Interview with Dave Jeffery Today, Juanita Watson of Reader Views interviews author Dave Jeffery, author of the children’s book, “Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast.” Juanita: Welcome to Reader Views Dave, and thanks for taking the time to talk with us today about your new children’s book “Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast.” How did you get started writing a book for children?
Juanita: What is the age range of your reading audience? Dave: When I began writing the novel my intended audience was 10-14, but I’ve received letters and emails from fans as young as seven and as old as 51! Beatrice appears to appeal to a wide audience and this has caught me off guard a little. Juanita: Who is Beatrice Beecham? What can you tell us about your lead character? Dave: Beatrice is 12 years old and she loves cooking. She has bright red hair and freckles and is a bit of an outcast among her peers. Beatrice imagines that she can talk to her favorite TV chefs, led by Jamie Oliver, when she has to make difficult choices in her life. Each chef votes and she is bound by their decision. This ‘Culinary Council’ is, of course, a metaphor for Beatrice’s own thoughts. She is willful and intelligent, with a strong sense of what is right. Juanita: Beatrice sounds like a great role model for children. How have you created a young female character that will appeal to both girls and boys? Dave: Beatrice is driven by a strong sense of justice. She is unconventional and is not afraid of being different or standing up for what she believes. My aim was to create something I haven’t seen recently in children’s books and that is a female character with a strong sense of morality, placing value on what is right not what her peers deem sociably or aesthetically desirable. It’s this level of positive rebellion which appears to give Beatrice appeal with both boys and girls. You want her to succeed because bad things will happen if she doesn’t; not because she follows the norm. Juanita: What happens in “Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast”? Dave: Beatrice moves to the costal town of Dorsal Finn when her father loses his job. The family stays with Aunt Maud, an old friend of Beatrice’s mother and owner of Postlethwaite’s News and Chocolate Emporium. Aunt Maud gives Beatrice an old cook book and within the pages hides an old poem which guides Beatrice towards a trail of clues which challenges the town’s sinister heritage. As Beatrice follows this enigmatic path what has happened in the past will ultimately impact upon the present. Juanita: How did you develop the idea for this story? What inspired this particular adventure? Dave: I was clear from the outset that the story would take place by the sea. I love Devon and Cornwall (UK) and my family originates from there. This affinity with the sea made it inevitable that Beatrice, the city girl, would end up in a place completely removed from her usual environment. Not only does this create great character conflict but it makes for a great setting in which to place a story. Juanita: How does Dorsal Finn factor into the story? Dave: Dorsal Finn is as much a character in the story as the people who live there. It has its own sense of identity and a deep, albeit sinister, heritage. The people of Dorsal Finn reflect its sense of isolation. They have developed strange traditions and customs which will appear odd to anyone from the outside. This makes the town appear fantastic when it is ultimately the product of alienation. Juanita: What other characters are key to this story? Dave: Aunt Maud is fundamental to the story in that she not only becomes Beatrice’s mentor but she also reflects the concept of youth as a state of mind. Even though she is 77 she continues to see the world with young eyes. Fans tend to love her sayings and her constant challenges to authority figures in the town. Patience, Lucas and Elmo are The Newshounds who deliver newspapers for Aunt Maud and befriend Beatrice. Patience has a gift for remembering the origins and meanings of names, Lucas loves puzzles and Elmo is a gentle giant who adds a degree of stability to the group. The Newshounds represent what great things people can achieve when they work together and respect each other. Beatrice’s eight year old brother is another source of humor in the book. He has a passion for Harry Potter, Star Wars and Dr Who and this has influence upon his interactions with Beatrice and the world around him. Juanita: Dave, there is an obvious European, or British context to “Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast.” How does this culture/history weave its way into your story, and how did you manage to maintain the story’s universal appeal in the process? Dave: As a fishing town, Dorsal Finn exaggerates the community spirit of costal towns found in Cornwall and Devon in the UK. The tale begins with a 19th century ship-wreck which gives the reader an idea of the history attached to the town; whilst establishing important cultural aspects. Yet in truth this sense of staunch unity through heritage can be found any place where there is strong cultural identity. Having said this I have to say the customs found in Dorsal Finn, for example the Fearsome Feast, are, luckily, completely made