Dragonfly Series
Co-Authors of Dragonfly Series Talk About Children’s Books and Independent Publishing
John and Clea are a husband-and-wife writing team–and thus share answering these questions.
Q: Tell us a little bit about Feather Rock Books.
A: Clea: John and I co-founded Feather Rock Books in 2005. We divide the responsibilities of running the company. Our mission is to publish literature for all age groups–transforming life’s bumps and bruises into uplifting stories.
Our first children’s book, The Dragonfly Door, was released in 2007. The Dragonfly Secret, which John and I co-authored, is our newest title due out in October 2008. It is a companion book to The Dragonfly Door, written by John.
John: Part of the motivation in forming the company was that we looked at other publishers and realized it would have been a slow process of finding one that fit our niche and had an interest in our work. Our initial focus has been on life lessons and universal feelings of loss and change.
While I was writing The Dragonfly Door, I had the opportunity to listen to other publishers talk about the publishing business. Clearly, some publishers are focused on other worthwhile genres. However, I attended a meeting where one particular editor spoke before a large group of writers and emphasized the need for silly, fun books for children. She was adamant that there wasn’t a need for books that teach children life lessons because children were demanding fun books with characters doing crazy, nonsensical things.
According to this editor, parents have very little to say about what children read, so to be a successful publisher, they only look for books that children will demand. I believe that was the day Feather Rock Books was born. Clea and I believe books about life lessons are important to our future generations.
Q: Do you take book submissions from other authors? If you do, what is your submission policy?
A: Clea: Our long-term plans are to accept manuscripts from other authors. We felt it best to put our own manuscripts through the publishing process first. We would rather make mistakes and learn from them before taking on someone else’s work.
Q: The first book in the Dragonfly series was The Dragonfly Door. Tell us about that book?
A: John: The Dragonfly Door is a tender story about loss and change. It follows two insect friends, Lea and Nym, who live underwater in a marsh, and the struggles Nym endures when her friend disappears. The story was written to help children who are coping with a significant loss in their lives. Some children identify with Nym, who grieves the loss of her friend, and find it easier to express their unique feelings about a loss after hearing the story.
The Dragonfly Door was also written to help parents and adults express their views about life and death. Through a vision or dream, Nym learns that Lea has transformed into a beautiful dragonfly that now lives above the marsh. Parents and grandparents sometimes use this as an analogy for life after death. Teachers like to use this to explain the life cycle of the dragonfly, which is included at the back of the book. Elementary teachers have shared that the book is a useful tool for in-class discussions or for journaling about loss and change. Two high schools in Alabama and Wisconsin have turned the story into a mini-play to help grieving children in their communities cope with the death of their classmates.
Clea: We have been moved by the families who write to us and share what the book meant to them during difficult times in their lives. We hear from parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, non-profits, booksellers, funeral directors, etc. The feedback we receive is sometimes quite humbling.
Overall, The Dragonfly Door really has many purposes, though, because John tried to write it in a way that offers adults subtle references to other topics if they need to discuss them, including friendship, patience, acceptance, kindness, diversity, and other life lessons.
4. Your new book is The Dragonfly Secret: A Story of Boundless Love. Tell us a bit about this book.
A: Clea: The Dragonfly Secret is a continuation of Lea’s life as a dragonfly in a beautiful garden. In the garden, Lea meets a mysterious young boy who asks her for help. In exchange, Lea learns a special secret about the boy and herself. This is really a story about friendship, love and remembrance. The illustrations are amazing. Once again, we were fortunate to have worked with award-winning artist Barbara L. Gibson who has illustrated over three dozen children’s books.
John: We often describe the story as part mystery and part surprise because the dragonfly doesn’t discover the secret until the very end. Our hope is that readers will be intrigued by the clues the boy and others provide. We also hope that it encourages readers to give some thought to nature’s ability to provide comfort during difficult times. Maybe there is much more to life and what is all around us than what we are able to perceive. The final message of the story, though, is a subtle reminder that memories of a loved one are forever.
Q:. How long did it take to write The Dragonfly Secret? Do you write every day?
A: Clea: The idea for the story came to us one day at dinner. That was the easiest part–jotting down our outline for the story and ideas for characters and the like. But it took over a year to write The Dragonfly Secret. John and I both tried to work on the manuscript each day. Whenever we hit a stumbling block we found it was helpful to let the story “sit” for a few days.
John: From start to finish this book has taken two years to produce, including almost one year to illustrate. After we completed our first draft, we hired a freelance editor who used to be the senior editor for one of New York’s leading publishers. Even though we went through two or three drafts with our editor and did not always receive the feedback we were hoping for, we are proud of the end product. Anyone writing for publication should try to find a good editor or a strong writer who can critique their work. For The Dragonfly Secret, The Dragonfly Door and future stories, we try to remind ourselves that stories need to stand on their own through time. Once a writer gets into that mindset, then critiques and editing become less personal and actually help the writer build a better story, word by word.
Q: Is writing a book with another person difficult? What are the pros and cons?
A: Clea: I found writing with John enjoyable. It allowed one of us to always focus on the story, which really enhanced it. We never had any major disagreements about the story’s direction or anything like that. Although one or two times he liked a word or phrase that I didn’t, and vice versa.
John: Writing with someone else is a unique experience. You learn something new about the other person. For example, I quickly realized that words and ideas flow from Clea very quickly. I, on the other hand, am a bit slower and more deliberate. Clea could accuse me of thinking too much. I believe both of us discovered that we helped each other see the story from a different perspective. That was extremely useful.
Q: Where did the idea for the Dragonfly books come from?
