“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free reign so they can go wild and write about anything they want. It can be about their new book, series or about their career as a whole.
Today’s guest is Urban Fantasy novelist Devon Monk. Devon is the author of the Allie Beckstrom series – Magic to the Bone, Magic in the Blood, Magic in the Shadows, and Magic on the Storm (you can check out Thea’s review of book 1, Magic to the Bone, HERE). To celebrate the release of the fourth book in the series, Magic on the Storm, we’re having the lovely Devon Monk over to talk about her writing, magic, and her Inspirations & Influences.
Please give it up, ladies and gents, for Devon Monk!
When I was a kid, I was convinced there was a secret room in our house. I knew that if I just touched the right bricks in the right order on our fireplace, or pulled the right book off the bookshelf, I would discover a doorway into another world, and that world would be magic.
Even back then, I understood magic wasn’t free. I grew up reading old fairy tales and very quickly it became clear to me that magic always came at a cost. The little mermaid gave up her voice for the magic of legs, the miller’s daughter offered her child’s life for the magic to turn straw into gold. Even the little match girl gave up her matches–the only thing that could keep her warm and alive–to see a magical glimpse of her loving grandmother’s ghost.
But there was also hope in those stories. Beauty saw the kindness in Beast and fell in love with him despite his monstrous appearance. Her love broke his curse. The sister in the Six Swans never gave up silently knitting shirts for her brothers, not even when she was almost burned at the stake. Her love broke their curse. In fairytales, a kiss, or a single tear from a One True Love can break any magical spell or wicked brew.
Magic comes at a high price in fairy tales. Yet those stories also promise that love, courage, and the strength of the human spirit is just as strong–if not stronger–than anything magic can do.
When I started writing MAGIC TO THE BONE, the first book in the Allison Beckstrom urban fantasy series, I wanted to be true to certain things about magic I had learned from fairy tales.
One: Magic has a cost, and that cost is always a very high price.
Two: Just like in fairy tales, people can do good things or horrible things with magic.
Three: Courage, hope, and love can be every bit as strong as the darkest spell.
Now that the fourth book, MAGIC ON THE STORM is out, we know Allie lives in a dangerous world where magic is around every corner, on every fingertip, and at the edge of every blade. The city streets of Portland, Oregon have been changed by the magic that flows beneath the city, and so too, have the people who live there. And even the Authority, a secret society that guards the darker aspects of magic, will have to struggle to keep the wild magic storm, and the dark souls who want to control all magic, from destroying the city.
Even though Allie carries magic in her body, she is still learning how to use it. But she never gives up on the people she cares about, she never stops fighting for what she believes in, and she never expects someone else will ride to her rescue.
Allie is a modern-day heroine, like Leeloo in Fifth Element, or Ridley Scott in Aliens.
And just like the brave heroines in fairy tales, she finds the strength to pay the price for magic, to fight the battles for the innocent, and to have the courage to fall in love with the one man who has always stood at her side, the mysterious Zayvion Jones.
In MAGIC ON THE STORM Allie will face the hardest choice of her life. She must decide just how much she will pay to see that not only are the people and the city she calls home safe, but also how high a price she will pay to be with the man she loves.
Devon Monk spent her early childhood tucked behind couches or any other place with low light, “ruining her eyes” and reading. Her love of fairytales turned into a love of adventure, magic, future science, romance, mystery, humor, noir, and anything else she could get her hands on.
She wrote her first story when she was six. When her teacher praised its quality, Devon was surprised. She looked it over again and all she thought was, “I can do better than this.”
And thus, a writer was born.
You can read more about Devon on her website, or follow her on her blog.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
To celebrate its release, we are giving away FOUR COPIES of Magic on the Storm! The contest is open to addresses in the US and Canada, and will run until Saturday, May 8 at 11:59 PM (PST). To enter, simply leave a comment here letting us know what YOUR favorite book, series, or story featuring magic is (for example: The Allie Beckstrom books, the Harry Potter books, Beauty by Robin McKinley, etc). Only ONE comment per person please! Multiple comments (even if they are saying “Oops, forgot to leave my email address!”) will be disqualified. Good luck!
