Interview with Diana Cumberland

Author of Listen to your body: empowering children to be safe

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I grew up in Darwin, top end of Australia; where cyclones (hurricanes that spiral in the opposite direction) periodically destroy the town and everything in the sea wants to kill you, especially the crocodiles and box jellyfish.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

Darwin has been home for as long as I can remember.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

During my twenty years teaching, I worked with many children who had suffered abuse. I was motivated to share the important protective behaviour messages with my students to inform them that they all have the right to feel safe and that absolutely nothing is too awful to tell someone they trust.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Listen to your body: empowering children to be safe is written for children. I purposefully included humour into the illustrations and selected words with care to avoid robbing children (who have not been exposed to abuse) of their innocence. It’s also intended that children re-visit this story to be regularly reminded of their rights and stay safe.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I recommend this book to families, teachers, child care workers and all professionals who work with victims of abuse. I have received positive feedback of how my book is helping children to open up about personal experiences and begin their healing journey. The intended audience of this book includes children from 3 years to 10 years and beyond, especially is they are challenged with special needs and are vulnerable.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I learned that pictures convey so much of the message that it allowed me to ruthlessly cut many of the words from the original text. I also used a mentor who works with trauma victims to provide feedback on the story and pictures on each draft as I edited the text and drew new illustrations. Her advice gave me confidence that this book would achieve its primary purpose to empower children to stay safe and I am so grateful for her valuable input.

If you could, what advice would you give to past self yourself before embarking on this journey?

Start writing books much sooner in life, and quit making excuses why you can’t.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

I would love for every child to hear this important message and while that might be difficult with print I intend to create a video of the story that can be shared for all children to access for free.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Promotion of the book has been the biggest challenge. I was fortunate that our local newspaper did an article on the book launch of Listen to your body but keeping that initial momentum going is difficult.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

The creative process is my strength. I love nothing more than writing and illustrating.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing has been the biggest challenge in being an author.

When do you think you will you write your next book?

I have already written another book since Listen to your Body. The second book is about bullying titled: Be your own best friend: Don’t let the bullies get you down. I am especially proud of this book and it too has an important message as bullying especially as it is so widespread in society. This book aims to empower victims of bullying by developing their resilience.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I chose Balboa to publish my first book and went with Ingram for the second. There are so many choices in the world of publishing which can be overwhelming.