Author Living The Dream Because Of Devilish Book Series

July 26, 2010 by John Rook

Cheshire native Shani Petroff found herself watching television a few years ago, engrossed in a show that revolved around a Grim Reaper collecting souls for the Devil.
It was entertaining and attention-grabbing, but throughout, Petroff couldn't help but think that the plot could be more interesting.
“I kept thinking, 'wouldn't it be great if he was the Devil's son,'” she remembered. “Then, I thought it would be more fun if it were a daughter instead of a son.”
Petroff, a graduate of Brandeis University, was an aspiring writer at the time and taking a creative writing class. She had already written another book and was waiting to hear back from her agent when the genesis of this new idea took hold.
Writing a chapter, Petroff shared her work with a few of her classmates the next day and received such overwhelmingly positive responses she decided to turn the story into a full-on book.
“I was writing it while I waited to hear back about my other book,” recalled Petroff. “It just shows that you should never give up.”
The original book Petroff was waiting on never got published, but the story she conjured up that night while watching television did, and in December the fourth installment of Petroff's Bedeviled series will hit book shelves across America.
“When I first saw my book there on the shelves, it was a surreal experience,” she recounted. “Now, I have three of them and waiting for the fourth.”
Bedeviled is the story of Angel Garret, a teenage girl whose father happens to be the Devil. Angel experiences all the normal teenage angst, from worrying about making friends and being popular, to trying to get her “crush” to notice and like her. The only twist is that her “father” can use his powers on her behalf and, later in the series of books, Angel realizes she has many of the same abilities.
From the beginning of her young writing career, Petroff knew she wanted to write for teens and young adults, and that she wanted to incorporate some kind of science fiction into the plot.
However, with so many “tween” books being written currently, and many of them focusing on vampires or werewolves, Petroff wanted to stay away from the obvious plot lines.
“I wanted to go with something unique,” she said.
Locking herself in her apartment in New York City, Petroff furiously wrote about 20 pages and then set about trying to sell the rights to the first Bedeviled book to a publisher. She fully expected that her initial work could get her in the door, but that she would probably have to write the entire book before earning a contract.
However, off of her first few pages, Grosset and Dunlap Publishing, a part of the Penguin Publishing group, decided Bedeviled could be a hot seller, and offered a contract to Petroff on the spot.
“I was surprised by how quickly it came together,” acknowledged Petroff. “When I was writing it, I had a feeling the story was going to sell, but I didn't think it was going to happen that fast.”
Petroff went to work and, after months of meetings and revisions, finally had her novel.
“Almost the whole time I was writing we didn't have a finalized contract,” stated Petroff. “I kept thinking to myself 'Is this whole thing going to fall apart?'”
Finally, the book was published in August of 2009 and Petroff was officially an author.
“I couldn't believe it,” she remembered.
Petroff had always envisioned her story going beyond just one book, however, when she sat down to write the first — Bedeviled: Daddy's Little Angel — she heeded the advice another writer had once offered.
“I was told to write that one book without thinking about the next one and, if my editors wanted more, I could do more,” she said.
However, from the initial meeting with her new publishers, Petroff was assured that more would be required.
“I was asked if I saw this as a series of books right from the start, so that was great,” she said.
Though her first book was published less than a year ago, two more Bedeviled stories have followed Daddy's Little Angel — The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Dress and Careful What You Wish For.
The fourth installment will be titled Love Struck and will be out at the end of the year.
The deadlines have been coming fast and furious for Petroff, who also works as a freelance writer for New York television stations.
She admits that many times she is forced to all but lock herself away and focus solely on her stories.
She has also been making the tours to bookstores around the region and has gotten to meet several different authors, with whom she can share her experiences.
Petroff hopes to continue on with the Bedeviled series for at least a few more books, she admitted. “I have a certain way I would like to see it end, and that is a little ways down the road.”
Yet, she is already talking to her editors about other possible projects, and potentially starting a new series of books that, she hopes, would equal the success of her current venture.
“I am just going to keep working and hopefully there are a lot more books to come,” she said. “Maybe, there might even be a movie down the road,” she added, with a laugh.