Q&A with Karen Foxlee, author of Dragon Skin
Where did Pip come from? Did she arrive as a fully formed character with a story to tell or did it take a while for you to discover her story?
To start off with I was thinking a lot about the place where I grew up, Mount Isa. And I was also thinking about magic. Magical things in the ordinary world. These two things combined gave me a recurring image in my mind’s eye of a girl, sitting at dusk, near a small waterhole. I knew she’d be called Pip and I knew she’d find something extraordinary that evening. But apart from that I just had to keep writing to find out who she was and what was going on in her life. In the beginning Dragon Skin was a really moving short story. I felt there was so much more to Pip though, more things I had to find out about her, so the story outgrew its short form. Pip is definitely a lot like me as a child; really quiet, barefoot, exploring the world.
Pip and Mika have both experienced some distressing relationships in their lives. How did you feel about writing to these themes for a young audience? Was there any hesitation or resistance from others?
That’s correct, they have both dealt with the effects of some pretty terrible adult relationships around them. Once I started to get a picture of what Pip was dealing with at home; the loss of her best friend and the arrival of mother’s controlling new boyfriend I felt pretty strongly about writing about these issues. As a writer I really wanted to give voice to these issues but do it in a way that the story was still, on one level, a page turning magical story. I think it was really a balancing act, not making it too dark, not making it too heavy, giving hope, showing resilience, celebrating love and friendship. For me the balancing takes place in the process of writing and rewriting. I think I’m always pretty heavy-handed in the beginning. My editor was Anna MacFarlane for the big rewrites and she was really good at picking me up on where I went over the top. There wasn’t any hesitation or resistance from my publisher.
Pip, Laura and Archie are changed forever by their experience. How do you think things would go if they found themselves together again in a few years?
Gosh, I love the idea of them getting together later in life. I agree they are completely changed by their experience of saving Little Fella and I especially loved the changes in Laura. I think they should climb that hill again to the cave and all sit there together and chat about it. Incidentally, the cave is based on a real cave we used to climb to as kids. I went there as a grown up and I have no idea how we got to it. We must have been doing some pretty dangerous stuff.
The illustrations by Dale Newman are so lovely. Was there a collaboration process and how did this work?
Aren’t they beautiful! There wasn’t really any face to face collaboration. I did give some ideas about what I would like as a cover but I could never have imagined that Dale would do something so beautiful. It was perfect. It is always so amazing when sketches come through and they really speak to your heart and what you’ve been writing about.
What is your writing process and does it change according to each project?
Yes, I think it changes over the years and based on life demands. Certainly when I had a much younger child, I always religiously got up super early to write – it was what I had to do. Now I start after school drop off on my writing days and then finish up by around two. I set myself goals. Sometimes I set timers and I write for a certain number of minutes because it helps with my concentration. My aim at the beginning of a story is always to get as much down on the page as I can. Messy, disgusting, unedited, but from my heart. The story often makes no sense but I can usually feel there is something good in it, or some reason to proceed.
What was your pathway to publication? What was your first break and how did it come about?
My first novel was The Anatomy of Wings. I entered it as a manuscript in what was then the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards (later the QLAs). I’d been trying to write it for ten years and I was so hoping that someone would read it and give me advice. I had no back up plan. I hadn’t even started thinking of submitting it to publishers. But it won! I got a publishing deal with UQP and I’m so grateful for that. It really started me on my writing career.
Where is your audience? Australia? Do you write for an overseas market at all?
My books are published in Australia and quite a few foreign countries now including the US, UK, Germany, Korea and Poland.
What are you working on now?
At present I’m working on a junior fiction series about a girl with anxiety who has a talent for helping monsters. She travels the world with her famous archaeologist mother solving monster mysteries while wearing red sparkly shoes. I really like her. Also writing about a pirate ship kitchen and cook who steals magical children and a quest to end a curse. It’s very confusing and so far, seems to be mostly about seventeenth century food! I can feel there’s something good in it though, something special at its heart.
What are your writing tips/advice for emerging writers?
Always write a lot. Carve out a time and space to write. You deserve it. Don’t feel guilty. Love your stories to life. Write the way you want to write and trust your instincts. Attend as many self-development / courses as you can. And of course, read, read, read.
Dragon Skin - Karen Foxlee.