Indie Author Interview with Dori Ann Dupré - Author of the Contemporary Women's Fiction Scout's Honor.
Dori Ann Dupré was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in History and is a veteran of the United States Army. She is a member of the North Carolina Writers Network. Scout’s Honor is her debut novel.
Interview with Dori Ann Dupré
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| Author Dori Ann Dupré |
Dori Ann Dupré: I am a first time published novelist. I have written stories, essays, poetry, manuscripts and articles throughout my life, but my novel is the only published work I have at this point. My regular background is that I have a BS in History and served as a Military Intelligence officer in the United States Army. I have a post baccalaureate Paralegal certification and currently work in the legal field in North Carolina.
Who are your favorite writers, your favorite books, and who or what are your writing influences?
My favorite contemporary writer is Malcolm Gladwell. I love his articles in The New Yorker and I enjoy all of his books. His topics are interesting and well researched. He articulates the kinds of things I think about but am too lazy to write about. I enjoy Jodi Picoult's books because they are so well researched and are generally human stories centered around an interesting topic.
I have several books that have influenced me tremendously. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and most recently, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. There are really too many to name, but those are the top few. My favorite poet is Robert Frost.
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I have just always been a writer. I never woke up one day and exclaimed, "Ah ha! I know what I want to be when I grow up! I want to be a writer!" It is just a part of existing to me - like eating and sleeping and breathing.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
No.
"[...] it just tells itself."
Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a writing routine?
I try to be disciplined about writing and that is the benefit of having a blog. Sometimes I need to force myself to write about topics that I'm not particularly interested in but do so to exercise the writing itself. When I am working on a story or a poem, I just sit down and write and let whatever needs to come out, come out. Most of the time I have an idea but no real clue how I'm going to tell it. Then it just tells itself.
Please, describe your desk/workplace.
I work anywhere in my house, but I do have a loft that I've claimed as my own. My children have grown and the loft used to house their air hockey table and games. The room decor is half Pittsburgh Steelers and half New England Patriots. I am a Steelers fan and my husband is the Patriots fan. We have our sports memorabilia around the loft. This decor has not changed. I have my acoustic guitar set up in one corner, a painting easel with supplies set up in another corner, a drafting table next to the painting section, and then my desk. I also have an old Easy Boy chair where I will read or write on occasion.
"The easiest part of writing is act of writing"
What do you find easiest about writing? What the hardest?
The easiest part of writing is act of writing itself. I do not seem to suffer from writer's block or have yet to find "coming up with the right words" to be a problem. The hardest part to me is some of the copy editing. It seems that no matter how slowly and thoroughly I comb through a piece, there is still a typo or error in the final.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
I love it when someone is touched in some way by my story or poem. It means a great deal to me when another person "gets it" and it was something that came from within me. I like when someone's reaction is exactly how I wanted the reaction to be.
Dori-Ann, please tell us a little about your Women’s Fiction Novel Scout's Honor.
This is the synopsis: In Haddleboro, North Carolina, Scout Webb is a fourteen-year-old kind and spirited small town southern girl and a tomboy much like her namesake, the young narrator from her mother’s favorite book. With both her name and her Christian faith deeply woven into the fabric of her identity, Scout always felt like she had a lot to live up to and was the kind of girl who made her parents proud.
It's August 1983, and Scout is playing on a summer baseball team with Charlie Porter, her best friend since Kindergarten. More than anything, she is looking forward to her last few weeks at Camp Judah, a Christian camp near the Catawba River. She can’t wait to see her big crush “Brother Doug,” the thirty-two-year old camp lifeguard who has watched her grow up each summer since she was seven years old. But after a fateful few days and one catastrophic event during her last day at the camp, Scout will be changed forever.
Written through multiple narrators over the course of twenty years, this story follows Scout’s personal struggles as a freshman away at college in Raleigh and later as an overworked single mother approaching middle age, where she is forced to confront the causes of her own quiet suffering, the consequences of her actions and why even the eternal love and devotion of just one true friend can’t save her.
A story of a self, lost…a self, loathed…and a self, rediscovered…it examines the harsh and cruel ways in which otherwise well-intentioned and decent people treat each other…even those they claim to love, but even more so…ultimately, how we treat our own selves.
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| Click to Read an Excerpt |
What inspired you to write the book?
