Ask the Author: Philippa Dowding
Answered Questions (13)
Philippa Dowding
Hi Karen! Thanks for your question about OCULUM! I will have to get the book itself on goodreads soon, but here is a link to more about it with the cover, on the publisher's site: http://cormorantbooks.com/dcb/oculum/
OCULUM is a latin word which means "eye." Oculus is also an architectural term used in ancient domed buildings like the Roman Pantheon for example, a circular opening at the top of the dome to allow light and air into the building.
In my book, OCULUM is the name of the ancient, ruined city that the children live in. Some children live in the rubble of our civilization, and others live an isolated life of privilege in a gigantic dome, called Oculum City Dome.
I chose the word because it sounds sort of futuristic, but also kind of spooky and ancient at the same time. Also, much of the story takes place in a dome, with a removable top (a circular "eye") so it made sense.
Thanks for the great question!
Philippa
OCULUM is a latin word which means "eye." Oculus is also an architectural term used in ancient domed buildings like the Roman Pantheon for example, a circular opening at the top of the dome to allow light and air into the building.
In my book, OCULUM is the name of the ancient, ruined city that the children live in. Some children live in the rubble of our civilization, and others live an isolated life of privilege in a gigantic dome, called Oculum City Dome.
I chose the word because it sounds sort of futuristic, but also kind of spooky and ancient at the same time. Also, much of the story takes place in a dome, with a removable top (a circular "eye") so it made sense.
Thanks for the great question!
Philippa
Philippa Dowding
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your question, and I'm so happy that you enjoyed Gwendolyn's story!
Well, the story is really magic realism, a literary style that has intrigued and inspired me since I was in university (particularly One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez). I've also always wanted to tell a story about flying, since I had very vivid flight dreams as a child, and right into my teenage years (I still do, sometimes).
When I watched my daughter turn 12, then 13, I was reminded what an incredible metamorphosis we go through as we leave childhood and enter adolescence. With all the changes that we endure in puberty, the added gift of flight didn't seem so improbable!
So really, Gwendolyn's gift of flight is a metaphor for all the changes that life throws at us, and for all the potential that is stored in us, at that cusp in our lives. It's also a magical exploration of the gifts that we receive, whether we like them or not, and how we use those gifts to see more clearly into ourselves, our family, our community.
I hope that answers your question!
And, there is a sequel (Everton Miles is Stranger than Me), if you are curious about what happens next, and what choices Gwendolyn makes: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Take care Sarah, thanks again!
Philippa
Well, the story is really magic realism, a literary style that has intrigued and inspired me since I was in university (particularly One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez). I've also always wanted to tell a story about flying, since I had very vivid flight dreams as a child, and right into my teenage years (I still do, sometimes).
When I watched my daughter turn 12, then 13, I was reminded what an incredible metamorphosis we go through as we leave childhood and enter adolescence. With all the changes that we endure in puberty, the added gift of flight didn't seem so improbable!
So really, Gwendolyn's gift of flight is a metaphor for all the changes that life throws at us, and for all the potential that is stored in us, at that cusp in our lives. It's also a magical exploration of the gifts that we receive, whether we like them or not, and how we use those gifts to see more clearly into ourselves, our family, our community.
I hope that answers your question!
And, there is a sequel (Everton Miles is Stranger than Me), if you are curious about what happens next, and what choices Gwendolyn makes: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Take care Sarah, thanks again!
Philippa
Philippa Dowding
Hi Karen! Haha! Yes, three books coming in 2018, two books in the Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, Alex and The Other and Blackwells and the Briny Deep, and the middle-grade dystopia, Oculum. OMG for sure!
But I should point out that books are usually written long before the year they are published, so this year has mostly been about editing and polishing the three titles, I didn't write all three books from scratch this year. That would be really difficult for me, although some writers do have amazing output like that, I am much slower.
What does "Oculum" mean? It is from the latin word "oculus" which means "eye" or in this case, "to see" or "to be seen" and is a reference to the oculus eye in Roman domed architecture (most notably the Pantheon), since part of the story takes place under a dome.
Hope this answers your question!
Philippa
But I should point out that books are usually written long before the year they are published, so this year has mostly been about editing and polishing the three titles, I didn't write all three books from scratch this year. That would be really difficult for me, although some writers do have amazing output like that, I am much slower.
What does "Oculum" mean? It is from the latin word "oculus" which means "eye" or in this case, "to see" or "to be seen" and is a reference to the oculus eye in Roman domed architecture (most notably the Pantheon), since part of the story takes place under a dome.
Hope this answers your question!
Philippa
Philippa Dowding
Hi Goodreads (thanks for asking). Believe it or not, I've already written a book with one of my real-life mysteries in it: Myles and the Monster Outside (my middle-grade horror story from 2015). It's about a young boy, travelling across the country with his family, and on the last night of their 4-day car trip, he sees a monster outside the car window.
The monster follows them.
Many years ago, I was driving across the country, and was on the final 10-hour leg of a 5 day trip, at 2 in the morning, in central Ontario. Tired, sick of driving, probably a little delirious, I took the passenger seat while my then-boyfriend (now-husband) drove for a while. The car slowed suddenly, and I woke to see ... something ... out the window.
It was something I can't really describe. Huge, black, loping in the ditch, moving fast toward the car. It looked at me with RED EYES. I shouted, "Watch out!"
Then the thing was gone.
My boyfriend didn't see it.
What was it? He tried to convince me it was a coyote? A dog? It was moving too fast to be a cow ...
Shortly after that sighting, the car broke down and we spent the night sleeping in a deserted parking lot with one lamp post keeping the wild things at bay.
Well, my boyfriend slept. I didn't. All I could see, was a pair of red eyes running toward the car ...
