Interview with A.J. York author of Delilah Dusticle
1 - What inspired you to
write?
The inspiration behind Delilah Dusticle and writing her story came to me
after an unsuccessful cleaning session. We were moving out of a beautiful old
flat in the centre of Gothenburg, Sweden and I was tackling the floor to
ceiling bookshelves. Within minutes I had more dust on me than on the duster
and then I broke the hoover! The flat had a room off the kitchen which would
have been the maid’s room. My mind kept wondering over to who she might have
been and what special skills she had for dusting. Delilah’s tale then started
to play out in my head and I just felt compelled to write it down.
Writing is quite a new thing for me. Many authors say that they have always
known that they wanted to be a writer. I have always been envious of people who
have that kind of clarity from such a young age. When I was young I can recall
wanting to be so many things, such as a superhero or a dancer. I have always
loved characters and story telling and that is perhaps why I studied drama at
university. This was a good thing as I cannot dance and unfortunately do not
have superhero powers.
2 - What do you enjoy the
most about being a writer?
The freedom to be creative is an absolute joy for me. I have worked
previously in project management and I have been looking out for a creative
project that I could manage. It has been a great experience having the role of
publicist as well as writer. It has also been very exciting connecting with book
lovers and book blogs from around the world.
3 - What can you tell us
about your book?
Well, this is the first in a series and a short story introducing Delilah
and her special power over dust. Even though Delilah Dusticle is aimed at a
young audience, adults have enjoyed reading it too. It is a very family
friendly story and has been described as charming, heart-warming and funny.
4 - Who would you say is
the hardest character to write about and why?
I find every character a challenge and I start by writing a backstory for
each of them, which I add to over time. This really helps me when I am deciding
on the characters motives and reactions. One of the biggest challenges I had in
the first story was the vulnerability of Delilah. She needed to show enough to
make the reader care, but not too much or the reader may find her a bit wimpy.
In the second instalment Delilah is dealing with questions around identity and
I am spending a lot time reflecting on how this would manifest in her
character.
5 - Is there a book you
could read over and over again and never grow tired of it?
I loved Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder. It is a coming of age book that
asks the bigger questions about life through philosophy. There is great part
about the fur of a rabbit and how we all start on the tip of the fur asking the
bigger questions, but as we grow older we go further into the fur to snuggle
down. Every three or so years I reread this book and remind myself about being
at the tip of the fur.
6 - Is there anything
else you would like your readers to know about you or your book?
Yes! It is American National Children’s Book Week, 13th -19th May and
to celebrate Delilah Dusticle is free to download Saturday 18th and
Sunday 19th May via Amazon. Download, download, download and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy :0)
About The Author:
About me? Well I grew up in the UK, but was born in
Gothenburg, Sweden. My childhood influences were a mix of Pippi
Longstocking and The Flumps. I have always enjoyed making up characters and
their life stories, therefore I jumped at the chance
to study theatre at the University of Brighton. I later
trained as a drama teacher and I have a Masters degree from
Goldsmiths. I have gone back to my roots and I now live in Gothenburg,
where I am writing the Delilah Dusticle series. People have told me they love
reading my stories and I hope you have fun reading them too!
Let me introduce Grumpy Stone. I found him on a beach in my home town in Essex, England. Grumpy has become my writing mascot.
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