Interview with Marilyn Levinson, Author of THE DEVIL’S PAWN

What made you decide to be an author? When I was a little girl, I wrote stories and studied ballet. I wanted to be an author or a ballerina. Being an author won out.

What do you like best about being a writer? What do you like the least? I like finishing a book, knowing it will soon be available to readers in paper and e-book format. I don’t like the pressure to promote.

How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing? I love exploring my characters’ psychological makeup and how they relate to one another.

Have you ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a book--as if the words came of their own accord? If yes, which book did that happen with? Not really.

You’ve written 17 novels and are working on a 18th novel. What’s your favorite time management tip? Before you sit down, know what you plan to write—at least on the first page. The rest will generally follow.

Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead of time or are you an “organic” writer? I am a plotter. I write an outline of my WIP before I start Chapter One. That said, I make many changes as I go along.

If you had one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be? Keep on writing, and finish your story or novel.

Did music help you find your muse with this book? If yes, which song did you find yourself going back to over and over again as you wrote? I don’t listen to music when I write.

Tell me more about THE DEVIL’S PAWN.

After fifteen-year-old Simon Porte's family is killed in an automobile crash, his father's brother, whom he's never met, brings Simon to live with him and his wife in upstate New York. Simon doesn't trust Uncle Raymond, and for good reason. Raymond is dying and using his diabolical powers to take over Simon's body. Simon must develop his own supernatural defenses. With his dotty great-aunt, his young sister, and a pair of odd twins, he wages war against the evil Raymond and his cronies.

How about an excerpt from THE DEVIL’S PAWN?

I switched off my lamp and fell asleep. The next thing I knew, my uncle was calling my name. “Simon, wake up!”

"What’s wrong? What happened?” My heart pounded like a jackhammer.

“Time to get up.” Raymond turned on my desk lamp.

I looked at the clock. “It’s three in the morning! I’m going back to sleep.” I pulled the pillow over my head.

"No, you're not!"       

He sat on my bed and grabbed my shoulders so I’d face him. “Look at me.”

I tried to turn away, but he gripped my chin.

“Cut it out! What’s wrong with you? Are you some kind of pervert?”

“Look at me,” Raymond repeated. His corneas appeared black, with pinpoints of light where the irises should have been.

I tried to close my eyes, but his gaze held mine as fiercely as his hands clutched my shoulders.

I was falling through space. The pinpoints of light widened into a circle of brightness, and I was in the center. Energy as powerful as electricity poured into my palms. The current gathered momentum and coursed through my body. A pressure expanded inside my head.

“Stop! You’re hurting me!”“Hush,” Raymond admonished. “It’s almost over. Soon you’ll sleep and forget this ever happened.”

I moaned. The pressure receded down my torso and my limbs. A blanket of fatigue stilled my fears and dulled my mind and body. I was barely aware of Raymond settling the covers around me. “Sleep, Gregory, and forget,” he whispered as I drifted off.

I awoke the next morning feeling groggy. I let out a yelp as I sat up because my head ached something awful. Bits and pieces of a terrifying nightmare floated to the surface of my mind. The cloaked figure of a man—my uncle?—was hypnotizing me, forcing me to…to…I couldn’t remember any more of the dream.

Where can readers find more about your stories, books and you on the Internet?

Website Links:

Website: www.marilynlevinson.com

Amazon page: http://amzn.to/K6Md1O

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marilev/

Buy Links:

Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/nwr4bsc

itunes, ibooks: http://tinyurl.com/p88qzwk 

Marilyn Levinson, thank you so much for being with us here today. I know my readers will enjoy your work and your interview.