Author David Devine

Author David Devine

Interested in the personal battles behind a writer’s life and creativity? This conversation with indie author David Devine blends crime fiction, caregiving, and late-in-life reinvention in a way that feels both grounded and refreshingly honest. You’ll hear how Devine went from technical and business writing to a cheeky Christmas short story about "Murray, the disgruntled reindeer" and a special family tale inspired by his daughter Megan, who has Down syndrome and famously asked for "cool stuff" every Christmas.

Those early successes nudged him from short stories into a full-length novel, the fast-paced crime thriller *Hibernia*, set in San Francisco and built around real Irish currency history. Devine shares that he writes "fact-based fiction", and talks about his completed new book *Uncommonwealth*, a modern-day geopolitical thriller set in Grenada and shaped by his Grenadian-Canadian wife’s experiences and local knowledge.

His characters often start from real places and cultures, then grow into a cast that includes professors, marine biologists, government officials, Russians, Chinese and more. The chat also gets into the less glamorous side of writing: finding agents, going hybrid with Blossom Spring Publishing, and facing the "dirty part" of the job — contracts, submissions and the slog of marketing.

Devine is candid about book events, social media, paid advertising that burned cash, and the challenge of turning good reviews into real sales. All this happens while he juggles life as a full-time carer for his special needs daughter and his nearly 90-year-old mother, squeezing in writing between lawn-mowing, leaf-raking and snow-blowing seasons in western New York.

Through it all, his motivation is simple and striking: "I actually enjoy the process of writing." If you’ve ever wondered why some people keep creating despite obstacles, this chat might leave you asking what story you’ve got inside you too.