Mike McDevitt interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My Name is Mike McDevitt. a full-time grandfather, part-time author and self-publisher. In a former life, I served a combined 42 years as a Surface

Warfare Officer (ship driver) and Operations Analyst for the U.S. Navy. (Math guy, Modeling and Simulation).

I had published in my technical field and I am very comfortable writing reports and briefings. But, once I retired, even before,

I decided I was going to write some stories for my six grandkids.  My grandchildren and I live in California.

 

The story behind the creation of Boris the Badger:

Before I retired, I did a little research on animal characters and found that there were few stories about badgers. So, then I researched badger habits

and habitats. I have always been a fan of A.A. Milne and the Disney chipmunks, foxes, dogs and bear stories. I wanted to write a bedtime story.

The name Boris came from Rocky and Bullwinkle. I wanted a “Russian” like name. The real star is Raven. Ravens can be gender neutral because

only a raven knows. People assume in Book 1 that Raven is male but as we find out in Book 2 Raven is actually female and her name is Kuth. “Ka!”

 

As a grandparent, I write my stories to appeal to my grandchildren and all children.  I have five grandchildren that are multilingual. I chose Russian

for the first book and Hebrew for the second. Just a smattering of names in the other language alongside the English. But other than the name game,

I wrote the stories to be universal in appeal. Each book has a story inside the story where Raven tells a tale from the origins of things.

Some are in part adapted from First Peoples’ legends.

 

About my illustrator: Olga S Tenyakova. She is a friend of my daughter-in-law and lives nearby. It took me some convincing but, she soon became

enamored with Boris, Raven, and Jack. She puts little easter eggs in the illustrations for littles to find. I find her watercolors brilliant and soothing at

the same time.  I plan to keep her around until I finish the series of four books.  Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

 

The greatest influence on my writing:  I am an insatiable reader of fantasy and science fiction. My favorite authors are C.J.Cherryh, Robert Heinlien,

and, of course, J.R. Tolkien.  I also had a mentor, Erv Kapos, who encouraged my technical writing. The best writers, in my opinion, are readers first. 

I also have two very kind sisters that have been a godsend as editors and proofreaders.

 

Advice for those who want to get into writing children's books: Develop the characters and establish the scenes, I think visually and liken each scene

to a movie or TV show.  I write the story then storyboard the story, then working the plot and lessons as I go.  I like to find an old saying and turn it upside

down. The adults get it even if the littles don’t at first. Dialogue is hard and it is written for early readers. I try very hard to keep the books age appropriate,

sometimes succeeding.

 

More Boris in the pipeline: Boris Badger 3 is waiting to be illustrated. Boris and Raven solve a winter mystery.  Raven tells another Beaver “tail”.

Boris Badger 4 is my current WIP and is yet to emerge from its spring chrysalis. There will be bridges and discoveries as Boris takes a walkabout.

And of course, there are two stories in each book!

 

Literary success?  I would like to be recognized as a storyteller but more importantly I want recognition for my illustrator. Without her

beautiful illustrations the stories would not be nearly as enjoyable for the littles.  It would be nice to sell a few more than a hundred copies.  Marketing is hard.  

 

Plans for 2023:  2023 is laid out for promotions, Book signings, readings book fairs. Boris Badger 2: Boris Goes to the Market is the focus for 2023.

I may work a little on Boris Badger 4. Hopefully near the ends of the year we can start on illustration of Book 3.

When did your love of books begin?

My father was a big reader and took me to the library to get my library card in first grade.

The library was only four blocks from my house. I remember spending hours after school and before dinner sitting in the stacks

reading and choosing books to take home.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

Writing has been a big part of my life as a Naval Officer and later as a consultant. I am published in Military Operations Research Society

(MORS) Journal. I filed many technical reports for the government.  But that was dry stuff. I knew that I could write but could I write

children’s books?  So here we are: self-publisher!

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Writing is easy. Editing, book design, production tools, cover design are much harder. And marketing….

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Tell your story. Go for it. Be prepared to rewrite and take criticism, gratefully.

Tell us about your book/books:

"Boris Badger: Boris learns a lesson" is my first book and from the start, it has been a labor of love for my

six grandchildren. The series of four books - one for each season is halfway to completion. "Boris Badger 2: Boris Goes to The Market"

2nd edition is a beautifully illustrated bedtime story book that takes place in the autumn. Newly released in December 2022.

"Boris Badger 3: Boris finds a hoot" take place in winter and is in the design queue. "Boris Badger 4: ___" is still germinating.

 

Book 1: Introducing Boris Badger, Raven, Babushka and Jack the donkey. Boris and Raven share breakfast. Raven tells a story.

Badger and Raven embark on an adventure to obtain a birthday present for Jack.  Babushka and her two dogs intervene.

Boris and Raven learn a lesson.

 

Book 2: This is the second book in the series "Boris Badger". Boris, Jack, and Raven take the old Grandmother's [Savta's] fall harvest

of pumpkins and cider to the market. Raven tells a tale on the way, before they run into trouble - a big storm and a cart stuck-in-the-mud.

With teamwork and fellowship, they make a successful journey to deliver the goods. They marvel at the sights and smells of the market

before trekking home again. In the process, the old saying "when you find yourself in a hole - stop digging" gets debunked.

 

Note: Each book has a little extra second language included and on the cover: Russian in Book 1 and Hebrew in Book 2. Bilingual grandkids!

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

We are all learning together and sharing our best. The publishing business is frustrating and there are traps and pitfalls for the newcomer.

I have yet to navigate them all successfully. But the community is warm and positive. Very few writers become famous or popular.

But we love the art of story telling. That’s what shows thru.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Please enjoy reading with your children every night, morning, and afternoon. Share the adventure. Thank you for loving my characters.

Where can people connect with you?

Follow Boris on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BorisRavenBadger/

On Twitter @MikeMcDevitt9

On Instagram @BadgerBoris

Email: mmcdevitt@pacbell.net

Author Page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/michaelemcdevitt