A: John: The inspiration for the first book, The Dragonfly Door, was really two-fold. When I was young, my grandmother, who was an important part of my life, was killed in a terrible car accident in the early 1970s–and to this day, I clearly remember her last words to me. Where I lived, there were no books available to help children cope with loss, at least that I was aware of. So, I had to deal with my own emotional struggles the best way I could. I’ve carried that with me most of my life.
Then a little over four years ago, I read a newspaper article about a 13-year-old girl named Anne Brooker, who started her own grief outreach program for adults and families when she was 11 or 12 years old. It’s called The Dragonfly Project, and I was impressed with how a young teenager like Anne and her volunteers were changing the lives of grieving strangers through some very simple acts of kindness. They were reading obituaries and mailing sympathy cards with an inspirational parable about the life cycle of dragonflies to surviving friends and families without expecting anything in return. She has had a remarkable impact on people’s lives, and it was a life lesson for me.
So, I started to think if she could do this for adults, perhaps I could do something for children. I knew first-hand what it was like to lose someone important when I was young. I researched generations of dragonfly stories and saw an opportunity to craft a dragonfly story that tries to show grieving children the emotions they might be struggling with. I hoped to show children that their feelings are normal, which might encourage some of them to talk about their own unique feelings with a parent or adult. At the same time, though, I wanted parents to have the opportunity to express their views about life and death. The life cycle of the dragonfly was ideal for this because it can offer interpretations that are relevant to people of different beliefs or faiths. In the meantime, Clea and I became volunteers for The Dragonfly Project.
Q: How did the titles for the books come about?
A: John: I believe there are many mysteries in life that seem to be hidden behind unseen doors. Sometimes these doors open unexpectedly and lead to new experiences. Perhaps loss, change, and even death can be viewed in this way. The Dragonfly Door has many layers to it. I felt the title should also represent that complexity.
Clea: John and I both believe many truths about life can be found in nature. Sometimes you just have to pay a little more attention to what goes on around you and allow yourself to consider other possibilities. In The Dragonfly Secret, Lea, the dragonfly, does something unexpectedly while following clues from a mysterious little boy. Her actions are an example of what nature can sometimes do for others. It is the discovery of a secret that brings this to light. The story, though, goes a bit further by showing that sometimes love can yield incredible and unexpected results. That gave us the subtitle, A Story of Boundless Love.
Q: Did you consider finding an agent and having it published through an existing publishing house?
A: John: We never shopped the title with an agent. We could be described as impatient authors. Clea and I also liked the idea of starting a company, giving us more creative control over our work and the illustration. We believe we have produced two high-quality books that can stand up to the competition. All in all, I’d say we enjoy all aspects of the publishing business.
Clea: That’s not to say it is an easy road. We don’t have the experience or deep pockets of a major publisher or the instant name recognition with book reviewers and booksellers. That can be frustrating. Our marketing and promotional campaign is small, so we work extra hard to target our niche markets.
John: We rely heavily on word-of-mouth sales but we also make sure we are constantly marketing in subtle, unobtrusive ways.
Q: Are you working on another book? If so, is it part of the Dragonfly series? Could you give us a hint of what it is about?
A: John: We do have plans for additional books, both in the dragonfly series and around a simple story about the importance of kindness. It won’t be soon, though. They still need to cook in our heads for awhile.
Clea: Right now our energy and focus is on launching The Dragonfly Secret.
Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to write a children’s book?
A: John: My personal opinion is that a children’s story needs to have purpose or address a child’s need. One of the biggest challenges, though, is to craft a story that is useful to a broad audience and not just a few. That’s why it’s sometimes better to leave some elements of a story open to interpretation. For example, in a critical scene in The Dragonfly Door, I originally stated that Lea came to her friend Nym in a dream. But, my editor pointed out that some children might be told that dreams are nothing more than fantasy and couldn’t possibly be real. I thought about her comments and realized if I simply stated that Nym heard Lea’s voice while she was sleeping, then parents could help interpret the scene as a vision, a dream or something else altogether. Not to get sidetracked, but the bottom line is that writing for children should really be about the love of helping children.
Clea: Writing takes persistence. You have to force yourself to be patient because crafting a story takes time and work. Never give up trying, though. Read other good literature, especially some of the classics that have been around for generations. Our editor frequently refers to Charlotte’s Web as one of the best stories to help writers understand the use of good story structure, problem solving, obstacles, character flaws, and life lessons.
John: Yes, and the importance of a good editor or someone who can critique your manuscript cannot be emphasized enough. Be open to constructive feedback. Just realize, though, that reading a critique on a Friday can sometimes ruin your weekends.
Clea: Connect with other writers and organizations. They will provide both a support network and lots of resources for you.
Q: What were the biggest obstacles you experienced in writing a children’s book?
A: Clea: This is a new industry for us. Despite both of our experiences as writers and working in the corporate world, we have learned about the publishing business by attending the school of hard knocks. Have you ever heard the saying, “you don’t know what you don’t know?” Luckily we are both fast learners and it feels like we are applying what we learned with The Dragonfly Door to the launch of The Dragonfly Secret.
Q: What is the most important idea or thought that you would like reader’s to have after reading your books?
A: John: Believe in life’s infinite possibilities. Some memories are forever.
A: Clea: Love has no bounds and always finds a way.
NOTE: Featherrock Books has several Web sites for their books. They recommend that writers should try to own the Internet domain names of their book titles.
Publisher’s site: http://www.FeatherrockBooks.com
Book sites:
http://www.DragonflyStories.com
http://www.DragonflySecret.com
http://www.DragonflyDoor.com
Their books are available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, Borders.com, etc. If someone wants to buy it from a bookstore, we recommend calling first to see if the title is in stock. If it isn’t, the bookstore can order it from our wholesalers.
Thanks, John and Clea for these most thoughtful answers to our questions. Good luck with both books.