Jennifer Brown

I'm really excited about today's interview, because the themes of Dee White's LETTERS TO LEONARDO are so similar to my themes in Hate List.

LETTERS TO LEONARDO is about a boy, Matt Hudson, who is turning 15. Only, instead of receiving the art lessons he was hoping for, he receives a letter... from his dead mother. Suddenly, Matt's life is just about finding out the truth. And what he finds could change him forever.

Dee, thanks so much for joining us, all the way from Australia!

Q: Your main character is a teenager coping with family mental illness. Why did you tackle this topic? Is this a passion of yours? 

A: I was thinking about this the other day, and realised that most of my writing seems to be about things that are going on in people’s heads. I’ve always been really interested in the human mind so that’s part of it. In Letters to Leonardo, Matt gets a letter on his fifteenth birthday from the mother he thought was dead. This part of the story was inspired by something that actually happened. But seeing as I was writing fiction, I had to come up with my own scenario for why Matt’s mother had been absent all this time. Mental illness seemed like a plausible explanation. 

Q: What is the mental illness and why did you choose that one?  

A:  Matt’s mother has bipolar, and I chose this illness because it was something that I already knew a little bit about seeing as I know someone who suffers from it. 

Q: What kind of research did you do about the illness before writing Letters to Leonardo?

A:  I did extensive research on the symptoms and treatments for bipolar, but my research also went way beyond that. I wanted to try and understand how it felt for someone living with bipolar and what it was like for their families. So I spoke to sufferers and their families and read many personal accounts.

Q: Writing about painful issues, especially with characters you love, can be extremely difficult. What was the hardest part for you, emotionally, about writing painful issues into your characters' lives?

A:  I become extremely attached to my characters when I’m writing – they become like real people to me – like my own children. So I find it really hard to allow/make bad things happen to them. I’m afraid I’m a bit pathetic, and I shed real tears for my characters because they seem so real to me.

Q: What is it like for teens living with family mental illness? What do you hope those teens will get out of reading your book? 

A:  Teens are so vulnerable. They are themselves going through such an emotional time in their lives, so dealing with family mental illness can be very traumatic – and hard to explain to others. Unfortunately, because you can’t see mental illness like you can say a broken leg or physical illness; it doesn’t always evoke empathy and understanding.  Teenagers are trying to establish their own individuality and identity so there can be a lot of embarrassment, guilt and anger to deal with when they are living with family mental illness. I hope Letters to Leonardo will raise awareness of real things that can happen to real people and help teens realise that having a family member with a mental illness doesn’t define who they are as a person. In Letters to Leonardo, Matt’s art teacher says to him. “You’re not your mother….don’t turn your back on your art. That’s what defines who you are – not the people you were born to, not genes or family resemblances…” 

Q: What do you hope teens who are NOT dealing with these issues will take away from this book? 

I’m hoping all teens will take away the importance of not allowing yourself to be emotionally or physically controlled by anyone else – and that it’s okay to be who you are. Letters to Leonardo is also about developing tolerance and understanding. In his last letter to Leonardo da Vinci, Matt says, “People can come from such different places and still be right.” 

Q: You've managed to balance the "tough stuff" in your book with humor. How did you strike that balance? When did you know it was "the right time" to lighten things up a bit?

A:  I wanted Letters to Leonardo to have emotional depth, but not be sentimental. So I think it was an instinctive thing for me. I believe that life is not black and white or even shades of grey – it’s full of colours. So whenever the colours were getting too dark in Letters to Leonardo, I added some lighter hues. 

Q: Anything I didn't ask you that you'd like to tell us? 

A: Matt’s story is also about the fact that we all make assumptions, but you never really know what is going on in someone else’s life – and especially inside their head.

Check out Dee's website (and the awesome book trailer for LETTERS TO LEONARDO) at: http://www.deescribe.com.au/

Thanks again, Dee! Good luck with your book!