There she goes…

• Genre: Magical Realism, General Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
• Pages: 406
• Ages: 15+
• Published by Owl and Zebra Press in February, 2013.
• Available in paperback and ebook, for $14.99 and $4.99.

We fully endorse you taking Benevolent to your book club, no matter how big or small. Feel free to contact the author at contact@devontrevarrowflaherty.com or use the resources on this site to your advantage. Sure, they are copyright (c) Devon Trevarrow Flaherty 2013 and all, but you have the author’s permission to copy and distribute the questions and information as you see fit, within some sort of reason, that is. Go ahead: make copies for your reading group!

*WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR ANSWERS TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST IN COMMENTS OR SEND AN EMAIL TO contact@devontrevarrowflaherty.com.

1. Are the legendary characters (The Angel, The Queen, Jaden the Great, The Sage) real? In what sense are they or are they not? Are they allegorical for something? What might they represent?

2. How do you feel about Gaby’s and Mikhail’s relationship? Did it resolve in a way you enjoyed? Why or why not?

3. Can you relate to the town of Butter? Explain. Share your experiences.

4. Discuss the characters of Mercedes and John. What do they do for the story and how are they important to the other characters?

5. Did you enjoy learning about characters through flashback? Was it effective? What was your favorite flashback?

6. Discuss the climax in the hospital room. Break down how each character responded, including The Angel.

7. Discuss the ending at the bridge. Was this a fulfilling ending for you? Did it work well with the book?

8. Why was chapter 29 included in the book (The Timeses and Heralds Report on the Matter)?

9. Did you enjoy the author’s use of metaphor? Do you recall the segment where the letter with Mikhail’s message traveled through the mail system? And the roses decaying in Mikhail’s bedroom? How did those metaphors work and what was your favorite metaphor from the book?

10. Did you like the Midwest or Israeli scenes more? Why?

11. What was your favorite quote from the book?

12. What genre is this book? It is sometimes listed as literary fiction, sometimes general fiction or contemporary fiction, but also has strains of magic realism, young adult readership as well as adult, coming-of-age, and even fantasy. What is the best audience for it, and why?

13. Did you identify with the  humanitarian themes in the book? Did Gaby tell you how to live, or did she just make you think?

14. What was the issue(s) that kept Gaby and Mikhail apart for so long? How was it eventually dealt with?

15. Map the narrative arc of the story (point of view, voice, etc.). Is it conventional? How and how not? And why did the author do it this way? Would you?

THE STORYKEEPER TALES:

Benevolent is the first novel in an unconventional series called the Storykeeper Tales. It is unconventional, first, because you can read each book on its own. Second, you may never even know that they are a series. Third, you could read them in whatever order you want, and understand each of them. Fourth, they are not all the same genre. However, they are meant on a certain level to work together, and to be read in a particular order, which is the result of readers of Benevolent wanting more of the of Northywyth legends. Benevolent appeared in 2013, followed by The Night of One Hundred Thieves in 2015. There are three more in the series, which will be published after 2016.

The first book–Benevolent–was written, cliche-style, from what Devon knew: a youth in the suburbs of Detroit, travel to Israel, and a bursting amour for humanitarianism and academia. However, since Devon is also a great lover of magic realism, the Northwyth legends and the resulting characters made it into the last drafts of Benevolent. The Night of One Hundred Thieves is simply an expansion of one of the legends from Benevolent, written as a sort-of experimental fantasy novella (which technically, by the last edit, was a proper novel). The experimental part comes in at the lyrical style and the inclusion of forty main characters.

The last three are going to be basically as follows:

• A novel set in Russia, during the same time period as The Night of One Hundred Thieves (which is basically medieval times). It has one main character and is a head-story about Alexander’s discovery of who he might be and who he is. The theory is that he is the abandoned son of a distant, powerful queen and an angel. But he’s living the life of a mysterious peasant with no past. Can he find the old woman who can give him his story, and how far is he willing to go to get to her?
• A book of macabre fairy tales, set in the Wood of Branderby. One is already written: a piece called “Trecora” about a solitary woman who makes braided hair pieces for a living and is visited one ominous night by a man with his long-haired “wife” slung over his shoulder. Another of the stories will be based on the Magician and the Woodsboy from Benevolent.
• A science fiction book about the descendants of Gaby and Mikhail and the outcome of the severed seed.

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Launch post card for the reading at Regulator Bookshop in Durham.

Photo of an excited Devon holding the first proof of her first novel.

MIKHAIL’S PLAYLIST FOR GABBIE:

Since Gaby’s usually buried beneath a tower of library books in the sickening glow of her word processor screen, she leaves the music selection to best friend Mikhail. He’s the music expert. That’s how they met, you know, at John’s Punkstraviganza, with Wally’s Toothbrush, The Hired Assassins, and Strike Back. So let’s rewind to the day Gaby asked Mikhail at Purple Monkey Record Shop to pick out an album for her, and he started her collection with The Beatles’ Abbey Road.

