PJ Devlin

PJ Devlin tells stories about relationships. Her characters meet at the intersection of acceptance and rejection, and their choices impel them to understand what it means to be human. Whether writing about a witch, a dwarf, an old woman, a black indentured servant, or teenagers, Devlin's characters exist in the Philadelphia of her birth and share her love of the Wissahickon Creek. Her writing is known for its rich detail and compelling characters. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including several writing awards.

Devlin is the author of three award-winning novels: Wissahickon Souls, published 2014, revised 2020; Becoming Jonika, published 2015, revised 2020; and The Chamber, published 2020. Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek, published 2016, revised 2020 is her award-winning short stories collection. Other short stories have appeared in anthologies and online publications.

Wissahickon Souls, set in early-19th-century Philadelphia, is a story of love, regret, and reconciliation. Claire Penniman, black and female, is an unlikely hero who rejects racial expectations. Claire's story fills a gap in American memory that marginalizes 19th-century African American lives. Readers who love to enter a time and place where they walk alongside characters they get to know as friends will enjoy this novel. Though Claire's world defines a person by the color of their skin, Claire's destiny is to bear witness to the truth that illuminates the color of souls. In 2016, Wissahickon Souls was named a BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST, and in 2019 was recognized with a CHANTICLEER REVIEWS FIRST PLACE AWARD FOR HISTORIC FICTION.

Becoming Jonika tells the story of a teenager, Joni Byrnes, during the cultural revolution of 1968-1969. Peace, love, and rock and roll clash with war, civil rights, and alienation in this portal to that tumultuous time. When Joni gets busted for selling pot, she’s forced to face her demons and avoid juvenile detention by teaching swimming at a summer camp for black city kids. In 2018, Becoming Jonika won a CHANTICLEER REVIEWS FIRST PLACE AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT HISTORIC FICTION, and the BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT FICTION.

Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek is a collection of short stories set on the outskirts of Philadelphia. These stories resonate with the power of recognition and remembrance. Devlin's characters may slip as they maneuver life's torments but their journeys through the unmapped terrains of their lives lead them to the refuge of acceptance and reconciliation. Wishes, Sins, and the Wissahickon Creek was named a finalist for the 12th Annual NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS for SHORT STORIES, and in 2020 was recognized with a CHANTICLEER REVIEWS FIRST PLACE AWARD FOR LITERARY AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION.

The Chamber is an epic tale that spans from 535 AD to 1952, and spins from Ancient Ireland to indigenous America to Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Creek. Devlin masterfully weaves history and myth, humanity and deity, mundane and magic to create an authentic world populated by mystical and mortal characters. In 2022, The Chamber was recognized as a BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD FINALIST FOR FANTASY.

Devlin was born in Philadelphia and raised in Flourtown, PA near the Wissahickon Creek. After a career as a civilian manager with the Fairfax County, VA Fire and Rescue Department, she earned an MFA in creative writing at George Mason University. She also holds MA and PhD degrees in Economics from American University.

Devlin and her husband live in Northern Virginia where they raised four children and enjoy spending time with their nine grandchildren. They regularly return to Flourtown to walk along the Wissahickon Creek.