| Interview with Barbara Dubrovin |
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
The first question is always the hardest! Like creating the opening paragraph of a story; I do the rest and
then come back for the beginning. Short answer: I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing, and never
planned to be an author.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
The road to publishing is bumpy and full of unexpected turns! I never sat down to write a book. Friends
who enjoyed my letters said I should write. So, I wrote stories when I had time and energy. I thought others
would like to read them, but it turns out magazines have very specific requirements; finding the right editor
for a story takes more effort than writing it! I got some published, but after rejections, I decided I’d rather
write new stories than spend energy trying to get old ones published. For me, it’s the next story that is
interesting, and okay if I’m the only reader. But then, relatives in the publishing business read some and
said, “Hey, these are good! These should be in a book!” So, some were included in Storytelling
Discoveries, which gave me co-author credit and won awards. The publisher then read some more and
agreed to a book of just my stories, collecting some of my fantasies: Fantasy Fair was born. Funny thing
is, some stories rejected by magazines were included, and they’re ones that now some customers and
reviewers have liked best! Go figure.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Fantasy Fair is my first release (see previous answer). So, it is my best! Fantasy Fair is full of the kind of
imaginative, uplifting stories I’d tell you if I were sitting next to you on the bus or at lunch, and each is short
enough I could finish before we got to where we were going. I’d take whatever we were eating or driving by,
and spin it out into a fantasy, maybe with a refrigerator that eats food, or a troll that doesn’t want to be
under that bridge. And it would be so interesting and exciting that you wouldn’t even notice the potholes in
the street or the kids kicking your seat from behind. And you’d be looking for me when we got on the bus
to come home, saving me a place so you could hear the next one (of a clumsy dragon? a sprite?). At least,
that’s how I imagine it. Read it and see if you agree.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
That’s the fun of writing: EVERYTHING is a story. Sitting under a tree, opening a door, doing the laundry,
going shopping, all inspire stories begging to be told. Stories come at me so fast I keep a notebook where I
jot down the gist of it until I have time and energy to write it out complete (weeks or months later). And then
they compete in my head: me next! Me next! It’s really very raucous up there sometimes. Stories are
unruly things. I’ve never understood people with “writer’s block” since for me the story idea is the easy
part; the hard part is getting it out of my head and onto paper without mashing it too badly. Sometimes
ideas come from other stories or people, too. An email was forwarded once with an old fable about a fellow
who hangs his troubles on a tree before going into his house to be with his family, then picks up the
trouble again in the morning, only to find that there’s always less of it. Cute, and a good message. But, I
immediately wondered: what about that poor tree? Getting dumped on all the time. Does it ever fill up?
What then? Are there other such trees? And so “Mac and My Trouble Tree,” one of the reviewer’s
favorites, was born. As a writer, whatever life throws at you gets transformed into a story. It just does.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
As mentioned, I’m not the first published author of the bunch, but everyone is glad to welcome another.
There’s not a lot of competition about it, I really appreciate the suggestions, and feel fortunate to have
other “story people” around. Others are talented in different ways and it’s always interesting when we all
get together.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
The funny thing about it is, when I’m reading a good book, or in the middle of writing a story, I often forget
to stop and eat. I guess reading and writing are what I do when I need comfort, and food is just what I do to
keep from being hungry.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Meow. My old cat is very particular about schedule and routine. So, first things must involve chin rubbing,
feeding, and purring. Then the day can continue.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Ha! That sounds like the title of a story, doesn’t it? Honestly, I don’t even know what is stashed in the
storage spaces. If you come over to visit, I’d put you to work and we could clean it out and be surprised
together. Deal?
