much weight with me. It’s not a romance. That wasn’t the story I was trying to write or the audience I was trying to appeal to. So something like that wouldn’t get to me. But if I see a common thread among reviews that are about something I didn’t do intentionally, those I take to heart and make changes accordingly. I’m an entertainer. I’m trying to entertain people, and you have to read the room to be able to do that.

Tracy: Do your friends or family members or bits of them ever end up between the pages of your books?

Devon: All of the time. I’m glad no one reads them because they’d find that they’re in all the books in some way. I do have a best-favorite, Caroline. She reads my books, and she knows when I’ve lifted things from her life.

Tracy: Please take us through a typical day in the life of Devon McCormack.

Devon: I wake up at three or four in the morning and start writing. Then I’ll write a FB post somewhere between seven and nine. Around noon, I’ll either go to the gym or jog. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are gym days. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundayds are jogging days. The afternoons are reserved for either continuing writing on the project I was working on that morning or sometimes for a collab or a set of edits on a book. Evenings are typically for friends and the bf.

Tracy: Was it tough growing up gay in the south? Have you ever considered moving to a more diverse part of the country?

Devon: I live in Atlanta, so I live in a very diverse dot in the state, which is nice. I’m in Midtown, which is the gay part, so when I’m here, I don’t feel discriminated against or like there are any issues. I really like it here, but I wouldn’t be averse to moving somewhere else.

Filthy Little Secret

Amazon  ~ GoodReads

Tracy: What is the last thing you say to your partner before bed?

Devon: “Can you turn off the TV?” He was closer to the remote.

Tracy: We all know how open you are on social media, is this the real Devon we see behind the computer screen? Are you really this open and outspoken in real life?

Devon: I think you’d have to ask other people that. LOL. I think from the response I received at GRL, most people seemed to feel like my online persona gelled well with who I am in real life. I do like attention, and I like causing a stir…in person and online. I’ve always been that way. Never been shy about being the loudest person in the room. Although, I feel like what I present on social media must seem skewed. I only post about the wonderful things that are going on in my life or funny bits here and there. I have plenty of drama and serious things going on, too, but I don’t post about those things. It’s not the sort of stuff I want to dwell on or keep beating the drum about. Not to act like I’m some sort of positive-thinking guru. I’m definitely not that. I just tend to minimize negative things because I don’t like thinking about them. I’m sure it’s something I should review with my therapist.

Tracy: Tell us something about yourself that people would be shocked to learn:

Devon: That I’m way dirtier in person than online. I always feel very PG on Facebook—compared to real life, that is. Certain things I tone down or am vague with the way I word it, but if we were sitting down and having a conversation, things would get filthy very quickly. I spent a long time censoring myself, but as an adult, I’m just like, “Fuck it!” And people seem to think it’s quirky. I don’t think they’ll have the same appreciation for it when I’m ninety.

Tracy: Will you be attending any conferences this year? Where can we find Devon in 2017?

Devon: You can always find my number in the men's bathroom stalls at all the conferences. But I'll definitely be at GRL in Denver in 2017. I had an incredible time at GRL 2016 in Kansas City. It's wonderful watching a community of like-minded pervs...I mean, people...come together to share their love and appreciation of a genre that is so special and unique. I'll also be attending RT in May with Riley Hart, where I'll be eager to get into all sorts of mischief and find excuses to lose my clothes and take selfies for Facebook (hint hint...follow me on Facebook).

Weight of the World

Amazon ~ GoodReads

Quick Fire Round:

Favorite color? Blue.

Favorite food? Shrimp.

Coffee or tea? Coffee.

Last song you listened to? Kate Bush’s “And So Is Love.”

Favorite curse word? Douchebag.

Last person who texted you? My best-favorite, Caroline.

Boxers or briefs? Boxers.

Favorite emoji? Winky face.

Ever written naked? Mostly how I write.

Tracy: Devon, thanks so much for being here today! This has been a fun and entertaining and we look forward to having you back in the future!

DEVON: Thank you for having me! This was so much fun!

About Devon:

Devon McCormack spends most of his time hiding in his lair, adventuring in paranormal worlds with his island of misfit characters. A good ole Southern boy, McCormack grew up in the Georgian suburbs with his two younger brothers and an older sister. At a very young age, he spun tales the old fashioned way, lying to anyone and everyone he encountered. He claimed he was an orphan. He claimed to be a king from another planet. He claimed to have supernatural powers. He has since harnessed this penchant for tall tales by crafting whole worlds where he can live out whatever fantasy he chooses.

A gay man himself, McCormack focuses on gay male characters, adding to the immense body of literature that chooses to represent and advocate gay men's presence in media. His body of work ranges from erotica to young adult, so readers should check the synopses of his books before purchasing so that they know what they're getting into.

Where to Find Devon around the web:

Amazon Author Page ~ Facebook ~ Twitter 

Website ~ GoodReads Author Page