Deva Fagan Interview - Part II

Welcome back for part II of my interview with author Deva Fagan. If you missed it Part I

As the story played out did you ever flip flop on who the "good guys" and "bad guys" were?


I did definitely make it a point to try to understand why every character would be doing what he or she was doing. When Nyl tries to convince Trix to join his "side", for example, I like to think that he truly believes his own arguments. And for that to ring true, I had to try to convince myself

I love following a writers career from the beginning and watching them go into their craft. I've enjoyed all your books, with each new one you've given more than the last time.

How do you continue to challenge and push yourself?

I think the first step is recognizing that you want to push yourself, and identifying what your strengths and weaknesses are. I've always loved world-building and coming up with cool ideas, but it wasn't until I really started paying attention to character and voice that I actually managed to publish my first book. And even now I recognize that character (especially character motivation) is my danger zone. I can get carried away with cool ideas and not pay enough attention to why my character is doing what she's doing. So that's something I try to be aware of with each new book.

Another thing I do is to look at my own absolute favorite books, and figure out why it is I love them so, and ask how I can develop the same qualities in my own stories. For example, one of the things I love about the Harry Potter series is how I feel like each of the secondary characters has his or her own story to tell. I would read a book about Neville's adventures, or Hermione's, just as happily as I'd read about Harry.

With Circus Galacticus, I knew I wanted to push myself to present a similarly wide cast of characters-- wider and richer than in my previous books. To do so, I needed to be sure I knew each of them well enough that I could imagine writing an interesting and fun story from that other character's point of view.

Your endings are crescendo good and I wasn't kidding when I said I may have to start calling you The Closer in my review.

What is it about endings that bring the best out of you?

Wow, thank you! That is high praise! As a reader I hate it when a book I'm enjoying peters out, or ends in a sort of hasty confused muddle. So I do certainly try my best to make my own endings satisfying.

I write outlines for my books, so I do make sure I know how they'll end, in a general sense, before I write them. Not that I know all the details of the ending before I get there-- but I try to make sure I know where I'm headed in terms of the main character's emotional arc. I need to know right from the start what's at stake, so that I can build to that climax where the character grapples with their big issue.

So for Trix, one of the big questions she has to confront is whether she truly belongs anywhere. She desperately wants to have a home, and she also wants to be special and cool and "a star." So I knew that she was going to have to face those desires at the end of the book, and thus that was something I worked toward in writing the big climax and the last few chapters.

Circus Galacticus is a very visual read. One thing that stood out for me was the naturally diverse cast and the character art created by Loraine Sammy is great. Would you ever consider writing a graphic novel edition?

I would LOVE to work on a graphic novel edition, if a publisher were interested! I have been a comic book fan since I was a kid. I started off reading Archies but quickly moved on to superhero comics. My favorites were the X-Men and especially their junior counterparts, the New Mutants (who are a wonderfully diverse superhero team, I will add)

And when I was writing Circus Galacticus I often imagined the scenes in my mind like panels in a comic. So yes, it would be a dream come true to work on a graphic novel!

I think its fitting and a great sign that the Muppets who helped inspire Circus Galacticus are making a come back right now.

Also this year there seems to be a resurgence of middle grade and young adult novels set in space or with aliens.

As a girl who grew up watching Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who (among others) I am always looking for more of that sort of thing!People keep saying that there's a certain bias against science fiction, but there's so much space adventure on the big and small screen that it certainly seems like the audience is there.

Okay I am going to very careful with this next question because I've always been superstitious. (but I can't resist asking) It's that time of year again when people begin to make guesses and predictions for the upcoming ALA awards.

Are you an author that likes seeing your books on mock list? Why or why not?

Hee! I blush even to be asked this question. I'd certainly be flattered, especially since mock lists are put together by people who truly love books. Knowing that such folks thought well of my story would make me very happy.

But that said, I will admit that my primary aim in writing is not critical acclaim. I want to write books that entertain and that make people think about life. The best "award" is knowing that a reader has truly enjoyed one of my books.

Deva Fagan Interview - Part I

Deva Fagan's newest book for young readers, Circus Galacticus was released earlier this month. Read the first chapter but do come back to enjoy the interview.

Hi Deva. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration for Circus Galacticus?

Sure! First, it's the story of Trix Ling, an Earth girl who runs away to join an intergalactic circus. I watched The Muppet Show a lot as a kid, which left me with many happy memories, but also with the tendency to mentally add "...IN....SPAAAAACE...!" to the end of random statements (if that makes no sense to you, watch this. I had been watching videos of Cirque du Soleil performances, which thus led to Circus... IN... SPAAAAAACE...!

I actually tried to write it as a more gritty adult version of the story first, but it wasn't working, so I set it aside for a few years. When I came back to it later, I decided to try reworking it with teenagers, and it all fell into place, playing off the old notion of "running away to join the circus."