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Everything inspires me, but nature especially; forests, mountains, wildlife. So it’s good you don’t ask me to
choose a tree, I’d want to try on each, to see what story each would tell. As an artist/illustrator, I like the
blends and contrast of a variety of colors. Any one color too much for too long gets overwhelming. Trees,
colors: in all things, variety is key.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I used to watch cartoons, not much recently. I like that the characters are unique, and that plots are boiled
down to basics: simple, fast, funny. Some of them, even the classics, can be pretty violent, but otherwise
entertaining.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
Why restrict it to the world? With a background in spacecraft engineering, my wish would be to go the
time/place (assuming there ever is one) when/where we finally discover life elsewhere. Wouldn’t that be
awesome, to be present at that discovery? I mean, even if it’s just some green slime under a rock on a
distant planet. Very fun.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Add this to the trees, colors list: variety, variety. Everything from classical to jazz to pop and rock and soul
and etc…but not the same song more the twice a day, please! Yes, music when writing and drawing,
usually background instrumentals, stuff that doesn’t intrude or distract, but doesn’t lull me to sleep either;
good music helps focus.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
I watch TV when I’m too tired (it happens!) to write or websurf or read, and anything that’s on will do then,
when I’m foggy brain-dead. I watch DVD’s or record from the TV rather than go to theaters; more
convenient scheduling.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Write. Really. It makes reading so much more fun. And once you start writing, you find stories everywhere,
and never run out. It’s like having an infinite library in your head, and you get sneak previews of the Next
Best Story. Unlike movies though, with stories in your head, you have the effort of writing and then
publishing the story before you can discuss it and learn other people’s opinions. That’s why I published; it’
s kind of lonely being the only one to know a good story. Sharing it is half the fun. Try it. Then if we ever
meet, we’ll swap stories over lunch, okay? (unless, of course, that hungry refrigerator has eaten all the
food first—but that’s another story).
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Hmm. That depends on which story elbows its way to the front of the pack. Maybe more fantasy, science-
fiction, or maybe horse stories. It’s quite a melee at the moment. Right now I need to rest. I’m all worn out
answering all these questions! But, I hope it gives you a glimpse of what it’s like on this side of the book.
Bye!
Thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
wanted to be a writer?
The first question is always the hardest! Like creating the opening paragraph of a story; I do the rest and
then come back for the beginning. Short answer: I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing, and never
planned to be an author.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
The road to publishing is bumpy and full of unexpected turns! I never sat down to write a book. Friends
who enjoyed my letters said I should write. So, I wrote stories when I had time and energy. I thought others
would like to read them, but it turns out magazines have very specific requirements; finding the right editor
for a story takes more effort than writing it! I got some published, but after rejections, I decided I’d rather
write new stories than spend energy trying to get old ones published. For me, it’s the next story that is
interesting, and okay if I’m the only reader. But then, relatives in the publishing business read some and
said, “Hey, these are good! These should be in a book!” So, some were included in Storytelling
Discoveries, which gave me co-author credit and won awards. The publisher then read some more and
agreed to a book of just my stories, collecting some of my fantasies: Fantasy Fair was born. Funny thing
is, some stories rejected by magazines were included, and they’re ones that now some customers and
reviewers have liked best! Go figure.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing
about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Fantasy Fair is my first release (see previous answer). So, it is my best! Fantasy Fair is full of the kind of
imaginative, uplifting stories I’d tell you if I were sitting next to you on the bus or at lunch, and each is short
enough I could finish before we got to where we were going. I’d take whatever we were eating or driving by,
and spin it out into a fantasy, maybe with a refrigerator that eats food, or a troll that doesn’t want to be
under that bridge. And it would be so interesting and exciting that you wouldn’t even notice the potholes in
the street or the kids kicking your seat from behind. And you’d be looking for me when we got on the bus
to come home, saving me a place so you could hear the next one (of a clumsy dragon? a sprite?). At least,
that’s how I imagine it. Read it and see if you agree.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
That’s the fun of writing: EVERYTHING is a story. Sitting under a tree, opening a door, doing the laundry,
going shopping, all inspire stories begging to be told. Stories come at me so fast I keep a notebook where I
jot down the gist of it until I have time and energy to write it out complete (weeks or months later). And then
they compete in my head: me next! Me next! It’s really very raucous up there sometimes. Stories are
unruly things. I’ve never understood people with “writer’s block” since for me the story idea is the easy
part; the hard part is getting it out of my head and onto paper without mashing it too badly. Sometimes
ideas come from other stories or people, too. An email was forwarded once with an old fable about a fellow
who hangs his troubles on a tree before going into his house to be with his family, then picks up the
trouble again in the morning, only to find that there’s always less of it. Cute, and a good message. But, I
immediately wondered: what about that poor tree? Getting dumped on all the time. Does it ever fill up?
