Meet Devienne Weekes: A New Voice in Fiction

Every story begins somewhere.

For me, it began long before What the Lake Knows—back in a third-grade classroom.

I began to love writing in the third grade. My teacher, Mrs. Vondra, encouraged me to write my stories down, and that simple encouragement grew into something lasting. What started as small stories on paper became a lifelong connection to storytelling.

A Story Rooted in Place

Some stories begin with imagination.

Others begin with a place that won’t let go.

For me, that place was Canyon Ferry Reservoir.

Cemetery Island has always held a certain weight to it—quiet, but not empty. The island contains graves dating back as far as the gold rush era, a visible reminder that the lake was not always water.

That sense—that something real and lived-in existed beneath what we now see—stayed with me.

Over time, that feeling began to take shape.

When a Character Finds You

Stories don’t always arrive fully formed.

Sometimes, they build slowly in the background.

Over time, somehow, Clara’s character—though nameless at first—began to weave itself together somewhere in my mind. I didn’t set out to create her. She simply began to exist, shaped by the questions that place had already planted.

Who was she? What happened to her? Why did her story feel connected to something deeper?

Those questions became the foundation of What the Lake Knows.

From Questions to Story

I didn’t start with a full plot or a detailed outline.

I started with a single idea:

What if a place could remember?

From there, everything grew. The setting, the characters, the mystery—all shaped by that original sense that the past is never as far away as we think.

Writing from Experience

Before publishing my first novel, I spent years in the classroom as a teacher.

Storytelling has always been part of that world—helping students find meaning, ask questions, and connect ideas.

Writing fiction felt like a natural extension of that work.

It’s still about connection. Still about understanding.

Just told in a different way.

What You Can Expect

My writing leans toward:

• Atmospheric settings that feel alive

• Character-driven stories grounded in real emotion

• Strong sense of place, especially in Montana landscapes

• Themes of memory, identity, and the weight of the past

Whether mystery or historical fiction, my stories are shaped by the idea that the past is never as distant as it seems.

Looking Ahead

What the Lake Knows is just the beginning.

I see my writing going forward being rooted in Montana settings, shaped by the landscapes, histories, and quiet complexities of the places I know best. While What the Lake Knows leans into mystery, not all of my stories will.

The work I’m currently developing moves more into historical fiction—exploring an earlier time in Montana, where survival, faith, and human connection are tested in ways that feel both distant and deeply familiar.

Because here, the land remembers.

And there are still stories waiting to be uncovered.

Stay Connected

👉 Find What the Lake Knows  from Caboose Canyon Press:

https://books.by/caboose-canyon-press-store

👉 Prefer Amazon? Find the ebook, paperback, or hardcover here:https://www.amazon.com/What-Lake-Knows-Devienne-Weekes/dp/B0GRMNCMWG

👉 Join my reader list for updates and behind-the-scenes content:https://subscribepage.io/DevienneWeekes