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89 Responses to Guest Author & Giveaway: Devon Monk on Inspirations & Influences
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hi Devon
I’m new to your books but I can totally relate to searching for that magical door in your own house as a kid. For years I tried to make my teardrop turn into a fairy godmother every time I cried, lol! I saw it happen in a cartoon
My current favorite series featuring magic is Richelle Mead’s Succubus series with Georgina Kincaid. A LOT of magical stuff happens in these books but like Devon mentioned above, love and the strength of the human spirit can still overcome magic, especially the dark kind.
bells dot franco at gmail dot com
my daugter would love ur books,they look great.
was ment to say daughter,sorry.. will be looking out for ur books and following on twiiter @gettogirl09
Hey Devon, welcome!
I also just recently discovered youa nd your books, but added them to my wishlist as they sound just the kind of books I would love!
I love magic and believe it definitely exists. Even if only the “ordinary” kind: luck, unexpected help from someone, support, love.
My favourite magical series is the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong and the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.
Don’t enter me as I live outside the US
So many of my favorites have magic in them! However, right now I’m on a Kate Daniels kick – probably because I’m itching to read the next one. The release is so soon but feels so far away!
Well, I love the Allie Beckstrom series but my absolute favorite book with magic is Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. The magic is at once big (going back in time) and small – only tiny bits of magic here and there – but the story is so good you almost believe it all happened and you could meet Brianna on the streets someday.
Oh my, go ahead and ask the hard questions. You know there are quite a few series I could use, but right now, I’m reading Here There Be Dragons, the imaginarium geographica, and I’m really enjoying it. And THAT has magic! ^_^
I think I need this series! With just the writing for this post, I need to get the books.
I have been wanting to get and read them, but my list is just… well, you know. But now I need them. Thanks!
My favorite magic story…hmmm, there are so many. I love Harry Potter, but there isn’t much in the way of limits for me. I really liked the short story in an anthology, Strange Brew, I read. Signatures of the Dead by Faith Hunter. Thanks to this anthology I had to get the first of the series, Skinwalker.
Wow! So many great stories! Some of my faves (in no particular order) are:
-Elizabeth Vaughan – Epic of Palins series
-Devon Monk = Allie Beckstrom series
-Moira Moore – Hero series
-Jim Butcher – Thomas Dresden series
-Robin McKinley – ‘Beauty’
-Shanna Swendsen – Hex series
-Patricia Briggs – Anything!! (but can’t wait for the rewrites to the Sianim series to be published this year!)
-J.R.R. Tolkien -LOTR series
-J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter series
-Kim Harrison – Rachel Morgan series
Can’t wait to read the new Allie Beckstrom!
I loved the Harry Potters series, but LOTR is also an old favorite of mine.
Zia
I suppose I really need to finish Magic in the Shadows now. I had to stop reading it because I didn’t want to have this gap between 3 and 4. And then my grad classes ate my soul anyway.
Favorite book…oh, that’s hard. I can blame Harry Potter for convincing me fantasy was an awesome genre. I think Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders books are it for me, though, especially the original trilogy and the Harper Hall trilogy. I realize that technically they’re closer to science fiction and most things “magical” are somehow explained by science, but yeah. I love Pern.
Hi and I love your books. Your series and Ilona Andrews are my extreme favorites right now!! Got one more new book coming out this May how lucky can a girl get? Good Luck with this new one I know it will be a success.
Hi Devon, (love your name!)
Haven’t read your books yet but looking forward to, it sounds just like my kinda books
My favorite series right now is Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniel series and Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series.
Tough question. My first thought was the Drake Sisters by Christine Feehan.
carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com
My favorite series that uses magic is the Harry Potter series.
