Author Interview: Breeana Puttroff

About the Author:
Breeana Puttroff has loved making up stories since she could talk.  For many years, her biggest audience for those stories was the fantastic students she had the privilege of teaching. One summer afternoon, while she was picnicking in the beautiful mountains of her Colorado home with her little girl, she saw an old, broken stone bridge, and she just knew there was a story inside.  Six months later, the Dusk Gate Chronicles was born.

These days, she runs a small business and writes from home while planning math lessons, digging caterpillars out of garbage disposals (oops!), discovering how to make new colours out of crayons melted in the dryer, and drinking lots of coffee (and occasionally tea).

Breeana holds a B.A. in English from the University of Northern Colorado, and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and Literacy from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.  You can learn more, and connect with other readers of The Dusk Gate Chronicles by visiting http://www.facebook.com/DustGate.


Interview:
What made you want to become a writer?
I don't know that there's any point where I decided to become a writer, I think I always just WAS in some form or another.  I wrote all the time as a child, I loved writing and reading and anything to do with stories all through school.  I was majored in English in college, and then went on to be an elementary school teacher and a literacy specialist.  Even when I wasn't writing my own stuff, I was teaching children write.

Eventually, I reached a point where I had a story I really believed in, and wanted to see where it took me, and that when I tool the leap and became an author.

Where do you get your inspirations from?
I get my inspirations from almost anything.  Just taking a walk, reading another story, watching a movie, watching kids play at a park...I think there's a story lurking in everything these days.

Other than writing books, what else do you do in your free time?
I am a single mom, so almost all of my non-writing time is spent with my daughter, playing with and teaching her, bisiting museums, spending time with family and friends.

If you could work with another author, who would it be?
I'm not sure I COULD work with another author, unless I wanted us to hate each other.  Wring is a deeply personal thing for me that I need to have control of, to see where it goes.

What are major themes of your work?
Some of the major themes in my work so far are the importance of family and acceptance, and that destiny lies in the choices we make.

What do you think people look for in a book?
I think reading is a very personal experience, and that people are looking to connect with something outside of themselves.  Different books speak to different people for a lot of different reasons, but we're all looking for a "voice" that connects with our inner minds and hearts.


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