Interview with Alan Cumyn, author of Dear Sylvia:

Groundwood Books: Where did the idea for the character of Owen Skye come from?

Alan Cumyn: I started writing the Owen Skye stories twelve years ago for my daughters, Gwen and Anna, and for myself as well. Gwen, the eldest, was just learning to read in school and I thought, instead of a traditional Christmas gift, I would write her a story. I had just finished the first draft of probably the darkest novel I will ever write for adults, Man of Bone, which is about a torture victim, and I really needed to work on something light, funny, and full of the resilience and wonder of youth. So I wrote "Valentine's Day," in which Owen faces up to his fears and delivers a Valentine's card, if somewhat disastrously, to his secret love, Sylvia Tull.

My wife read the story before I wrapped it up. "This is very nice, Alan," she said, "but you have two daughters. You can't just write one story for one of them. You need to write another for Anna!" So I wrote "The Bog Man's Wife," which introduces Owen's brothers and their madcap world. My daughters loved both stories and expected more for future gift days, so over the next few years I pieced together the manuscript that became The Secret Life of Owen Skye. After Sylvia was also a Christmas gift to both of them, and Gwen ended up playing Sylvia in the workshop version of my stage adaptation of that book.

GW: How has your daughter's feedback informed how you write the character of Owen?

AC: Both Gwen and Anna feel very attached to the Owen stories, especially the first drafts. We had some difficult discussions when they were younger about how and why authors make changes in action and character as a book gets closer to publication. They were both important readers of the first draft of Dear Sylvia as well. With that book I made a risky choice to use Owen's direct writing voice -- his letters -- rather than staying with the adult narrator of the first two books. It was an enormous relief for me when both my daughters raced through Owen's letters and said they enjoyed them tremendously.

GW: Owen's voice has evolved over the length of the series. Can you tell us a bit about how you came, in Dear Sylvia, to write a novel in letters?

AC: I did not start out planning a trilogy. I'm suspicious of stories that go on too long, and too many sequels don't have the energy and creative spirit of the original. But with the Owen saga I came to realize that the characters and situations were strong enough to carry on, and I felt open to trying different approaches. Though I call it a novel, The Secret Life of Owen Skye is mostly a series of linked short stories. Many of the episodes can be pulled out and enjoyed as individual, complete stories, and the whole collection is fairly loosely tied together.

After Sylvia is constructed as a more traditional novel: each chapter builds on the last, and after the first few you can't really read and understand a chapter without knowing what has gone on before. After Sylvia ends with Sylvia's birthday gift to Owen: paper, envelopes, and stamps so he can write his adventures and send them to her in faraway Elgin. I'd always wanted to write a novel in letters, but what would Owen's writing voice be like? He is not a great student, and we know from his crude Valentine's card that spelling is a big problem. But he has a large spirit and stories are important to him, so Dear Sylvia is, in part, about Owen's emergence as a young writer. The letters help him make sense of the difficult changes happening in his family when his father quits his job to write a novel. One of Owen's problems is that he says too much -- some of his inner feelings leak onto the page and he worries about whether he should send the letters to Sylvia.

GW: What challenges do you feel Owen's stories meet in your young readers?

AC: The Owen stories contain many hilarious moments, but throughout is a central problem. Owen Skye has met his true love in grade school when he is far too young to deal with such feelings. How fair is that? But often life is not fair. What should he do when Sylvia Tull's briefest glance dries his throat and turns his face into a burning tomato? He can hide, keep everything a big secret, or he can face his fears. Although he suffers many setbacks and doubts, Owen's instinct is usually to stumble forward. He has an appealing and genuine courage that I think speaks to readers of all ages.

For me, the stories also help to balance out the darkness of some of my work for adults. In many ways, I see the antidote to our troubled times in the faces of our children, and while characters like Owen have their share of problems, they also have the fun and wonder of childhood to see them through.

Items in Your
Shopping Cart:

(There are no items
in your shopping cart.)

SUBSCRIBE & ORDERS OVER $35 SHIP FREE IN CANADA.

Enter email address & click Go. (We do not sell, rent, or loan our subscriber list.)

Already a member? Click to unsubscribe or change address.