Deirdre Sullivan is the author of the new children's picture book Little Passenger. Her other books include the young adult novel Savage Her Reply. She lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Q: What inspired you to write Little Passenger?
A: Becoming pregnant was not a straightforward journey for me; there was a lot of hoping. When my child began to grow in me, I really wanted them to stay, and when we hit the 12-week milestone, I bought them a book, and began to read a bedtime story every night. It helped to keep us connected and allowed me to share something I love with this small life in the liminal space.
It was a lovely ritual, but being me, I began to overthink it, because the small life inside me had no context for suppers, or mermaids, or Wild Things. One night when I couldn’t sleep, I wrote a poem just for her, and that was the beginning of Little Passenger.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: I called her that, along with other names, when she was growing in me, and I remember one friend saying they really liked the phrasing of it. It was an organic part of the poem, and it was my relationship to her as well. I was her first home, and I’m grateful to my body for growing her until she was ready to meet the world.
Q: What do you think Jessica Love’s illustrations add to the book?
A: I was consistently blown away by Jessica’s responses to the book; she met it with such understanding and care. There were several visual narratives she worked through before finding the inspiration for the book as is, and it was a privilege to have insight into her process.
I feel her art met my words more seamlessly than I could have imagined, and I feel very grateful to have had such a beautiful experience making Little Passenger with her, and the team at Walker.
Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “It’s a warmth-filled portrait that binds the loving act of making a quilt to one experience of growing a family.” What do you think of that description?
A: I wanted to imbue the text with reassurance, warmth, and love, without being saccharine, and while retaining a sense of emotional truth, which has always been key to me with writing.
The visual narrative, all those special details, the colour saturation, the quilt developing and growing with the pregnancy, that was all Jessica. I think it was very heartfelt for both of us.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have two more lyrical picture books under contract at the moment, and I’m working on some poetry and short fiction as well. I’m reading and researching a lot about birds right now, as well as folklore and mythology. I tend to fill the bucket up and then let it spill over.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Pregnancy and motherhood aren’t easy or simple, and the journey is different for everyone. It’s magical and messy, primal and painful.
There’s no one truth for any of us in this world, and with parenthood, there are so many feelings and experiences and complexities that co-exist. There’s no one way, or right way. There’s only you and them, and your love will be shaped differently from other people’s because it’s yours.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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