I’m excited to introduce you to D. G. Diver, a fellow YA urban fantasy author. During my release of The Witch of the Meadows, we connected over both having nature and environmental themes in our YA novels. Earth Day weekend seems the perfect time to share the background behind how we each became fans of nature and decided to promote our Earth’s care through our writing. I have interviewed D. G. for my blog, and she has interviewed me for hers.
Let’s start with a little about D. G’s The Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy and its gorgeous watercolor cover!
In the aftermath of an oil spill in the Pacific Northwest, teen environmental activist Juniper Sawfeather discovers a new species–mermaids!
In the days that follow, she must defy all odds to protect these beautiful creatures from the corrupt oil company and the frenzied media.
But mermaids are only the beginning of Juniper’s increasingly dangerous adventures as she realizes she has a talent for finding mythical creatures. Or maybe the creatures are finding her…
The Juniper Sawfeather series is urban fantasy based around Native American legends featuring a Native American bi-racial heroine.
The series includes:
Cry of the Sea, A Juniper Sawfeather Novel, Book One
Whisper of the Woods, A Juniper Sawfeather Novel, Book Two
Echo of the Cliffs, A Juniper Sawfeather Novel, Book Three
The Interview:
Laurel: Your Juniper Sawfeather trilogy is set in the Pacific Northwest—what’s your connection to nature in that area of the country?
D. G.: I grew up in Southern California, so I am a West Coast gal. I was a teenager during the Exxon-Valdez oil spill up north, and when the 10-year anniversary of the event happened, it was all over the news again. At that point I was writing a lot, and I got to wondering what would happen if mermaids had washed up during that oil spill. That’s how I originally came up with the idea for the first book Cry of the Sea. I decided to set the story in Washington to be in the same area as that old oil spill, and I also have a huge fascination for the American Indian mythology and culture from that region. I visited Seattle and Vancouver Island once in my twenties. I want to go back and visit the specific locations of my series one of these days.
Laurel: Juniper—June—saves mermaids, old growth red cedars and orcas—how did you choose the magical and real plants and animals for your stories?
D. G.: As I mentioned, I chose the shores of Washington state for the oil spill in book one. The mermaids were up on a real beach and are taken to a fictional sea mammal rehabilitation center in a real town nearby. I did a lot of researching photos, websites, maps, travel guides, and tourist blogs to pick the locations for all three novels.
Juniper’s parents are environmental activists and always moving from one cause to another. At the end of the first book they are heading off to a logging protest. I did more research and discovered that there are some ancient Red Cedar trees in that state and that some of them are on reservation land. So, in book 2, Whisper of the Woods, Juniper is protecting a 1,000 year old tree from being felled by a timber company. She soon becomes trapped in its branches by an ancient tree spirit.
I wanted Juniper to return to the ocean in book 3, Echo of the Cliffs, to have more interaction with the mermaids and to try to find the legendary man made of stone mentioned in book 2. I learned about the toxic levels of ocean pollution from construction run-off and how it is killing the orcas in the Pacific Northwest. I chose to use that as the basis for the environmental cause Juniper’s family is chasing and then decided to use a myth about warriors that are transformed into killer whales as part of the plotline.
Laurel: Is the American Indian legend that June discovers real, or based on an actual legend?
D. G.: The legends used in this series are based on real legends from the American Indian mythology of the Pacific Northwest region. I had to massage them a bit to fit my books. The myth in Cry of the Sea is the one I did the most dabbling with. However, the main myth introduced in book two that explains why the tree spirit is trapped in that old tree is very close to the original story, and I wound up plotting the entire series around it. There are more myths in book 3, and I also researched to find them and was overjoyed when I found real mythology to shape the course of my story. I made an effort to keep the stories as authentic as possible.
Laurel: June has to face her friends and family not believing her more magical nature experiences, a tough feat for any teen. Was it hard to pit people against her?
D. G.: I have some high school kids who are pretty rude to her, and there is a horrible vice principal who appears throughout the series. The hard part wasn’t making them antagonists as much as making them come across as real people and not just “characters”. The most difficult “anti” character to write was Juniper’s mother. She is all business and a hard sell. She wants to use the existence of the mermaids to further her cause in book 1 but never sees them herself. Nor does she see any magic in the forest in book 2. She has a major character arc by the end of book 3, and that was fun to write.
Laurel: Do you have plans for more novels about June’s environmental adventures?
D. G.: For now, my adventures with Juniper are done. The trilogy is complete. I have a prequel (“Beneath the Wildflowers”) in the anthology Kick Ass Girls of Fire and Ice YA Books and a winter themed story (“Christmas Among the Evergreens”) in the anthology Winter Wonder. I may expand those stories sometime into their own novellas. If the series ever finds a good tail wind, I may explore the idea of writing some more new adult books with Juniper in college.
Laurel: I’m sure it will! Thanks for a lovely interview.
Read more about The Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy, find excerpts, reviews, and links to all online booksellers for all three books at www.dgdriver.com or visit her Amazon author page to find The Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy ebook boxset – only $6.99
D. G. Driver is an optimist at heart, and that’s why she likes to write about young people making an impact on the world. You’ll find among her books a teen environmental activist, a young girl teaching people about autism acceptance and to stop bullying people with special needs, a princess who wants to be more than a prize for a prince, and a boy who wins a girl’s heart by being genuine and chivalrous. She is a multi-award-winning author of books for teens and tweens, but you’ll find some romance and horror stories in the anthologies, too. When Driver isn’t writing, she’s a teacher at an inclusive child development program in Nashville, TN. She might also take a break from writing once in a while to strut the stage in a local theater production. You’re guaranteed to find her belting out Broadway show tunes anytime she’s driving. Follow D. G. Driver at:
www.twitter.com/DGDriverAuthor
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Please visit D. G. Driver’s blog to read her interview of me about the first in my Windborne series, The Witch of the Meadows.
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