When persistence pays off
Rejections did not daunt children’s book author Dawn Young
Albany native Dawn Young never imagined she’d be a picture book author until she had children. She was happy being a successful manager at the Honeywell Aerospace Company in Arizona, a job she began shortly after getting a mechanical engineering degree from Villanova University.
“I worked at Honeywell for 20 years and loved it,” she said, “but 14 months after giving birth to my son I gave birth to twin daughters. I thought I would temporarily take some time off to take care of the kids, and that’s when I discovered writing, especially writing picture books, and I never looked back.”
She was always in awe of the efficiency of language, something she learned as a manager. “( Words) could build you up and they could damage you. I used my words carefully when writing up performance appraisals. Words have power, and when I began reading to my kids and watching the way they would laugh and giggle, well, I just became obsessed in wanting to do that.”
Young has now published two picture books “The Night Baafore Christmas,” which came out in October 2019 and “Counting Elephants," which came out last March. Both were published by Running
Press. She has three books scheduled for release in 2021 beginning with “The Night Baafore Easter” in January.
“It was tough to leave that Honeywell job,” she said. “I was doing very well there and had won numerous managerial awards. I thought I was taking a break and that I would go back soon. I didn’t look at it as a major issue. I left when the girls were 2, and they’ll turn 18 this December.”
She has had times when she thought about going back to work. “But I couldn’t work there, take care of my family and write. I was determined to get published at a traditional company, and I wanted it so bad I even joined critique groups to help me become a better writer.”
When she left Honeywell some of her friends didn’t take her writing seriously. “Some of them thought it was just a hobby of mine, but I considered it a career, and whenever I’d get down because of all the rejections I was getting, my critique group kept me going. Even when my agent dropped me, I got right back out there and decided to submit to five agents or five editors every week. I would not allow myself to get discouraged.”
She attributes her ability to persevere to being a first-born child. “I’ve also always been very academic. I’m an overachiever, a type-a personality, and I’m full of energy. My kids knew what I went through, and they knew I would never give up.”
In 2010 she threw herself completely into writing. “Prior to that time I was learning how to write in picture book style. I studied rhyme exhaustively. I studied story structure. I went to conferences in Washington, Arizona and Georgia. I met a lot of people, writers and publishers. I became active in Arizona’s SCBWI, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. People in that
organization get it. Many if them have been published and all of them have been rejected. They know what it’s like to be a struggling writer.”
One of the books that had a profound impact on her ability to use rhyme in her writing was “A Poetry Handbook” by Mary Oliver. “I love how she writes in there about sounds and the effect they have. Some letters have dominant tones, and I’m amazed by that.” She is also a lover of math and believes this also explains why she loves to write in rhyme. “There’s a mathematical structure to rhyme, a pattern, a symmetry, and that’s also what I loved about figuring out math equations as a student. I still love to work on math even today.”
Most importantly though, her picture books are very funny. “When I write I try to get into the mindset of a young child. I can easily remember the times when I would read to my kids and watch them giggle over a book or an illustration. When I write I think back to those days and write what I think they would have enjoyed reading. I want my books to be silly, and I want kids to laugh when they’re reading it or when it’s read to them.”
Young said the pandemic has disrupted her schedule immensely. “I had just started going to schools and reading to young kids, and it was wonderful, but when the pandemic hit I had to cancel all my spring and fall readings. I also canceled events at bookstores. It’s been tough, but I feel it’s been much tougher on the kids going through this.”
She longs for the day when this pandemic will only be a memory. “Young children need moments of joy. They need to laugh. I want them to find fun in every day even with all these restrictions. I hope my books can bring them some joy. I also know the beauty of children is how they can adapt and adjust so well.”
She has fond memories of growing up in the Capital District where she attended schools in the North Colonie School District and graduated from Mercy High School. “My sister still lives there, and I come from a big Italian family that has been so supportive of me all along the way. Albany has such a big place in my heart, and I can’t wait to return when we can all safely travel. My roots there are strong.”