On this page you will find a selection of interviews with author Dave Jeffery. More will be added as they occur.

Reader Views

Juanita Watson:  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? 

Dave: Hi Juanita, and thank you. I’ve always had a passion for children’s books that have adventure, mystery and memorable characters. I particularly enjoyed Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Secret Seven and Famous Five books. So when I decided to fulfill a life’s ambition by writing a novel, I guess these factors and influences guided my choice of topic. It’s a cliché but I really did write the kind of book I enjoyed reading when I was young.

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.

 

Page One Lit.com Interview

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Dave Jeffery: I grew up in Dudley, in the West Midlands (UK). It’s an old industrial town. When I was a child there was massive unemployment and poverty. Reading and writing were mediums I used to escape from what was, in essence, a very bleak landscape.

I wrote my first novel when I was eleven. It was a terrible sci-fi story called Badlands. At school I wrote and illustrated comic books which I sold to my friends for a few pennies.

During my childhood I was a huge fan of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Secret Seven books, a well as The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries. I loved the concept of youth undermining the activities of unscrupulous adults. This has a punk ethic that appealed to me. It’s certainly influenced the Beatrice books.

PageOneLit.com:  Why do you write?

Dave Jeffery:  I write because I enjoy it! If I can’t write I get restless. I take wads of paper and note books on vacation because if I don’t I end up buying them anyway! Ironically, my mind is at its most creative when it’s idle. I’m always thinking of plot lines and characters. It’s not always helpful when you’re trying to get the kids ready for school!

 

PageOneLit.com: Who and/or what have been your biggest influences with regard to your writing and why? 

Dave Jeffery: I have many influences. Enid Blyton, Franklin W Dixon (Hardy Boys) and the original writer for Nancy Drew: Carolyn Keene.  In terms of narrative and pace I’ve always admired Iain Banks. For characterization I have to say Stephen king has been a major influence. He creates the most enduring characters.



PageOneLit.com: Talk about your main character, 12 year old, Beatrice Beecham in "Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast." Where did the character of Beatrice Beecham come from? Did you create and shape this character or did the story create her? Do you have children?

Dave Jeffery Beatrice certainly came first. She’s a statement towards individuality and non-conformity. In many ways she’s representative of something missing in children’s fiction at the moment: strong female role models who are outside convention. She’s a character who is prepared to stand up for what she believes in.

I got the idea of displaced children after watching the Chronicles of Narnia movie which opens with the Luftwaffe bombing London during WWII.  This got me thinking as to how children during the war coped with being placed in areas so far from home. So with Beatrice I placed this quietly confident, self assured girl into a different environment to see how she coped with it.

I have two children. Beatrice’s Star Wars obsessed brother is brazenly based on my own son. He thinks it’s cool!

PageOneLit.com:  "Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast" has been called ˜A very enjoyable read' and ‘Warm and charming’  -- Your plot is very unique - Please discuss in your own words without giving too much of the story away about the plot and where the idea for the story came from?

Dave Jeffery Basically the plot is 12 year old Beatrice Beecham loves cookery. In fact she loves anything to do with cookery. While her friends listen to the latest banging tunes Beatrice scans her ever increasing volumes of Belchette’s Encyclopedia Gastronomica for a recipe to challenge her awesome culinary talents. Life couldn’t be simpler. Or more perfect.

 But Beatrice’s world changes when fate steers her family to the remote coastal town of Dorsal Finn. It is a town steeped in tradition, with quaint customs and quirky inhabitants. None more so than her mother’s assumed aunt: Maud, owner of Postlethwaite’s News and Chocolate Emporium.  But Dorsal Finn is also a place of secrets.

When her Aunt Maud gives her an old cook book as a welcome gift Beatrice finds more than just old recipes within its pages. She discovers a cry of help from the past which promises to be a terrible portent for the present.

The plot embodies all the things I loved from the mystery novels of my youth. We have skullduggery, mansions, shipwrecks and a race against time. And , of course: humor.

PageOneLit.com:  Do you like to cook? Any favorite personal recipes?

Dave Jeffery: I like to cook but Beatrice would consider me a complete amateur! I find cooking relaxing. I’m pretty good with a chili con carne.

PageOneLit.com:  Which part of the writing process do you have the most difficulty  -- Plot or  Character?

Dave Jeffery I find character depth a difficult process. I’ve read a few books on character development and take on board their role as a vehicle to drive the plot. Where I tend to get stuck is by giving them too much depth to the detriment of the narrative pace. In children’s fiction this is a good way to lose your reader’s interest.

PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers walk away with after reading  "Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast" ?

Dave Jeffery: The most important thing is that the reader has to be entertained. Time is a precious thing for a young person to give up, so it has to be a worthwhile experience.  It would be nice if they came away a fan. And that they told their friends about it!

PageOneLit.com:  "Beatrice Beecham's Fearsome Feast" would make a great film -- Anything in the works? Who in Hollywood would you select to play your characters?

Dave Jeffery: It’s a dream, isn’t it? Mind you, Warner Brothers are releasing the new Nancy Drew movie this year, so who knows! I must admit that Beatrice's arch enemy would suit Simon Pegg (of Shaun of the Dead fame). I’m a big fan of his.  Not sure about Beatrice, though Dakota Fanning’s quirkiness springs to mind when I think about it. As for Aunt Maud: Maggie Smith would be first choice. Second? Possibly a well made up Cate Blanchette!

And to direct: Steven Spielberg based purely on his gift of making great kid’s movies. If Mr. Spielberg declines then Joss Whedon (Buffy, Serenity writer/director) because he’s a genius and I’d love to meet him.

PageOneLit.com:  How has your life changed since becoming a published writer?

Dave Jeffery: With Beatrice only just coming out, it’s early days. But there is a fair amount of self satisfaction. Doing stuff like this is very different as well as being great fun.
 

PageOneLit.com:  What's next?

Dave Jeffery:  Lots of plugging the books! That should take up most of this year. I’m developing a website dedicated to Beatrice and Co. I have plot lines for five Beatrice books at the moment but there’s certainly scope for more. The second Beatrice book: Beatrice Beecham’s Fete of Fate will be out by the end of the year.

I also have a book that I’m releasing on Myspace entitled Finding Jericho. It’s a novel for young adults and considers mental illness and societal stigma. The initial plan was to publish it later this year on Lulu.com but I’m so passionate about its themes I’ve decided to give it to people for free. The first four chapters are one the site now. I tend to post a chapter a week. Folks are welcome to drop by and take a look. But only if they leave comments!

PageOneLit.com:  What was the last book you read?

Dave Jeffery:  ’Attention. Deficit. Disorder.’ by Brad Listi. It’s fantastic!

PageOneLit.com:  Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Dave Jeffery: No surprise, but I read a lot! When I get the time I play guitar and watch Sci-fi movies. I’m also a big fan of Joss Whedon. His writing often inspires.