Devya's Children Series

Ashlynn's Dreams: Two teenagers get kidnapped because one can shape dreams. The other's there to keep her in line while the scientists who created her train her to use her Gift. Nadia's Tears: Jillian tries to awaken Nadia from a mysterious coma while Danielle tries to keep her friend from making some fatal mistakes. Malia's Miracles: The genetically altered teens, their younger siblings, and their good friend Danielle band together to try to cure cancer and save a life. Interview with the Author: Q: What makes the Devya’s Children series special? A: At the heart, this series is about family and friendship as well as the ethical questions surrounding genetic engineering. It’s been likened to the Orphan Black TV show. I like to think of it as a more family-friendly take on those themes. The premise is that a brilliant scientist and his team created several genetically altered children who have special Gifts, such as telepathy, healing, and dream shaping. The journal/letters style is not unique to this series, but I believe ultimately it suits my need to get in these people’s heads. I’ve worked very hard to fill the books with relatable characters. Some of them happen to have superpowers, but as Jillian points out, everybody has gifts, if not Gifts. It’s just a matter of finding out what those gifts are and how they can be applied for the good of the world. Q: What order should I read them in? A: I suggest the traditional order of: - Ashlynn’s Dreams - Nadia’s Tears - Malia’s Miracles - Varick’s Quest … before jumping into the prequel—The Dark Side of Science—or the Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts. The prequel and the short stories can certainly be read as standalones, but they may be more enjoyable once the reader’s already familiar with some of the characters. Q: Where does this book fit in the series? What theme(s) make it special? A: This is the combination book, so you’ll get to experience Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, and Malia’s Miracles all in one convenient package. You may want to check out the audiobook versions of these. The first two were narrated by Kristin Condon and the third was narrated by Julie Hinton. Both ladies, did a lovely job. The series themes are family ties and love, loyalty, friendship, and genetic engineering. The first book brings up the topic of kidnapping, the second brings up human trafficking, and the third tackles cancer. Q: Are there any books beyond this one? A: Yes, Varick’s Quest is Book 4 in the series and it’s currently available.

How much is one life worth? Danielle Matheson faces a difficult decision: helplessly watch Christy's mother die of cancer or ask Jillian and her genetically Gifted siblings to risk their freedom to save her. Once committed to the cause, Jillian, Malia, and Michio turn their full attention to fighting the cancer, but more danger awaits them. Defeating the disease and dodging government agents soon become the least of their worries when measured against the race against time to rescue one girl from certain death. Interview with the Author: Q: What makes the Devya's Children series special? A: At the heart, this series is about family and friendship as well as the ethical questions surrounding genetic engineering. It's been likened to the Orphan Black TV show. I like to think of it as a more family-friendly take on those themes. The premise is that a brilliant scientist and his team created several genetically altered children who have special Gifts, such as telepathy, healing, and dream shaping. The journal/letters style is not unique to this series, but I believe ultimately it suits my need to get in these people's heads. I've worked very hard to fill the books with relatable characters. Some of them happen to have superpowers, but as Jillian points out, everybody has gifts, if not Gifts. It's just a matter of finding out what those gifts are and how they can be applied for the good of the world. Q: What order should I read them in? A: I suggest the traditional order of: - Ashlynn's Dreams - Nadia's Tears - Malia's Miracles - Varick's Quest … before jumping into the prequel—The Dark Side of Science—or the Ashlynn's Dreams Shorts. The prequel and the short stories can certainly be read as standalones, but they may be more enjoyable once the reader's already familiar with some of the characters. Q: Where does this book fit in the series? What theme(s) make it special? A: Malia's Miracles follows up with Jillian's sister, the empath. She can fill and tweak people's emotions. This is the first time we get to see the children working together as a team to tackle a problem. That problem is cancer. In the real world, science and technology are making great headway against the disease. I'm pretty sure I've even read articles about nanotechnology being employed on small scales. Here, I got to explore another near-future what-if as well as some of the ethical debates that would arise from even attempting a miracle like curing end-stage breast cancer. Q: Why should readers check out this series? A: Because Devya's Children will introduce you to a charming cast of characters dealing with some big issues. Right or wrong, the children exist, so now what? If you have the power to change the world, should you? What are the personal cost and consequences of shaping the world? These are all questions explored by the series.

