Last year I met Author Joyce Dunbar in the most
unusual way; I asked her for an interview because I mistook her for another
author. You can probably imagine how embarrassed I was to realize my mistake
which I discovered when she mentioned that her
Mouse and Mole series was no longer in print. I was certain that the copy
my daughter and I had checked out from the library had been a current book.
When I went back to search the internet and find out exactly what book we had
been reading, I found that we had read a book by a Mr. Wong Herbert Yee also
entitled Mouse and Mole. Upon further
research by both Joyce and I, we found disturbing similarities to her work; but
that is a story for another day.
Over the span of the last year as I have had the
pleasure of getting to know Joyce better, I have found her to be an
extraordinarily talented author, and it is my hope that you enjoy getting to
know my friend from across the pond as much as I have!
1. Hello
Joyce, tell us a little bit about yourself: Where you are from, how many books
have you had published, how did you get your start, etc…
I come from the industrial north
of England, but now live in the beautiful medieval City of Norwich - which has just become Unesco City of Literature.
I've published over 80 books, and have several more in the pipeline. I knew I
wanted to be a writer as soon as I discovered Shakespeare and spent
several years trying out different forms - poetry, plays,
journalism, short stories. It was when I married a lawyer with ambitions
to become an illustrator that I found my forte - children's
books. JUGG, published in 1980 and illustrated by my husband,
was accepted immediately by the first publisher to see it.
Unfortunately, the publisher went out of business and the book hardly made
it to the shops.
But I'd started! I'd written and
published a book. I still have many copies in my attic.
2. What were some of your favorite books as a child?
I didn't come from a bookish
household - but my mother was an avid reader and my father read TOM SAWYER
& HUCKLEBERRY FINN to us - which was life changing, because Mark Twain was
the only author I could name at an interview for the Grammar School.
Other than that, I loved Fairy Tales and Fables. My brother bought me
JOHNY APPLESEED, which I loved also. I didn’t really discover children’s
books until my own children were born.
3. How long did it take you to get your first book
published? Were there ever moments when you became discouraged?
I was 35 when my first book was
published. I felt very discouraged when the publisher said he would have to
pulp them. I bought the whole lot - and couldn't write for two years
afterwards. I was then asked to do some radio stories - which got me an agent.
I was on my way.
Writing is a bit like gardening,
onlookers see only the plants that flourish, the gardener sees the ones that
didn't. While others can see my many published books, I know about the many
unpublished ones, and the projects that stalled. This isn't a complaint. No one
ever said a career as an author is easy. Nor should it be.
4. What made you decide to write for Children/YA age
groups? Are you currently working on any new projects?
Simply that my husband was a very
visual person - and so was I. The book was a kind of love letter to him - all
the more precious to me because the marriage didn't last. For me there is no
greater joy than seeing an illustrator translate my words into pictures. I
love the whole process, the first look, the problem solving, and the finished
book.
Yes, I'm always working on a new
project. I have a new book coming out in October, called PUSS JEKYLL, CAT HYDE,
and another called TWINKLE, TWINKLE SQUIGLET PIG, which is being brilliantly
illustrated at the moment. I have started an adult book, and may concentrate on
that for a couple of years.
5. What do you find the most difficult part of being an
author?
Well - you are always pushing your
boundaries, so the point where you find your strength is also the point where
you find your weaknesses. I write a lot of rubbish to begin with - and
think I have set myself an impossible task. The trick is to stay with it, to
wait for that magic moment of breakthrough. But there can be weeks of
despondency where I think I am finished. Mainly, I think writers have to make
themselves available - to sit on the chair and stare.
I have interests rather than
hobbies, though I used to sew, knit and paint. I was a very keen gardener for
many years. Now my interests are traveling, walking, theatre, Art
galleries, people watching, animals, and of course, reading.
6. What words of encouragement would you give to children
who might not be great readers yet?
I would say
READ, because reading is food for
the brain.
READ, because reading helps you to
find out about lives you haven't lived,
READ, because language is
power,
READ because it helps you to grow
as a person and find out who you are.
READ because reading is fun,
fascinating, interesting.
People who don't read are at the
moment closing libraries, cutting educational budgets, and rolling back
the years of progress that has made literacy and culture available to everyone,
thus adding to their numbers. They are a real threat.
7. What words of wisdom do you have for new authors?
IMAGINATION, INVENTIVENESS,
SIMPLICITY, DIRECTNESS, ECONOMY. This is my mantra. To that I would add
TENACITY.
8. Of which accomplishment are you the most proud?
I think any mother would say, my
children. My daughter Polly is a writer and illustrator, my son is a fashion
photographer. I now have a grand daughter too. Of course, I am proud of my
books - it means I have left an imprint of the person I am. I'm also proud of
overcoming many major setbacks, and of living just where I'm meant to
live.
I think I am very fortunate to
have had a 32 year long career in a golden age of children’s books. All this is
under threat now, from the digital revolution. But I think parents will always
want real books for their children, with pages to turn, to smell, pore over.
Real books are friends in ways that e-books can never be.
9. Do you
have any other information you would like to share, such as a website, author
page, awards won, etc.?
I don't like listing awards. I
don't even remember them. But I do have a website www.joycedunbar.com where you can find
out all sorts of other things you might like to know and ask me any more
questions.
10. And last but not
least, please tell us anything else of interest that I have neglected to ask.
Illustrator Debi Gliori and I came to the States on a book
tour in 2002 to promote
TELL ME SOMETHING HAPPY BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP. We were
meant to go in September 2001 - but then came 9/11. So the trip was postponed
until 2002. By then the book had been picked up by psychologists and
reviewers as a way to help children feel secure again. We traveled
mainly in Texas - ending up in New
York.
What amazed me about America
was the sheer enthusiasm, the queues and crowds of people, the welcome, and the
hospitality. Here, people don't make a fuss. It's considered bad form to
promote yourself or boast about awards. So on the whole, I keep a low profile.
I wrote this particular book long before 1996 as a way of
making myself feel secure after my husband had left, my children had gone to
university, my cat died, my best friend committed suicide and my agent retired.
I just wanted to wake up in the morning and find everyone in place!
I didn't dream, for a moment, that it would in future bring
solace to others in the face of such a dire tragedy. But that is the power
of story, to transform, to reach through time and space. It illustrates
the way in which a writer can turn life around, their own, and others. It also
makes the point that children's books can be anything but childish. They
address the big questions of loss and grief and change, but in metaphor, rather
than literally.
Another best seller is
THIS IS THE STAR, the story of
the Nativity, illustrated by Gary Blythe.
One other thing I should mention is that I am a deaf
lip-reader. My first novel MUNDO AND THE WEATHER CHILD, was about a deaf child
and his imaginary companion which was runner up for the Guardian Award (one that I do
remember). Also, because there are so few picture books for deaf children - I
wrote
MOONBIRD illustrated by Jane Ray. This has been performed in Singapore
- they invited me over for a week, Thailand,
and France.
Deafness is very limiting in all sorts of ways - mainly the phone - but it
gives you a unique angle which is very good for writers. Thank goodness
for e-mail!
I have never lived in the deaf community - when I was young
it meant rejection and ridicule - so I masqueraded as a hearing person to the
point where I taught Shakespeare for 20 years, 10 of them in his
birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, where we lived for 10 years. I teach on a
Greek island, run writing course and regularly visit schools. I speak normally and
most people don't realize I am deaf until I tell them - or they speak to the
back of me.
I hope this will be of interest to you and your readers.
All good wishes
Joyce