What then? Are there other such trees? And so “Mac and My Trouble Tree,” one of the reviewer’s
favorites, was born. As a writer, whatever life throws at you gets transformed into a story. It just does.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
As mentioned, I’m not the first published author of the bunch, but everyone is glad to welcome another.
There’s not a lot of competition about it, I really appreciate the suggestions, and feel fortunate to have
other “story people” around. Others are talented in different ways and it’s always interesting when we all
get together.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
The funny thing about it is, when I’m reading a good book, or in the middle of writing a story, I often forget
to stop and eat. I guess reading and writing are what I do when I need comfort, and food is just what I do to
keep from being hungry.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Meow. My old cat is very particular about schedule and routine. So, first things must involve chin rubbing,
feeding, and purring. Then the day can continue.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Ha! That sounds like the title of a story, doesn’t it? Honestly, I don’t even know what is stashed in the
storage spaces. If you come over to visit, I’d put you to work and we could clean it out and be surprised
together. Deal?
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Everything inspires me, but nature especially; forests, mountains, wildlife. So it’s good you don’t ask me to
choose a tree, I’d want to try on each, to see what story each would tell. As an artist/illustrator, I like the
blends and contrast of a variety of colors. Any one color too much for too long gets overwhelming. Trees,
colors: in all things, variety is key.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I used to watch cartoons, not much recently. I like that the characters are unique, and that plots are boiled
down to basics: simple, fast, funny. Some of them, even the classics, can be pretty violent, but otherwise
entertaining.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
Why restrict it to the world? With a background in spacecraft engineering, my wish would be to go the
time/place (assuming there ever is one) when/where we finally discover life elsewhere. Wouldn’t that be
awesome, to be present at that discovery? I mean, even if it’s just some green slime under a rock on a
distant planet. Very fun.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Add this to the trees, colors list: variety, variety. Everything from classical to jazz to pop and rock and soul
and etc…but not the same song more the twice a day, please! Yes, music when writing and drawing,
usually background instrumentals, stuff that doesn’t intrude or distract, but doesn’t lull me to sleep either;
good music helps focus.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
I watch TV when I’m too tired (it happens!) to write or websurf or read, and anything that’s on will do then,
when I’m foggy brain-dead. I watch DVD’s or record from the TV rather than go to theaters; more
convenient scheduling.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Write. Really. It makes reading so much more fun. And once you start writing, you find stories everywhere,
and never run out. It’s like having an infinite library in your head, and you get sneak previews of the Next
Best Story. Unlike movies though, with stories in your head, you have the effort of writing and then
publishing the story before you can discuss it and learn other people’s opinions. That’s why I published; it’
s kind of lonely being the only one to know a good story. Sharing it is half the fun. Try it. Then if we ever
meet, we’ll swap stories over lunch, okay? (unless, of course, that hungry refrigerator has eaten all the
food first—but that’s another story).
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Hmm. That depends on which story elbows its way to the front of the pack. Maybe more fantasy, science-
fiction, or maybe horse stories. It’s quite a melee at the moment. Right now I need to rest. I’m all worn out
answering all these questions! But, I hope it gives you a glimpse of what it’s like on this side of the book.
Bye!
Thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!