I think Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite books with magic. Thanks for the chance to win this!
celialarsen(at)gmail(dot)com
Not one fave but many likes …
Harry Potter
Kate Daniels (Ilona Andrews)
Allie Beckstrom
Hi! I just started reading your books and I love them! My favorite book with magic is probably Sunshine by Robin McKinley. (Although, Beauty was a huge favorite of mine when I was younger.)
Keep writing!
This is what I LOVE about your books, Devon:
“But she never gives up on the people she cares about, she never stops fighting for what she believes in, and she never expects someone else will ride to her rescue.”
You’ve created a true heroine who rescues herself, and the ones she loves. And of course there’s Stone! I’m really looking forward to seeing more of that little guy
I think Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series is one of my favorites. I am re-reading them all now to get ready for the new book out on May 25th.
My favorite magic series so far is the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. SO GOOD!! I actually read Ilona’s high praise of Devon’s books too, and went out and got the first 3 a week ago or so. They are currently in my TBR pile and I’m greatly anticipating starting them!
my e-mail is Nicole.Healy (at) cox.net
I’ll have to keep an eye out for this series, it looks like great fun. My favorite book with magic is Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Thanks for the contest.
I can’t wait to read this series,I have the others in the series.
my favorite series with magic is The Hollows (Rachel Morgan)series by Kim Harrison
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
Hi, Devon,
Your books look great! I really enjoyed CHARMING THE DEVIL by Lois Greiman. It is part of her Witches of Mayfair series. I’m trying to locate the other two in the series.
I absolutely love the Allie series. She is wonderfully written, just like the rest of the characters. I am one of those people who just love to read, constantly, so choosing a favorite series is difficult for me. I would have to say the Patricia Briggs Mercy series is my favorite at the moment. Though, with both this new book and the new Charlaine Harris book coming out this week and I can’t really say!
Hi I also loved the Harry Potter books. My favorite – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Magic in books adds a mysterious element I enjoy.
polo-puppy-fluffy[at]hotmail[dot]com
My favorite book featuring magic? It’s hard to single one out! My top two favorites are probably Howl’s Moving Castle and McKinley’s Beauty with Beauty edging to the front because of the library.
What is it with low light reading? My favorite time to read has always been after dark with just a lamp on. I envy people who can read on their iPhones at odd moments during the day. I need more immersion than that.
One of my favorite magic series is The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. Those books are so good!
The Harry Potter series would have to be my favorite!
Just wanted to sneak in here and say hi! I don’t want to mess up the number count too badly for when those books are drawn…but thought I could leave a quick note.
Thanks for stopping in, everyone! I love all the magic books you’ve picked so far. I’ve read and loved most of those too. And thank you for reading, or thinking about reading my books. I really have enjoyed writing them, and exploring both Allie and her world.
I’ll duck out and make room for more comments. But if you have a question for me…go ahead and ask and I’ll try to answer them in a post or two.
–Devon
my favourite book series is the WVMP series by Jeri Smith Ready
they are SO addictive! 
Harry Potter is my favorite magical series. Like you were convinced there was a magic room in your house, I was convinced I would get my Hogwarts letter inviting me to study magic. Rowling made the HP world that vivid, that real.
I love just about anything with magic in it, so it’s hard to pick just one favorite. But I can say that the Allie Beckstrom books are among my all-time favorites. The writing is tight and smooth, the pace is breathless, and I LOVE the dynamic between Allie and Zayvion. I also love that magic has a price. Instead of making life easy, it often adds dangerous (and fascinating!) complications. I cannot wait to read the fourth book!!!
Devon, I love your books. In fact, books 1-3 were a Christmas gift to my future sister-in-law last year! I’m loving MAGIC ON THE STORM thus far too. ^_^
My favorite series with Magic? Cliche, but it’s Harry Potter. After that, well, the waters get far murkier when I try to figure out just what order my favorite authors are in.
I love Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, Charlaine Harris, Ilona Andrews, Anton Strout, Simon R. Green, Rachel Vincent, Keri Arthur, and many others.
Looking forward to finishing MOTS, and November cannot come soon enough with MAGIC AT THE GATE. ^_^
Hoping you are well!