The monster follows them.
Many years ago, I was driving across the country, and was on the final 10-hour leg of a 5 day trip, at 2 in the morning, in central Ontario. Tired, sick of driving, probably a little delirious, I took the passenger seat while my then-boyfriend (now-husband) drove for a while. The car slowed suddenly, and I woke to see ... something ... out the window.
It was something I can't really describe. Huge, black, loping in the ditch, moving fast toward the car. It looked at me with RED EYES. I shouted, "Watch out!"
Then the thing was gone.
My boyfriend didn't see it.
What was it? He tried to convince me it was a coyote? A dog? It was moving too fast to be a cow ...
Shortly after that sighting, the car broke down and we spent the night sleeping in a deserted parking lot with one lamp post keeping the wild things at bay.
Well, my boyfriend slept. I didn't. All I could see, was a pair of red eyes running toward the car ...
Philippa Dowding
Hi Goodreads, interesting questions (thanks for asking!). My favourite fictional romantic couple has to be Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett, I've always been an Austen fan. I re-read Pride and Prejudice every few years, and Death Comes to Pemberley pretty regularly too (P.D. James on the matter). My favourite fictional couple, not romantic just got-your-back friends, will always be Charlotte and Wilbur! PD
Philippa Dowding
LOL. Full steam ahead!
Philippa Dowding
Yes! Steampunk IS fun! Do you have any favourite Steampunk titles to suggest, Monica? Thanks for connecting on here, sorry it took so long for me to notice your question. PD
Philippa Dowding
Hi Monica! Sorry to take so long to notice your question. Steampunk would be fun wouldn't it? It's a possible addition to the Weird Stories Gone Wrong franchise, I have a few ideas up my sleeve, I just need to sit and get at it. Got some reading and research to do first, too. Thanks for the question! PD
Philippa Dowding
Hi Karen, thanks for the great question! I've always loved spooky stories for kids, and when my own kids came along I realized that I wasn't the only one. My daughter and I read every Goosebumps we could find, and we were sad when the final books came out in the early 2000s. So, I've wanted to write a Goosebumps-like story for modern kids since then (Kirkus Reviews nicely compared the books to Goosebumps). This series is called Weird Stories Gone Wrong and each one, Jake and the Giant Hand, Myles and the Monster Outside, Carter and the Curious Maze, is a story I've wanted to tell since then.
Each one is a different kind of spooky story for middle-grade kids: a tall tale riffing on Jack and the Beanstalk (what happened to the giant after Jack smote him?), a psychological road-trip thriller/ghost story with an anxious boy who keeps seeing things out the car window, and a time-travel story set in a creepy maze at the fair.
It's such an honour to finally see them in print, thank you to my publisher Dundurn Press for that! Also, thank you to the wonderful illustrator, Shawna Daigle, who did the covers and all the inside illustrations which are deliciously creepy. And, there may be more books in the near future, I'm toying with aliens and steampunk! Hope this answers your question.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Each one is a different kind of spooky story for middle-grade kids: a tall tale riffing on Jack and the Beanstalk (what happened to the giant after Jack smote him?), a psychological road-trip thriller/ghost story with an anxious boy who keeps seeing things out the car window, and a time-travel story set in a creepy maze at the fair.
It's such an honour to finally see them in print, thank you to my publisher Dundurn Press for that! Also, thank you to the wonderful illustrator, Shawna Daigle, who did the covers and all the inside illustrations which are deliciously creepy. And, there may be more books in the near future, I'm toying with aliens and steampunk! Hope this answers your question.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Philippa Dowding
Hi Jack! Thanks for asking that, it's a question that I really like to ask kids when I go to schools and libraries. What do you think? Do you have an answer in mind? I can tell you that I've heard a wide range of answers from children, from 2 hours to 100 years.
The real answer is that 1 year is an average amount of time for me to write a finished manuscript, although sometimes it can be faster (I've never done it faster than 6 months), and sometimes much longer. Every writer is different, of course, and shorter books can take less time, just as longer books take longer (although hopefully not 100 years)! Thanks!
The real answer is that 1 year is an average amount of time for me to write a finished manuscript, although sometimes it can be faster (I've never done it faster than 6 months), and sometimes much longer. Every writer is different, of course, and shorter books can take less time, just as longer books take longer (although hopefully not 100 years)! Thanks!
Philippa Dowding
Hi Brayden! Thanks for asking that great question, no one has ever asked that before so I'll have to think about my answer. I guess in terms of nominations and awards, The Gargoyle at the Gates (my third book), was probably the most popular. But my fourth book, The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden, has the most reviews and want-to-read or currently-reading interest on Goodreads, so it seems to be pretty popular too. So they are pretty closely tied, I think. Hope this answers your question! Philippa
Philippa Dowding
Hi Robert, well I like Priscilla Uppal. In kid's writing, I like Jennifer's Dance's Red Wolf. What about you?
Philippa Dowding
Hi Bobbi! Thanks for asking my first question on here. I love gargoyles, too, but the idea for the stories came from a visit to an antique store here in Toronto. One night I was visiting a relative on Queen St east, and my children and I walked into an antique store. The back stairs were glowing, and when I walked over to look, I saw a gargoyle with a candle on each step. I looked away, when I looked back it really looked like each gargoyle had moved, just a little. That night I told my children a bedtime story about a gargoyle that had followed us home. After several weeks of telling more and more bedtime stories about the gargoyle, my daughter (who was 9 at the time), said, "that's good Mum, you should write that down." I realized, hey, she's right! It's a good character. So that's how I started writing about gargoyles, and I love them more every time I write a new book about them. Thanks for asking! Philippa
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