up! Juanita: Your strong element of mystery draws readers into an evolving drama of riddles and long kept secrets. What can you tell us about this aspect of the storyline? Dave: This is a throwback to the mystery stories of my youth. Puzzles, clues and secret passages were the kind of escapism I loved as a child. I was always fascinated by the impact history has on the present. More often than not we are unaware of this, merely out of ignorance. I began thinking what if the history of Dorsal Finn had been deliberately hidden in an attempt to cover a terrible event in its past? The drama then comes when someone from the past has left clues to expose this to those prepared to listen. Juanita: In creating a book for a younger reading audience, were there any key elements unique to this genre that you kept in mind throughout the writing process? Dave: Pace was very important. The narrative had to keep the reader hooked into the story and I used humor to soften chunks of exposition. There is potential to patronize and ostracize younger readers so I made the decision very early on that I would write Beatrice so that it could be read as a family, on summer days, winter nights or at bedtime. Each chapter ends with a ‘cliff hanger’ to keep people coming back. Juanita: Dave, your writing style is characteristically imaginative. Would you comment on this, and do you think readers in this age range are more interested in reading stories that will stretch their imagination? DDave: I made a conscious effort not to create a pure fantasy story. Any extraordinary events in the book are a product of people and people’s imaginings as opposed to anything fantastic. The book tries to encourage young people to draw inspiration from the world about them rather than take them to places that couldn’t possibly exist. What I wanted was to create a story and a set of characters that would stay with people. Juanita: How long did it take to write this book? Did you talk with any children about your story through the process? Dave: It took twelve weeks to come up with the first draft. My agent at the time had a girl guides troop read it and the response was overwhelmingly positive. I also have a friend in teaching and another who works in a school library. Two subsequent drafts were critiqued by pupils and amendments made accordingly. In all the whole process, from inception to completion, took nine months. This is why I laughingly call Beatrice my second daughter! Juanita: Dave, was this your first writing project, or just your first novel? Dave: I have written academic articles for the UK nursing press and have a book published by Wiley and Sons in my specialist field of deafness and mental health. Beatrice is my first work of fiction. Juanita: What did you enjoy most about writing this story? Dave: Creating the town of Dorsal Finn was a joy, as well as coming up with the clues and riddles. But the best part of it was developing the relationship between Beatrice and Aunt Maud. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved with these two characters. Juanita: What is the underlying message to children in “Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast”? Dave: The underlying message is that there is nothing wrong with being different. Good friends are those who accept you as the person you are, not what they wish you to be. Oh, and that the bad guys never win!! Juanita: I understand that you will continue Beatrice’s adventures with another book coming out in late 2007. Would you tell us more about your upcoming book, and the decision to turn this into a series? Dave: It was always the intention to write a series. What I don’t want to do is isolate those readers who come to the series later and maybe pick up the second or third book and not know what it’s all about. This is one of the joys of characters like Nancy Drew; you can pick up any book in the series and it read as a stand alone piece of work. The second book will be published in Spring 2008 and is called ‘Beatrice Beecham’s Fete of Fate’. Once again it will focus upon one of Dorsal Finn’s strange summer events bringing together clairvoyants and tarot/palm readers from all over the world. But two warring secret societies use the event as cover to find a long lost artifact that they believe to be hidden in the town leaving Beatrice, Aunt Maud and The Newshounds caught up in mayhem that follows. There are all the old faces and a fair few new ones! Juanita: How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors? Dave: People are free to contact me direct on: davejeffery@beatricebeecham.com. I will personally respond to every enquiry. Juanita: Thanks for the opportunity to talk with you today Dave. “Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast” sounds like a great family read, and we encourage readers to get the first book in the Beatrice Beecham’s mystery series. Before we depart, do you have any last thoughts? Dave: You are very welcome, Juanita. I’d like to thank in advance those who have given up valuable time to read this interview, and those who intend to purchase the book. To those people please know that my gratitude has no limits. Read Review of Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast |
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