My favorite magic books are definitely the Allie Beckstrom series. I think they’re so original because it’s exactly like what was said: magic is used and it has a very high cost. I find that most books that have magic in them tend to forget that that was basically rule number one of fairy tales. Also, they’re so well written and I can’t seem to tear my eyes off of the page.
Thank you so much for such a good story, Devon. I’m so excited to be able to read the next book =]
Really enjoyed the first two books in the series, and thought it was clever that the magical heroine, who lives in a world where magic pulses along various channels like electricity, has ‘strom’ in her last name which means ‘current’ in German (and maybe some other languages I’m not fully familiar with).
In magical stories, I’m also a fan of the Wheel of Time, and (as the Booksmugglers know! *g*) Alison Sinclair’s ‘Darkborn’, as well as Seanan Macguire’s October Daye series.
As much as I love Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstorm series, I have to say my favorite books featuring magic is without a doubt The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. It sets a wonderful modern world of magic and myth and the storytelling is just beyond any other writer I’ve ever read.
<3 Monk's books come in a clear second though. I love Allie and Zay.
I think the Hollows by Kim Harrison are definitely one of my favorites, but I think my first magical loves was the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osbourne. Now I’m reading them to my son!!
dukesangel002 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Although I love Devon’s Magic series my favorite series featuring magic is the Harry Potter series.
sgiden AT verizon DOT net
My favorite books that had to do with magic were the series that Tamora Piece produced, I absolutely loved them and ate those books up when I was younger. I had to hide them to read them though because books about magic were not welcome in my house.
I love your series, and I also am IN LOVE with Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares
There are a number of authors that have magic and the supernatural that I do regular reads on. To pick a favorite, I can not do. Each have their own identity where it all depends on the mood that I’m in to determine which one gets a re-read.
Below are the authors/series in question:
Anne Bishop – Black Jewels books
Trudi Canavan – Black Magician Books
Patricia Briggs
Karen Chance
Ilona Andrews
Brent Weeks
Stephanie Meyer
And I have come to realize that Devon’s “Allie Beckstrom” books will be included in this list.
Hi Devon,
I recently read and loved your first book and am looking forward to catching up with the rest of the series.
Another series I have recently found and enjoyed that is about Magic is the Kate Daniels series.
[...] of cool sites today. Check out her excellent article on fairy tales, aliens and inspiration at The Book Smugglers. A little later in the day, you’ll find her at Bitten By Books. Both venues will be offering [...]
Wonderful givaway! Great meeting you at RT! I’d love the chance to win one of your books.
My favorite magic series right now has to be Kim Harrison’s Hollows Series. Magic and vamps, does it get any better?!?
my favorite book with magic… so hard to choose one. but atm i would say the name of the wind (though it’s not magic magic).
tamora pierce- the treasure at the heart of tanglewood. gerald morris’ books. sevenwaters series by marillier… (though its more sorcery)
I just finished Dangerous Highlander by Donna Grant and enjoyed the magic woven into the story. I also LOVE Cheyenne McCray’s Magic series.
My two favorite stories with magic in it would have to be Children of Chaos by Dave Duncan and Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves both unique stories that I just couldn’t put down
crazypixielady at gmail dot com
Hi,
My favourite series that involves magic is still the Harry Potter series. I have read and enjoyed others, but I rarely remember titles or series names.
Urban Fantasy is my “crack.” I cannot get enough of it. I love finding new authors and have spent hundreds of dollars and enjoy every page even the bad ones. I do have to say thanks to Jim Butcher’s “Dresden Files” for getting me hooked so badly.
Other series I must insist on getting every single instalment since Harry’s influence are the “Lords of the Underworld” by Gena Showalter, “Black London” by Caitlin Kittredge, “Guild Hunter” by Nalini Singh, “OSI Novels” by Jes Battis, and of course currently reading “Magic in the Shadows” by Devon Monk.
Before Urban Fantasy? Dungeon and Dragon’s Forgotten Realms. Yeah, I’m a magic junkie.