Twelve-year-old Jillian Blairington is just an ordinary girl — bright, brave, and sometimes a bit too headstrong for her own good. She never thought she was particularly special or different than anybody else. She was wrong. Everything changes the day she and her babysitter, Danielle, are kidnapped and taken to a secret scientific facility. There Jillian learns she has a new name, Ashlynn, and a strange connection to the other children at the lab. They each have powerful abilities, Gifts that Jillian doesn't quite understand. As if that wasn't enough to absorb, Jillian discovers she has a Gift of her own — the power to enter other people's dreams. Jillian's task seems simple enough: the scientists want her to use her ability to find another Gifted child who has disappeared. But the longer Jillian stays in the facility, the more she realizes that nothing is as it seems ... and everybody has secrets. Besides, the boy's life is not the only one at stake. The scientists will stop at nothing to force Jillian's cooperation, even if that means threatening Danielle. Jillian knows they have to get free. But after all they've seen, will they ever truly escape?

Genetically altering humans is illegal … But Varick and his siblings—Devya's Children—exist. He's been born and bred to be the perfect soldier, but he can't be everywhere. If one counts each of his siblings plus Danielle Matheson, the list of people Varick wants to protect stretches from coast to coast. The more he gets to know Danielle, the more she comes to mean to him. Meanwhile, somebody has captured Nadia and wants to sell her to the highest bidder. Varick's lifelong quest has been to free her from their father, Dr. Dean Devya. But nobody knows where to find Nadia, except Dr. Carnasis, and she's a captive as well. Danielle and Jillian have also disappeared. Varick might be able to pull off one rescue, but can he save them all?

How far would you go to save someone you love? Having escaped from the scientific facility where her creators trained her to shape dreams, Jillian Blairington thought she was done with them for good. All that changes when her sister, Nadia, suddenly goes silent. Jillian soon discovers that Nadia's in a coma and she—as a Dream Shaper—may be the only one capable of waking her. Jillian turns to her friend, Danielle Matheson, and together they hatch a crazy plan to get Jillian to Nadia: a second kidnapping. Once by Nadia's side, Jillian must deal with several versions of her sister, including the emotionally wounded Nadie, the fierce Naidine, and the regal Queen Elena. As she anxiously awaits news from Jillian, Danielle tries to keep a friend from getting into trouble with the wrong crowd. She doesn't realize how quickly things are hurtling from fairly serious to life-threatening. If Jillian can't solve the mystery of Nadia's coma quickly, she may lose both her sister and her friend. Interview with the Author: Q: What makes the Devya's Children series special? A: At the heart, this series is about family and friendship as well as the ethical questions surrounding genetic engineering. It's been likened to the Orphan Black TV show. I like to think of it as a more family-friendly take on those themes. The premise is that a brilliant scientist and his team created several genetically altered children who have special Gifts, such as telepathy, healing, and dream shaping. The journal/letters style is not unique to this series, but I believe ultimately it suits my need to get in these people's heads. I've worked very hard to fill the books with relatable characters. Some of them happen to have superpowers, but as Jillian points out, everybody has gifts, if not Gifts. It's just a matter of finding out what those gifts are and how they can be applied for the good of the world. Q: What order should I read them in? A: I suggest the traditional order of: - Ashlynn's Dreams - Nadia's Tears - Malia's Miracles - Varick's Quest … before jumping into the prequel—The Dark Side of Science—or the Ashlynn's Dreams Shorts. The prequel and the short stories can certainly be read as standalones, but they may be more enjoyable once the reader's already familiar with some of the characters. Q: Where does this book fit in the series? What theme(s) make it special? A: Nadia's Tears continues where Ashlynn's Dreams left off. The premise is that Nadia's fallen into a coma and Jillian may be the only person capable of waking her. Themes of love and loyalty pop up. Jillian doesn't have to help, but she wants to be there for her sister. Human trafficking also becomes a theme in this book. Years ago, one of my students mentioned that human trafficking still exists in the world. I was absolutely shocked, so I did some research to confirm this. That was right before the summer I wrote this book, so a lot of the research seeped into the storyline. We get to learn a little more about Nadia's character. She's got the ability to read minds and plan things on very large scales. It makes sense that she'd be aware of the huge problem human trafficking poses and have a deep, burning desire to change things.

The mind can hold powerful secrets. When Dr. Jessica Paladon worked for her friend, Dr. Dean Devya, she helped create Nadia, one of the world's few Minders. Tough circumstances drove her away from that life, and to protect the secrets, she willingly took a drug that induced amnesia. But now she needs those memories. Two children—her children—Nadia and Varick are competing in a winners-take-all, losers-might-die competition for the biggest secret government contract out there. They're fighting for the right to exist. If Jessie can't remember, how will she help them survive?