The Deception of Devin Miller, by Kelly Martin2013, 211p, Contemporary, Suspense
My Rating=5 stars
Source: Bought for Kindle
One month ago, seventeen year old Devin Miller wrecked while intoxicated— or so she’s told by the sightly ticked off blue-eyed boy when she wakes up from a coma. The only thing Devin remembers is the darkness holding her down and the voices-- some happy, some upset, and one very agitated. She can't remember her name, her age, where she lives, or who in the world the blue-eyed boy is. But he knows her and against her better judgment, she offers to pay him for his memories so she can trick the ones closest to her into thinking she's fine.
That is her first mistake.
When Devin gets home, the deception is harder than she thought. People she doesn't know keep talking to her. Trey (the blue-eyed boy) doesn't show up like he said he would. And the police want to talk to her about her involvement with the car accident. Plus she keeps seeing flashes of the wreck, but none of them make sense. What would a red plastic cup have to do with anything? And why can't she seem to trust the people she is supposed to trust the most?
Facing DUI charges for a wreck she can't recall, Devin fights to remember exactly what happened the night of the crash: something the real driver desperately wants her to forget permanently.
Who is really doing the deceiving? (Amazon)
On the day this book was released, I shared a post on my blog about it. It sounded so good, I just knew I had to read it right away. Sure enough, once I started, it was hard to stop!
Devin wakes up from her coma with amnesia but she doesn't want anyone to know. When she wakes up, there's a boy in her room and as she talks to him, he doesn't seem to like her and she has no idea why not. She offers to pay him to help her with her memories and not to tell anyone about her amnesia. He agrees. Her parents and boyfriend come to see her and they don't seem to like the boy, either. Why not? What's going on? Will she ever remember? Who should she trust to tell her the truth?
This book is full of Drama (yes, with a capital D). I love the writing style--information is released in small doses so it makes every conversation interesting but there are still enough questions to keep me reading to get more answers. There are lots of secrets and Devin is in the middle of everything; she just doesn't remember what's going on. Her conversations with Trey (the boy from the hospital that she pays to help her) are funny and I enjoyed their exchanges.
Her life is fine as long as she doesn't remember what happened, but once she starts remembering, someone isn't happy about it and wants her to stick to the story.
Content: There is underage drinking and her father has a huge secret that I guessed early on (but hoped I was wrong) and when it came out, made me cringe.
I was able to interview Kelly Martin. She is lots of fun! If you like her Facebook page, she'll keep you informed on what she's doing. She hosts book release parties on FB, too, and you can join in and win prizes and learn about new books and authors and they're lots of fun!
1. What inspired you to write The Deception of Devin Miller?
I start all of my books with a question... and usually the question comes to me when I'm in the shower (or watching TV. Not watching TV in the shower. I'm not that advanced in technology yet.) The idea for Devin was basically who would you trust if you couldn't remember anyone. Could you know who to trust? What causes you to trust someone?
In my head, I pictured a girl running down a dark road. I wanted to know why. How did she get there? What was she running from? That scene never made the 'final cut', but it did get the book started for me.
2. Who was your favorite character to write in this story? Your least favorite?
I loved writing Trey. He's so serious, sarcastic, and funny. I loved any scene with him in it. My least favorite? Devin was hard sometimes because the soul of a character is honestly her memories. You take that away and it's hard to make her 'human'. Plus, there's only so many times you can repeat the same dialogue. She was hard in the first draft, but by the editing, I was enjoying writing her. She started becoming real to me and that, as a writer, is always wonderful!
I have two projects going on. I'm editing the sequel to SAINT SLOAN called SAVING SLOAN. It's one of my favorite books. It comes out in April 2014 from Astraea Press, and I can't wait! I keep saying I'd love to be in the room with people when they read the ending.... then again, it might be bad for my health-- or my bones ;) I'm eagerly anticipating it :)
I'm also editing THE AFTERLIFE OF LIZZIE MONROE. It comes out in January 2014. The first chapter is in the digital copies of THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER. It is what I call my "zombie/Civil War/Contemporary/Christian/
I also have this time travel story I can't wait to start writing. I've never really written anything science fiction (well, it sort of is... I had to figure out how to send this guy back in time). But I'm really looking forward to it! My mother graduated high school in the 1950s, and I'm looking forward to going through her old annuals for inspiration :)
4. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I'm a teacher. I teach special education preschool. I also have 3 kids (8, 6, and 3). So there really is no downtime. I like to read, but there is only one place in the house I can read without interruption... and I won't get into where that is ;)
OH, and I'm a HUGELY addicted youtube fan. Right now, it's anything 80s and SHERLOCK (the BBC series).
Actor ;) I'd LOVE to be an actor. The highlight of my acting career was 15 years ago in high school though. I left the stage for other forms of art :)
Don't give up. It's hard. Rejection is hard. Don't think the rejection stops when you get published. It doesn't. See a friend have better sales than you? Yeah. You feel rejection. Get a bad review? Yup. Go a day without a sale? Yeah. Rejection never goes away. Don't let it get you down. Write because you want to write, tell stories, and create worlds. Write because you love it. The other comes with it, but don't let it stop you.
7. Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Thank you so much! The amount of support you've shown me is amazing. I hope to write stories you enjoy for many, many more years :)It sounds like there are many more stories to come from Kelly Martin so be sure to check out her books!
Author Bio: Kelly Martin a southern girl who writes... a lot. She is the author of SAINT SLOAN and Grace Award winning, CROSSING THE DEEP. By day, she is a teacher. By night, she has her hair in a bun and her fingers on a keyboard. She loves God, is addicted to chocolate, and would rather write than sleep. Kelly loves a good mystery and believes in Sherlock Holmes.
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