DEADLY INTENT Interview

Today we're welcoming Dr. Devon Knightley, the hero of DEADLY INTENT by Camy Tang (July 2009). Wow, you've just had quite an adventure.


1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be in the midst of such suspense.

It started off with my sister getting married and wanting to wear our mother’s Tiffany necklace. Mom had lent it to my wife when we got married, but Jessica never returned it, even after we got divorced. She wouldn’t return my calls so I tracked her down to the Joy Luck Life spa in Sonoma, California, to get her to return the necklace. The day I turned up asking to speak to Jessica, the spa’s owner, Naomi Grant, found Jessica dying in her massage therapy room. Things didn’t look good for me.

2. So, during the book you met Naomi Grant Tell us a bit about her. What was your first impression? When did you know it was love?

I actually already knew Naomi—our families both support ZOE International, a charity that works to save children in Asia from child trafficking. Every year, ZOE International hosts a charity dinner, and we’ve sat next to each other for the past 2-3 years. I enjoy talking to her, but the timing is never right for me—at first, I was going through the divorce, then I was trying to salvage my finances after Jessica took me to the cleaners.

3. What strengths/skills do you have? What is your greatest weakness?

I love my job—I’m an orthopedic surgeon. I’m also the official orthopedic surgeon for the Oakland Raiders football team. Healing injuries (even my non-football patients) gives me a lot of satisfaction, and my job with the Raiders is just plain fun.

My parents are both atheists, and I’ve grown up the same. It’s fostered a certain level of distrust and cynicism in my nature—I admit it—and sometimes, Naomi’s spiritual outlook on life makes me uncomfortable. The entire Grant family is very welcoming and friendly—vastly different from my own family—which makes me wonder if I’m missing something in my life.

4. What scares you?

Being out of control of a situation, especially when it involves someone I care about.

5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I wish I’d taken a chance and pursued a relationship with Naomi after the last ZOE International charity dinner. I had been too gunshy after the divorce and her family’s faith made me uncomfortable, and I hadn’t wanted to jump into something I didn’t understand. But I was just being overly cautious—I should have taken the risk.

6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story?

Faith? What faith can a man have when raised by a staunch atheist like my opinionated father? But actually, I was more open to God when the story opened because of my brief encounters with the Grant family.

7. Where are you in your faith at the end of the story?

Naomi’s aunt, Becca Itoh, is a strong woman of God, and she helped me understand what it means to trust in something I can’t see or understand.
8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant.
It’s Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV): The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
One thing that has pursued both of us through these events is the truth that God is greater than anything happening to us, and that if we trust Him, He won’t let us down.
9. If you could be a dessert what would you be and why?

My favorite is tiramisu, mostly because it’s got both coffee and chocolate flavors, and it’s not too sweet. I consider myself a bit bittersweet.