Shortly after that day, Mikhail came up with a mix tape and left it sitting on Gaby’s driver’s seat when they got out in the Butter High School parking lot, one morning. When he loped out to the car several hours later, Gaby had the engine going and her head was leaned back against the head rest, The Raincoats reverberating around the car’s interior.

SIDE ONE:

• “Should I Stay or Should I Go?,” The Clash
• “Lola,” The Raincoats
• “Woo Hoo,” The 5.6.7.8’s
• “Better Man,” Pearl Jam
• “No Fun,” The Stooges
• “Tonight,” The Go-Go’s
• “One Way or Another,” Blondie
• “Here Comes the Sun,” The Beatles
• “Could You Be the One?” Husker Du
• “The Goonies Are Good Enough,” Cyndi Lauper
• “She,” Green Day
• “Freak Scene,” Dinosaur Jr.
• “Bombshell,” Operation Ivy

The tape got a lot of play before the ribbon snapped in 2006. Gaby’s tape player was on its last leg, anyhow.

*Spoiler alert, at least sort of. This is a map following the Northwyth legends embedded in the modern story, and how they interact with one another. Just a fun thing, especially if you are used to reading fantasy. It probably won’t really spoil much, and may just intrigue you.

On The Starving Artist (the author’s blog):

• Hero Tales (besides the analysis of hero types, Devon breaks down where the characters of Benevolent might fit)

Elsewhere on the internet:

• at Juniper Grove (“Featured Author: Devon Trevarrow Flaherty,” revealing things about the newly-published Benevolent and also The Date and the Cockroach, in process)
• [WEBSITE IS NOW INVITE-ONLY] at Butterfly-o-Meter Books (“Guest Post: Mikhail’s Mix Tape for Gaby + Excerpt: Benevolent by Devon Trevarrow Flaherty,” excerpt from the Violet Monkey Record Shop chapter)
• at Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf (“Book Spotlight: Benevolent,” with excerpt of Gaby and Mikhail hanging out)
• [WEBSITE HAS BEEN REMOVED] at Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews (“Benevolent: Featured Literary Fiction,” a short and sweet interview with Laurie about writing and my books, and plenty of promo)
• On JLB Creatives (“Meet the Author: Devon Flaherty” with an interview about writing, the writing life, and insight into, for instance, Devon’s favorite place in Benevolent)

COVER PHOTO SHOOT:

These are some of the best photos taken for the cover, before photo editing and choices made. (Photos copyright Devon Trevarrow Flaherty, 2013.)

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GENESIS OF A COVER:

STEP ONE:

Just sharing a photo of the very home-grown wings that were made for the cover photo shoot, which is happening or has happened by the time most of you will read this. (Wings pictured here hanging on the wall in Devon’s dining room.) We are headed to a small town main street with an eight-year-old and a pair of Chucks. Doesn’t it make you wonder?

STEP TWO:

Here is one of the photos from the photo shoot. For more photos, see the “Extras” drop-down menu, above. This is the photo that I believe is going to be used in the final product, but I am hoping to use other photos for other promotional things, like cards for readings or my web presence?

STEP THREE:

This is a completely remedial mock-up of the cover, made in Microsoft Paint. It’s simply the photo I think works the best with the title and my name imposed on, using the Cursif font for “Benevolent.” After doing this mock-up, I realize that I have made the photo too dark, trying to get the wing feathers to pop, but the red filter does work the best. Not back to the drawing board, but back a little.

STEP FOUR:

Taught myself how to use an Adobe program that I got miraculously for free. Am super pleased that it is not too different from the PageMaker that I used to use when I was a literary magazine editor. (Note: Good authors will tell you to get a professional to take your photos and design the cover, but I actually have experience (as is being employed) in both fields.) Within 24 obsessive hours I come up with a cover that I like, that Kevin (the husband) likes, and that I think looks professional. It is still close to the cover I imagined over the past several years, but is more beefed up.

STEP FIVE:

Post my favorite version of the cover here and there, send one to someone who promised to critique it, and then forget about it. Let it mellow. Concentrate on what’s inside the book; nearing the end of the editing process. (That, and my son has no clean pants nor do we have any clean cups.)

STEP SIX:

When the first cover doesn’t print up as pretty as we would like, we go back to the drawing board, recycle most the ideas, and come up with the final cover. (Pictured here with the spine.)

And I also thought I should include the book without the spine.

STEP SEVEN:

Some blogger tells me they can’t review my book because the cover doesn’t grab them (even though they liked the idea and the fist chapter, go figure), so I spend an evening playing with free online photo editors. Husband tells me to calm down and he loves my cover.

STEP EIGHT:

A year later (or less), I realize that I not only want to slap some award stickers on the front, but that I think the cover could look just a tad bit more professional. I also am getting a wee bit better at promotional copy writing, so I want to change what is said on the back cover. And hurrah!–my printer now offers matte finish. So cover update, releasing in May, 2014, if all goes well.