A day in the life of: Author Sabrina Devonshire

'Release week for Dangerous Descent'

In our wonderful, whirlwind whip around the world, we have been flitting from country to country, chatting to authors about their daily writing routine, and about what influences their stories. Today, we return to the United States, to the state of Arizona, where we catch up with author of exotic romance adventures – Sabrina Devonshire.

Sabrina Devonshire

 

 

Noelle: Thanks so much, Sabrina, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. Your latest book – Dangerous Descent – was launched this week. Congratulations! Before we start, I’ll list all your books here:

• Love in the Labyrinths #1 – Dangerous Descent
• Love in the Labyrinths # 2 – The Unseen
• Message from Viola Mari
• The Open Water Swimmer

From what I can tell, your two big passions in life are swimming and traveling. From the titles listed above, it sounds as though you have brought your passions to life in some compelling, adventurous ways.

Sabrina: Thank you for the invitation to do this interview, Noelle. Because I’ve always loved travelling to exotic locales, geology, swimming, and being outdoors, my romantic adventures tend to reflect these passions.

Noelle: I looked on Google Maps at Arizona – it seems to be a fairly dry place, and not that close to sunny beaches. How did you get into swimming in such a big way?

Sabrina: Believe it or not, I started swimming competitively as a youth growing up in Ohio of all places J I always wanted to live somewhere I could swim outside year-round and now here I am in the Arizona desert. Swimming provides balance in my life—it’s a delightful form of exercise and it always stimulates new ideas and calms me down.

Sabrina at the national swimming championship in Puerto Rico (2009)

 

Noelle: Congratulations on your swimming career. You certainly look very fit! It seems your book characters are fit and adventurous too. Your new release – Dangerous Descent – is set in Vietnam, where your character Rebecca takes a job working in subterranean caves. Do you also list caving as one of your preferred activities?

Sabrina: I’ve visited New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns twice and also Kartchner Caverns in Arizona and found these underground chambers fascinating. During my first visit to Carlsbad, I arrived super early in the morning and walked ahead of everyone else. It was an amazing feeling walking through those enormous chambers filled with magnificent rock formations created by dripping water. In Dangerous Descent, I use Mountain River Cave as the story backdrop, based on research I found in the library and videos.  Some of the chambers described in Dangerous Descent are so enormous, they could fit a jet plane or the Statue of Liberty inside!  I’m pretty high maintenance, though, so I don’t think you’ll find me signing up for a real expedition anytime soon (laughs).

Noelle: It's amazing that those caves are so big! The locations for your series, Love in the Labyrinths, sounds dark, damp and scary. How do you manage to get your characters to fall in love down there?

Sabrina: I think edgy circumstances are a great backdrop for lusty attraction. And both Kent and Rebecca are natural adventurers, so the allure of the setting and their mutual interest in geological discoveries heighten their passion and bring them closer together.

Noelle: As you know, my first book was set in Cambodia – right next to Vietnam. I’m really glad to see that you too have a love for the exotic Asian countries. What other countries or unusual places have you set your books?

Sabrina: I know, Noelle. I read Let Angels Fly and found it very entertaining. Readers will be transported to exotic places in all my books. So far, I’ve taken them to Portugal, Tunisia, Greece, and Honduras (The Open Water Swimmer), the Czech Republic and Belize (Message from Viola Mari), and Vietnam (Dangerous Descent and The Unseen).

Sabrina and her daughter, Marion, getting a mud treatment at a rainforest spa in Costa Rica

Noelle: South America is somewhere that has always fascinated me, but I've never been. I just love this photo of you and your daughter! Now THAT looks like my kind of adventure. :-) But I’m so intrigued with your books, that I haven’t yet asked you about your daily writing routine. So, firstly, do you manage to write every day, or do you fit it in as best you can?

Sabrina: Since I’m also a personal trainer/group exercise instructor and also do freelance magazine writing, I do the juggling act. I write most days, but my routine is far from regular. I wish I could say differently…

Noelle: It’s pretty standard for me to want to know where you like to write. Are you able to share a pic of your study, or writing desk? Maybe the view out your window or some view that inspires you as you’re writing?

Sabrina: I’m a light-seeker so I tend to move my computer around the house. Most often I sit at a small, antique desk in front of a window where I can see the Tortolita Mountains and homes down the hill from us. In case you’re wondering if the view’s a distraction, I’d have to say, “No.” Facebook, on the other hand, is my real downfall…

Noelle:  You certainly have been to some exotic and adventurous places. When you travel, do you consciously seek out the unusual and store the memory away for use later in a book?

Sabrina: I journal on most of my trips. Whenever an idea strikes, I have those journals to go back to.

Noelle:  Dangerous Descent is out now. When can readers expect to see number two in the series released?

Sabrina:  The Unseen, Book 2 of Love in the Labyrinths, will release August 1 on the Extasy Books website. It should be on Amazon on August 8.

Noelle: Where can readers buy your books, and where can they connect with you online?

Here are the buy links for Dangerous Descent…

• Extasy Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/dangerous-descent
• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Descent-Love-Labyrinths-ebook/dp/B00DTWQUIW/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1373337122&sr=8-8&keywords=Dangerous+Descent

Here is some other contact info for me:

Web site: www.sabrinadevonshire.com

Blogs: www.sabrinadevonshire.blogspot.com

           www.sabrinadevonshireromances.com
Twitter: @SabrinaDevonsh1
Email : sabrina@corazondeloro.com

Thank you, Noelle, for inviting me to share with you and some potential readers today. I really enjoyed the chat J

DANGEROUS DESCENT

 

Logline: Rebecca seeks outdoor adventure work. Kent has the perfect job for her. The Vietnam caving expedition gets crazy when too-hot-to-handle love strikes—along with murderous smugglers.

Blurb: After months of working in a dreary department store, laid-off outdoor adventure director Rebecca Devereaux vows to change her life’s trajectory.

    Kent Dunbar believes Vietnam’s Mountain River Cave may be the largest in the world. His sponsors demand that he leave immediately to survey the cave and study its origin, leaving him little time to organize staff. Desperate for assistants, he sends out a mass email to recruit qualified workers. Kent is pleasantly surprised to receive an application from Rebecca and hires her.

    The instant Kent and Rebecca meet, they find attraction too hot to handle. Soon, every jungle tree and shelf of cave rock becomes a potential place to release their pent up passion for each other. But Kent’s not used to commitment, both are dealing with traumatic pasts, and murderous gemstone smugglers are on the loose near their camp. Will their tumultuous love affair survive?

 

Noelle: Sabrina, thanks so much for taking the time to visit. I know how busy book release week is, so I appreciate what you've done. A huge congratulations on your latest release, and I hope that Dangerous Descent soars.