Featured White Pines Local Author A.J. Devlin

The Port Moody Public Library White Pines Local Author collection highlights local authors, poets, and illustrators in our community. Every month, we will interview and feature one of the authors from the collection on the Library website.

The featured author of this month is A.J. Devlin.

Author of the Month: A.J. Devlin

About his book:

Book cover of Cobra Clutch Cobra Clutch

"Hammerhead" Jed Ounstead thought he'd traded the pro-wrestling world for the slightly less dangerous one of a bar bouncer and errand boy for his father's detective agency. When his former tag-team partner draws upon their old friendship for help in finding his kidnapped pet snake, Jed finds himself dragged back into the fold of sleazy promoters, gimmicky performers, and violence inside and outside the ring. As the venom of Vancouver's criminal underworld begins to seep into Jed's life, a steel chair to the back of the head is the least of his problems.

Cool facts about the books:

Cobra Clutch was the winner of the Best First Crime Novel at the 2019 Arthur Ellis Awards, and was nominated for a Lefty (Left Coast Crime Awards) in 2019 for Best Debut Mystery Novel.

It was important to A.J. to set Cobra Clutch locally, and he made sure that there were lots of well-known Lower Mainland landmarks, businesses, and neighbourhoods for Jed to interact with. If you’re familiar with Vancouver, you’ll notice a lot of these local touches, such as the local craft beer Jed drinks, the streets he works on, and even the setting of the climatic action scene.

What kind of research did A.J. have to do for Cobra Clutch?

A.J. always wants to make sure that he gets as much right as possible, so research is very important.

For Cobra Clutch, A.J. wanted to focus on the independent wrestling scene, specifically in Vancouver, as this is the world that Jed becomes a part of. He started his research by going to local wrestling shows. Through these shows, he was welcomed into the wrestling community - even being invited to attend tryouts which are usually closed to the public. He built friendships with local wrestlers who were able to provide advice and suggestions to make the wrestling community in his book more authentic.

A.J. also focused on making his setting accurate. After his first draft, fellow crime writer Theresa Schwegel gave A.J. the advice to write the setting as another character, and to create a story that could only take place in Vancouver. A.J. spent a lot of time moving through the city and noticing what made it unique. He wanted to make sure that readers would be able to picture themselves and Jed in the actual Vancouver neighbourhoods.

What are the hardest scenes for A.J. to write?

The heavy and emotional scenes are most difficult for A.J. They act as a turning point in the story and for the characters, and so A.J. has to take more time writing to ensure he gets them right. They are very dialogue heavy and can’t be as quirky as other sections of the book.

What are the easiest scenes for A.J. to write?

The ones filled with wise cracks and lots of action.

What was the publication process like?

The publication process for Cobra Clutch started out a bit disheartening. A.J. decided to go the traditional publishing route and submitted the book to multiple publishers across North America. He got rejections from all of them (which he still has in a folder at home) and and was just about to give up when he heard from Matt Bowes at NeWest Press.

“They’re an amazing publisher. They understood what I was trying to do from day one.”

About the Author:

A.J. Devlin grew up in the Tri-Cities before moving to Southern California for six years where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from Chapman University and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. After working as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he moved back home to Port Moody where he now lives with his wife and two children. Cobra Clutch is his first novel and the sequel, Rolling Thunder, is set to be published by NeWest Press in Spring 2020.

Was writing something A.J. always wanted to do?

A.J. was a big reader growing up, devouring series like The Hardy Boys and Choose Your Own Adventures. However, he always figured that he would follow in his dad’s footsteps and have a career as a professional basketball player. Sadly, while attending Simon Fraser University, A.J. realized that he didn’t have the same skills as his father and a career as an athlete wasn’t in his future. With encouragement from his family, he decided instead to focus on another of his passions: books and movies. He followed this interest to film school where he focused on screenwriting. He loved it so much he never looked back!

What made A.J. switch from screenwriting to novel writing?

While in film school, A.J. often heard that screenwriters will take their careers in one of two directions. One, they’ll get frustrated and eventually produce their own work. Two, they’ll get frustrated and write their own book. A.J. loved screenwriting, however, while working in Hollywood, him and his co-writers struggled to get anything produced. A.J liked the idea of writing a book because it is a completed work, not a just a blueprint like a screenplay. A.J. was also encouraged by his teacher and mentor, Leonard Schrader.

How did A.J. get into writing detective/P.I. novels?

Mysteries have always been A.J.'s favourite genre, so it wasn't much of a leap for him to write one for his first book. He loves that in crime fiction you get to spend so much time with your characters. "It's like spending time with an old friend."

Leonard Schrader, A.J.'s teacher and mentor at Chapman University, also encouraged him to write a mystery story, giving him three mystery novels as a graduation gift when he finished school. Because of his support, friendship, and mentorship, A.J. dedicated Cobra Clutch to Schrader.

What is A.J. working on now?

Book cover of Rolling Thunder A.J. continues working to make Cobra Clutch accessible on all platforms. The book was recently released as an audiobook and is available from Audible, Kobo, Findaway, Bibliotecha, Google, Hibooks, Scribd, Playster, Downpour, ABC (not connected to the TV channel), Libro FM, Recorded Audio, Hoopla, OverDrive, and Storytel.

A.J.'s next book Rolling Thunder will be released in May 2020. This is the second book of the Hammerhead Jed series, which takes Jed into the world of women's roller derby.

A.J. is also working on the third Hammerhead Jed book, with ideas already for the fourth.

What advice does A.J. have for new authors?

"It sounds clichéd, but don't give up. There are so many variables at play, you just have to believe in your work and be resilient."

"Write something you're passionate about. The more passionate you are about your work, the more it shows!"

About the White Pines Local Author Collection

The Port Moody Public Library created the White Pines Local Author Collection to highlight and support local authors, poets, and illustrators from our community. We launched the collection in May 2019 with 12 inaugural authors. Learn more about this collection and how you can become a White Pines Local Author.

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