I think it's an enchanting, magical concept to many of us because we are looking for a place where we belong. But at the same time, we want to be special and unique. How do you balance those two somewhat contrary desires? With the circus, we can have both. We can be freaks with other freaks, united in our freakdom. What makes us bizarre can also make us shine under the spotlight.

United in our freakdom is something everyone should get behind.
When the reader is first introduced to Trix (pre pink hair) we meet the fighter as she confronts a bully. Soon after the reader meets Trix the dreamer. It wasn't until I read Circus Galacticus the second time that I made this distinction to the introduction to the many sides of Trix, though I think its a vital one, since a dreamer must be strong enough to protect their dream.

Did you consciously have Trix stand up to her tormentor in the opening scene?

I did. When I was a kid I was teased a lot myself. I was geeky, I wore glasses, I had a "weird" name that teachers inevitably mispronounced, I was one of the tallest girls in my class, I had braces. Worst of all, I was shy, and I think the bullies could sense my "weakness." I remember my mom encouraging me to stand up to them and tell them to stop (I think she even bribed me to do it with the offer of a trip to the bookstore!).

And I tried, but I was too nervous and meek to make it count. And they didn't stop teasing me. It was nothing compared to what some kids suffer, but it still left a mark on my thin-skinned soul.

So when I asked myself what kind of girl would run away to join an intergalactic circus, I knew that she had to be both a dreamer and a fighter, as you put it. I wanted Trix to stand up to people who tried to put her down, as I hadn't really been able to.

As someone who has not always appreciated the beauty that is fantasy, sometimes I am still scared by overcomplicated worldbuilding. The world you created in Circus Galacticus is straight forward and there's a very good chance that this first fantasy novel reluctant readers of fantasy will love.

Oh, I am so happy to hear you didn't find the worldbuilding overwhelming! One of my main goals in constructing the world Trix gets to explore was to make it approachable. I love science fiction myself, but I know there are many readers who worry that they are going to need to solve differential equations to be able to enjoy it. And that's not true! There's so much good science fiction out there that I think readers would enjoy if they gave it a chance.

So I intentionally set Circus Galacticus on the soft side of science fiction. I did not include a lot of hard science or technical descriptions. And since Trix is coming at it from the perspective of an Earth girl (albeit an astronomy-obsessed Earth girl) she has to figure it all out too. So the reader and Trix learn together about alien technology and galactic history and all that.

One of my biggest hopes is that readers will pick up Circus Galacticus and enjoy it, and then maybe move on to other science fiction! And that we might then see more science fiction for younger readers get published.

The Ringmaster, the head of the intergalactic circus has a magnetic personality that shines through. Were you ever worried that he would overshadow Trix?

In a way. I will admit that I myself have quite a fondness for the Ringmaster, and he's definitely fun to write about! Fortunately Trix also came to me with a very strong voice and personality, so she never let him take over while I was writing. And because she is a fighter, and stubborn, and an action-girl, she stands up to him when necessary.

One of my favorite scenes to write was Chapter 10, "The Lighthouse", which I actually added in its entirety during one of the later revisions. Part of the reason I added that bit was to explore the Ringmaster's character, to show a bit of both his strengths and weaknesses, and (most importantly) to show Trix and he working as a team, in a situation where she can help him and provide support and encouragement.

I loved the Lighthouse chapter, the Ringmaster was both strong and venerable. It's an excellent example of your mutlilayered characters who kept me on my toes. I had a difficult time of always knowing who had Trix's best interest at heart.

As the story played out did you ever flip flop on who the "good guys" and "bad guys" were?

to be continued...

Come back tomorrow for Part II

Circus Galacticus - Deva Fagan

Circus Galacticus by Deva Fagan
Trix's parents always told her she was special. Since their fatal accident Trix is having a difficult time believing them. Trix has no friends and doesn't fit in at her boarding school. The students class are going to see the touring circus, Circus Galacticus. After Trix spots from small print on the Circus Galacticus poster that she can see, she doesn't know what to make it.

At the circus a strange man is after Trix. Running blindly Trix discovers the hidden world of circus galacticus. Lead by a young man named Ringmaster, populated by people from different galaxies, they travel the universe putting on shows.When given the chance Trix quickly agrees to stay abroad. Trix hopes she's finally found somewhere to fit in and finally discover her special abilities.

I enjoyed this one so much and loved Trix. Once again Fagan incorporates a naturally diverse cast. The story moves at a good clip, its filled with action, mystery and danger. The character's relationships were as important as the action. So there was the right about of heart. As someone who didn't grow up reading fantasy, I appreciate the uncomplicated worldbuilding. After Trix joins Circus Galacticus, it was easy to learn along with her about the new world.

As the circus travels the universe Trix learns a few secrets about the place she might want to call home. This was great from the beginning and kept getting better. I loved being surprised with an unexpected turn especially one that's beautifully done. I might have to start calling Fagan the closer. At the halfway mark there's always an extra bit of wow.

An excerpt

This weekend I will be posting a two part interview with the author. It wasn't suppose to be a two parter but I thought the whole thing went very well together and there was no need to edit out a question.