Many years ago, I read an article by an anonymous girl. It concerned a married father who served as a deacon in her church and who started an affair with her. The wife was suspicious of the girl always hanging around her husband and began to spread rumors about her to the other church women. In order to get himself out of the situation, the deacon denied that he did or said anything to the girl, blamed her for pursuing him and then claimed that she was interested in drugs and needed psychological help. (As I've grown older, I am always amused that a female in such a situation is always labeled "crazy" or another derogatory term to describe her mental state.) Since the girl figured that no one would believe her anyway, and because she was convinced that she was in love with the man and did not want to ruin his life, she never told anyone the truth and took the fall, allowing him to get away with everything. She stuck with me, and I always wondered what became of that girl and how that situation affected the rest of her life. That got me thinking further about how young teenaged girls are treated in subtle ways in our society, and also still to this day in other cultures, as some kind of sexual property. It also reminded me of a girl who was my friend while in junior high. She was from another culture and ethnicity and was forced to get married at fourteen in an arranged marriage to a 29-year-old businessman. She was just as American as I was, wore jeans and tee shirts, and listened to Duran Duran and Madonna like the rest of us. After 8th grade, she had to move to Chicago – which was far away from New Jersey - to marry this much older man. She was essentially sexual property, bought and paid for by some stranger. All she wanted to do was go to high school with the rest of us. Why is this acceptable to do to a very young (or any) human being in any culture? I always wonder whatever became of her and how being forced into such a situation affects a young girl for the rest of her life.
Who do you see as your target audience?
My target audience is women between the ages of 18-65 plus. There have been men who liked my story, so I hope that is a testament to how I wrote the men in my book. I aimed to write them fairly.
What makes your book special?
It's special because it is epic. I try to carefully and respectfully tell a story about a childhood trauma, which many people do not even perceive to be a trauma, which profoundly affects a young girl all the way into middle age. The story is told through several different eyes, so you are able to gauge more of a wide perspective on how that one trauma not only affected the protagonist but also affected those close to her and those who came into her life at other times. I tried to make even my antagonists relatable people and not just out right villains. People are generally more complex than good/bad.
How would you describe the success of your books so far?
This is my first novel. I am traditionally published by an up and coming independent publisher.
"Just write."
Can you give some advice for other Authors regarding the writing process?
Just write. The only rule is that there are no rules.
Are you working on another book project? Can you tell us a little about it?
I have two more books I am writing. One is called Good Buddy, and it is about a young man with a dark secret and tragic past who falls in love with an Army widow who has a young daughter. It is an homage to step fathers, who I believe are one of the most underappreciated segments of society. Also, I hope it will bring more attention to the plight of Vietnam and other war veterans who suffer from PTSD. The second book is called A Lass that is Gone and is about a troubled girl who runs away from home to accompany her new friend on his Gap Year before university and how this trip helps her heal from her childhood tragedy.
"Book stores are making a comeback."
Where do you see the book market in 5 or 10 years? Will there be only eBooks and will book stores disappear like record stores disappeared?
Book stores are making a comeback. People still want face to face interaction. There is a place for both online and in person book communities.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
Kindle
Do you write full-time or do you have a day job? When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I work a full time job as a paralegal. In my spare time, I love the outdoors, in particular hiking and kayaking. I would like to do more outdoor adventure. I love US women’s soccer and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I enjoy writing poetry, reading, taking photos, painting, playing with my dachshunds and spending time with my family. I recently sold my Sportster, but I also enjoy riding motorcycles.
How can readers connect with you?
My website is www.DoriAnnDupre.com
Email: Dori@DoriAnnDupre.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DoriAnnDupre
Twitter: @DoriAnnDupre
Pinterest: @DoriAnnDupre
Instagram: @dori_dejong
Blogger: http://finding-dori.blogspot.com
Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14952198.Dori_Ann_Dupr_
Thank you very much for the Interview, Dori Ann.
About the Book Scout's Honor
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| Click to Read an Excerpt |
It's August 1983, and Scout is playing on a summer baseball team with Charlie Porter, her best friend since Kindergarten. More than anything, she is looking forward to her last few weeks at Camp Judah, a Christian camp near the Catawba River. She can’t wait to see her big crush “Brother Doug,” the thirty-two year old camp lifeguard who has watched her grow up each summer since she was seven years old. But after a fateful few days and one catastrophic event during her last day at the camp, Scout was changed forever.
Written through multiple narrators over the course of twenty years, this story follows Scout’s personal struggles as a freshman away at college in Raleigh and later as an overworked single mother approaching middle age, where she is forced to confront the causes of her own quiet suffering, the consequences of her actions and why even the eternal love and devotion of just one true friend can’t save her.
A story of a self, lost…a self, loathed…and a self, rediscovered…it examines the harsh and cruel ways in which otherwise well-intentioned and decent people treat each other…even those they claim to love, but even more so…ultimately, how we treat our own selves.
- "A great story about a young girl and her struggles and triumphs as she grows from young girl to middle age. Love the characters and the great scenery of North Carolina. Watch Scout grow and mature with all of life's bumps and smiles along the way! You will want more! Loved it! " - Reader Review
Link to the Book
Link to the Paperback Scout's Honor on Amazon
Link to the eBook Scout's Honor on Amazon
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