Dorenda Doyle

Because most of my childhood was detailed in the memoir about my mother (How I Learned to Like My Mom), I’m not sure I left anything out! J So, how about this? My favorite books to read were the Nancy Drew Mysteries and The Boxcar Kids. I was known to laugh out loud when I reached a funny part (which was a little embarrassing in Junior High Study Hall!

My biggest dream was to be a hermit, support myself by writing books, and own all the animals I wanted. Oddly enough, I no longer want the first, and at least part of the second came true. I don’t think the third item can ever come true because I want every animal I see!

As a teacher, I was always writing—curriculum, lesson plans, learning activities. As a business teacher, I had to stay current on what was happening, so I worked each summer in different businesses; therefore, I got plenty of writing experience doing presentations, business plans, financial reports, annual reports, just to name a few. All this was great for “technical” writing experience, but didn’t give me the opportunity for any creative writing. It wasn’t until I retired from teaching and became a grandmother that I began using “that side of my brain.” Strangely enough, children’s books were NOT my first published works.

I ALWAYS knew I wanted to write children’s books, BUT when my Mom passed away unexpectedly, I realized THAT was the book I had to write first.

This will always be an emotional trigger, so I’m glad this interview is on paper instead of live. I did not have a “good” relationship with my mother. In a nutshell, she was a honky-tonk gal who drank too much, parented too little, wrote country songs, and married 7 times … the complete opposite of me and everything I wanted to be! I address this in the book. When she died, I understood I had lost the opportunity to build a good relationship. I was chosen by my siblings to write her eulogy; it was during this process of gathering facts about her life that I realized there was SO MUCH MORE to this woman than I had known! It was then and there that I KNEW I had to write her story.

As far as the process goes, it was at times painful, lots of tears, long-dead memories resurrected, but also, cathartic. Her memoir was indeed the book I needed to write first. I started with the mission of “love and forgive, BEFORE it’s too late.” However, by the end of the book, I was enlightened by the message my Mom had imparted to me all my life: “Pull Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps!”

Ahh, the truth will be out now! The entire time I was writing the first book, I was envisioning my son when he was 9 years old! (He’s now a professor at Penn State with a 9 year old of his own!) We have always had dogs, and even now, rescuing is my passion.

Literal language and all the idiosyncrasies of the English language have always fascinated me. I myself take things very literally, and sometimes have to put on mental brakes in order to really understand what a person is saying to me. (LOTS of funny stories on this!) I’ve had several students over the years that do the same. I realized that there are many of us that take words at face-value, especially kids, and the pictures going on in our heads are NOT what is really meant! Thus, THE KID & THE DOG series was born … with THE DOG explaining everything!

Just as my son influenced the creation of THE KID, my rescue dog, Shadow, was the inspiration for THE DOG. Regrettably, I let Shadow pass over the Rainbow Bridge a couple weeks ago, but she will forever be THE DOG for me … always calm, always by my side, always ready for a car ride or adventure, always seeming to have all the answers in her wise eyes.

My 8 grandkids continue to bring new book ideas on a daily basis—asking me if a “watch dog” means the dog wears a watch, or if Labor Day means we have to work all day. I just have to remember to think like a kid (which really isn’t hard at all!)

Jimmy, my husband, is a very logical thinker; he keeps me grounded when my ideas start to go too far astray. He is definitely my rock and foundation.

I just mentioned the “watch dog” incident (which will make an appearance in Book 4 to be published in September). The STINK-EYE book was most definitely a result of our youngest granddaughter, Loxley. Born with a rare genetic liver disease, she has had to face far too many hospital procedures in her young life (now 5 years old by the Grace of God); she has developed quite the STINK-EYE toward any nurse or doctor who comes to draw blood. Book 3, THE KID with the BEDHEAD (which was published 2 weeks ago) was not only inspired by my granddaughter, Appleton, but she was the first illustrator of that story when she was only 6 years old! I feature her artwork at the end of the book, and challenge kids to write and draw their own story with a grandparent.

My mission with these books is to incite a LOVE of reading at an early age, so each and every book must be FUN! If it doesn’t bring a laugh or two, I’ve failed.

I purposely use simple illustrations (you’ll notice, not a lot of background or detail), dyslexic & autistic-friendly fonts, as well as metered, rhyming sentences. Did you know that 3rd graders that read proficiently (at grade level) are FOUR TIMES more likely to graduate from high school? I have ulterior motives as well, subtly injecting themes of inclusion, tolerance, social behavior, health, acceptance, and self-esteem. All the books in THE KID & THE DOG series deal with figurative language (idioms, clichés, puns, etc.) and meet various State Dept. of Education curriculum standards (I was once a curriculum writer) so that teachers will embrace the books as well.

Oh, to hear a child laugh is the BEST SOUND in the whole world! If I can make a child laugh and love the book, then maybe I can make him/her a reader for life. THAT is my goal. (But, I tell teachers and parents that my goal is to teach figurative language!)

I’ve learned that writing is easy (at least for me with the kids books), but marketing is TOUGH. My author journey has opened amazing new friendships with other authors (a by-product I never even anticipated!) I’ve learned to continue learning! Hardly a week goes by that I don’t participate in another online or zoom class to learn this craft even better—there are a gazillion things I don’t know!

For those interested in writing memoirs, 1) Find your purpose; no one is really interested in reading about non-famous people, so you must have a message to convey (mine was “love & forgive before it’s too late” as well as “pull up your bootstraps.” 2) Think about each and every person who may read your memoir … will it cause pain to anyone? Will it cause anyone irreparable damage? If so, think about changing names or circumstances so no one is embarrassed or hurt (not to mention suing you for defamation!) 3) Read your book at least 3 times, twice before and once after a professional editor finishes it; you WILL find errors.

For those interested in writing children’s books, 1) READ as many as you can at the age level you intend to write for. 2) Hang out with this age level (I hope you have friends or relatives with kids if you don’t have your own because we don’t want you arrested as a pervert!) 3) Realize that every kids book doesn’t have to teach a life-altering lesson—it can be just plain old FUN!

I think I may have already answered this in #9, but honestly, my main goal is to impart a LOVE of reading by making the books entertaining and fun. If the child also learns what an idiom or cliché is, all the better!

Book 4, THE DOG with THE KID! is scheduled to release in September. Expect lots of “dog” puns, clichés, sayings and a few idioms! Future books planned for this series are THE DOG who explains HALLOWEEN!, THE CAT and THE DOG!, and THE KID & THE DOG at CHRISTMAS!

Lastly, not even a part of this series, I’m currently looking for an illustrator for a book that will be targeted toward infant to toddlers, Don’t Love This Baby!

Truthfully, AllAuthor has been one of the most rewarding promo sites I have worked with in my year and a half as an author! From the Cover Contests (thanks for 2nd place in June!) to the book mock-up banners, to this very insightful interview, it is ALL a class-act. I have recommended this site to many of my author friends. THANK YOU!