As noted last week, we have a special guest for today’s blog! Thanks so much to Jolene Philo, author of A Different Dream for My Child, for answering questions about her book (released earlier this month) and on writing! Enjoy the Q&A below…but first, check out the video trailer for Jolene’s book:
On Different Dream…
1. What initially prompted you to begin writing Different Dream? Was it primarily therapeutic or did you have hopes from the start of impacting other parents of chronically ill children? (I’m guessing both!)
Our son was born in 1982 with a birth defect and was immediately flown 700 miles away for life-saving surgery. Over the next five years he had a total of seven surgeries and countless hospital procedures. Through it all, I wished for a book or person to address our family’s spiritual needs and faith struggles. Several people helped us, but I never found a book for parents of sick kids. So twenty-odd years later, I voiced the idea to an editor who encouraged me to submit a proposal to her publishing house. My main desire was to impact parents of chronically ill children, but of course the writing was therapeutic, too.
2. And to piggyback on that first question, what do you hope readers gain? What kind of impact do you hope to make?
I want families to know they are not alone. They can have hope as they deal with their child’s illness. Other parents understand what they are going through and will help them. More importantly, God understands the pain of watching a child suffer, and He is beside them in this very difficult time.
3. Although Different Dream was written for parents of chronically ill children, could those without chronically ill children also read and enjoy the meditations?
Yes, numerous readers who don’t have sick kids said the book helped them understand the emotions of friends and family members dealing with medical issues. It also gave them ideas about how to reach out to those families. One gentleman said the book helped him deal with an issue that wasn’t health related. The book addresses universal issues of grief and loss and pain, so it has a universal appeal.
Note from Melissa: I’ve read a number of the meditations and definitely agree that it’s a book that can be read and enjoyed by all. In addition to inviting empathy, Jolene’s words of both wisdom and comfort are certainly applicable to many situations…
4. Do you have a favorite chapter?
My two favorites are “The Shirt Off Her Back” and “Life in the Pits.” The main characters of both meditations are dead now, and knowing that their memories bring laughter to families who desperately need it is very gratifying. I laugh every time I read them, too.
5. How did you go about writing Different Dream? Was it a quick write, a compilation of past writings…were there specific challenges?
Writing the book was not difficult because the stories of the families in it were so captivating. I spent about four months interviewing families, survivors, and doctors. The very long month spent transcribing interviews was sheer torture, the only unenjoyable part of the process.
Before the interviews started, I had brainstormed a list of issues to address. As I transcribed, it became obvious which stories would make those issues real for readers. And when other common themes and experiences were repeated by numerous families, I added them to the list. When that was done, I made a huge grid with columns for the six sections of the book and ten rows in each column. Then I plugged the issues and stories into the boxes and found Scriptures that spoke about them. Once that was finished, the writing went fairly quickly.
The biggest challenge was avoiding dehydration. I cried almost every day as I wrote!
6. You now have a Web site for Different Dream. What resources can readers find there?
Readers can find numerous resources at http://www.differentdream.com/. The blog entries, posted two or three times a week, are on a variety of topics. They may deal with a specific issue such as breast feeding hospitalized newborns or give information on a specific condition or illness. Sometimes, they provide updates about people from the book. In the future, I hope to interview different pediatric health care providers and hospital personnel about their work with children. There’s also a place for readers to give feedback. I love to get comments, along with their ideas for future posts.
Also, the site has a recommended resource page, which provides links to support services and books of interest. And of course, you can buy A Different Dream for My Child at http://www.differentdream.com/, too.
On writing in general…
7. This is your first book. How exciting!! Is this the result of a lifelong dream, or has writing only recently become a passion?
Since high school I’ve enjoyed writing, and it gradually became part of who I am. Mostly, I wrote for my own children – stories about growing up with my disabled father – so they would know what he was like before he became an invalid. Those stories gradually grew into a book which my family thought was good enough to be published.
I resisted the idea. My kids were young and my job as an elementary teacher was demanding. I had neither the time nor energy to pursue publication. In fact, I attended my first writing conference expecting the editor to tell me I should just write for my family and not seek publication. But she told me to keep writing. In the next few years, through a series of remarkable events, I found a less demanding job and was able to write seriously.
Now I am passionate about writing, and still pinch myself now and then. Writing doesn’t seem like work at all.
8. Publication…wow! To those of us aspiring authors, it can seem like a far-off and scary-to-navigate world! Can you tell us how you got to the point of publication?
I left teaching in 2003 and Different Dream was published in September of 2009. So it took six years for my first book to be published. The first step toward publication was getting educated about writing and the publishing world. I read books on a variety of topics: how to write, how to find writing markets, how to freelance, how to market books. I read them cover to cover and took notes. I subscribed to several writing ezines and print magazines, and went to writing conferences when I could.
The second step was networking and developing relationships and contacts in the publishing world. Again, attending writing conferences is a great way to do that. Social networks such as Twitter and FaceBook were important, too.
The third step was building my resume by writing for local and national magazines, Sunday school papers, and blogs. I also started my own blog at
http://www.jolenephilo.com/ to learn how. Once my resume had over a hundred writing credits including publications like Focus on the Family and ParentLife, publishers looked at my book ideas more seriously. But two book proposals were rejected over and over, even though they were submitted by my agent, before Different Dream was accepted.
9. I know you’re a freelance speaker as well. Are there other exciting upcoming writing and/or speaking projects you want to let us in on?
My friend and co-author, Virginia Work, collaborated on a mystery novel set in the remote region of northwest South Dakota and southeast Montana where we both used to live. A major Christian publishing house is considering it, but it will probably be quite awhile before we hear from them.
I’m also working on a proposal for another book for parents of sick and special needs kids. Different Dream provides spiritual support. This follow-up book would be more of a practical guide. I have an idea or two about another devotional book, too, and a historical novel percolating in my brain.
10. Advice for other writers?
I’ll pass on something that keeps me going. The author of a writing book, I can’t even remember what it was, made a comment that stuck in my craw. This is my rendition of her advice.
“If you quit writing because you aren’t published, remember that you are the one who quit writing. You can’t blame your lack of success on the editor who rejected you or changes in the industry or even the fact that you’re just one of thousands of wannabe writers. You decided to quit. Nobody else made you do it.”
When I read that and reflected on how God had arranged my life so I could be a writer, I couldn’t consider quitting. I had to keep going. So I encourage new writers to reflect on evidence of God equipping them to write. If they feel strongly that he is moving them in that direction, they need to keep writing.
Also, writers should decide why they are writing. Publication doesn’t have to be their goal. Many other worthy reasons for writing exist. If my book about my dad never gets published, it was still worth writing. It launched my writing career, it helped me process the tragedy and joy of my dad’s life, and it is a legacy for my family.
11. And a fun one, any quirky writer’s habits or funny writing anecdotes you want to share?
Hmmm…I don’t think I’m quirky at all. But I do take my laptop to our sectional leather sofa and work there instead of at my writing desk. My husband likes to tease me about it and my “rough life” as a writer.
Other than that, you’ll know my writing’s not going well or I’m scared of a new project, if my spice cupboard is organized, and the closets are neat and tidy. Funny how a blank screen and writer’s block makes housework so appealing!
