Author Interview with Timothy Davis

The DMS was lucky enough to interview Timothy Davis. Lizzy recently reviewed his story Sea Cutter: Book 1 in The Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe, and it was great to share our thoughts about it and hear yours. We are excited to learn a little bit more about the story behind the story. So, without further ado... take it away, Timothy! 

What inspired you to become a children’s author?

I lived in a world of imagination as a child. For example, I stood at the edge of Long Pond, Cape Cod, and took my clothes off to go swimming...only to snap back to reality to find my second grade teacher shaking me, and all the kids laughing at my natural condition. Books sailed me into new worlds of imagination, especially Treasure Island. My parents caught me reading it under my bed covers by flashlight. As a teenager, I joined Renaissance Festivals and the like. I’d go around the festival juggling and inviting children to the next Children’s Story Time. At the Story Time tent, I would tell classics such as “The Elephant’s Child” by Kipling or “The Tinder Box” by Anderson. In high school, I took a career placement exam. I wanted to join the Coast Guard, but the test result said that my career should be “telling stories to children.” “That sounds high paying,” I thought. Flash forward ten years. I was intellectually restless, so I decided to try writing a novel. I remembered how I’d been caught reading Treasure Island under my blankets, and wanted to write a book that would get some other child in trouble. A child caught reading my book by flashlight – I kept that image in mind whenever I wrote. And, guess what. I had a blast, loved every minute of writing. Accent Publications published the result – In Search of Perlas Grandes, the precursor to Sea Cutter.

What made you decide to rewrite In Search of Perlas Grandes into Sea Cutter?

Flash forward twenty years. I’ve earned my Ph.D in English, taught Children’s Literature at university, and become disabled. Searching for something that I am able to do, I decided to rewrite In Search of Perlas Grandes. I wished to use what I’d learned about children’s literature, and I also wanted to reach a wider audience – both adults and children. Once again, I had a blast. I hired editor and writing coach, Lisa Costantino, to take a look at Sea Cutter (she’s quite affordable and still taking clients.) She immediately spotted egregious errors in my creative-writing style, and gave me suggestions about how to fix them. I still remember the moment that a supernova exploded in my brain, and I “got it.” I rewrote Sea Cutter to read fast, turning a 179-page book into a 99-page book, while also inserting new scenes. Thank you, Ms. Costantino. I like the result quite a bit, but do I think I’ve written a book as good as Treasure Island? A resounding no.  I appreciate readers’ comparisons between the two, but Sea Cutter is leagues below Treasure Island. So, if you haven’t read Treasure Island, stop reading this interview and go read it. While you’re at it, pick up E. L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. And also pick up….

How many drafts did you write of Sea Cutter: Book 1 in The Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe?

Between the first draft of In Search of Perlas Grandes and the final version of Sea Cutter, I wrote fourteen drafts. LOL. “Writing is rewriting.” I kept visualizing that nine-year-old child under her or his blankets, and did not want to confuse or lose her or him even for a moment.

Where did you come up with the characters: Nat and Paulo?

I modeled Nat after two people–after a twelve-year-old boy named Steve who used to crew with us on our sailboat races, and after myself. I modeled Paulo after Darshan, my best friend when I lived in India as a child.

Where do you like to write?

I like to write at my desk in our study. I’ve tried carrying my laptop to a bench by the Pacific, but the splendor distracted me. Besides, I share our study with my wonderful wife, and I like to bounce questions off of her. Of course, our cats think they own the study, so I’m obligated to pat them whenever I’m trying to think through a sticky problem–another bonus.

Most of Sea Cutter: Book 1 in The Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe takes place on a boat. Do you have a boat? If so, what kind?

Yes, I own a tugboat. It’s made of orange and yellow plastic, and I play with it in the bathtub. I got most of my sailing experience as a teenager on Cape Cod, crewing on Rhodes 19 (Hurricane class) races. I wish that I owned Wayland’s sloop, Sea Cutter. I modeled Sea Cutter after a sloop docked in the Wellfleet Harbor–gleaming white haul, polished oak deck, and beauteous lines. I loved that sailboat.

I know that you are currently rewriting, Red Stone: Book 2 in The Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe.  How many books will be in the series?

After I rewrite and republish Red Stone, I plan to write a third and final book. Ideas? The historic British Naval firebombing of Falmouth, Massachusetts (now Portland, Maine) – the city to which Nat’s family moves in Red Stone. Wayland, Nat, Paulo, and Ruth sneaking Sea Cutter through the historic British blockade of Boston Harbor. And…

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