BEHIND THE WORDS LITERARY CONVERSATION
with
Jeff Dorrill, author of the BRUNT and EGGBERT books
You’ve excelled in law, endurance sports, and now children’s literature. How have these different worlds influenced your approach to storytelling and the lessons you hope to share with young readers?
Being an attorney for over 40 years (yikes!) has definitely influenced and improved my storytelling. Although lawyers have a reputation for being verbose, the best attorneys are brilliant writers. And the most brilliant are concise and deliver impact and creativity with each sentence. We’re trained to review every word to determine whether it is necessary; we’re also trained to figure out how best to tell a compelling story to a judge or a jury. All those skills translate to storytelling for young readers.
At midlife, many people narrow their ambitions. You expanded yours. What shifted internally that made you say “now” to children’s literature?
I wrote my first children’s book – Brunt and Eggbert – over 30 years ago. Back then, there were only a handful of book publishers, such as Penguin, Rizzoli, and Simon & Schuster. I submitted my book to each of them, but only one – Rizzoli – showed interest and ultimately declined. Fast forward to today’s world, where there are a myriad of publishers. So, when a friend of mine published a book with a smaller publisher, and I said to myself that I’d love to write a published book but don’t have the time, I remembered that I wrote a children’s book three decades ago, and perhaps one of the host of today’s publishers would publish it. So at first I didn’t say to myself it is now time to write a book, but then after the first book was published, the plots for the next two books came to me quickly (I’ve already written the third book in the series, which will be published late 2026 or early 2027) – and those next two books seemed to write themselves given their plots. Here’s the thing: I don’t care how busy one is, you always have some goof off time each day – and I chose to spend some of that goof off time writing books.
Your own childhood involved a series of caregivers who each taught you something valuable. How did those experiences inspire the creation of Eggbert and his journey with Brunt?
Those caregiver experiences were the key factor in writing the first Brunt and Eggbert book. Most of my primary caregivers were wonderful, but not all of them. I’m not alone as a person with multiple caregivers, some of whom are not that great. But in most (not all) cases, even poor caregivers have redeeming qualities. And one of my skills I wanted to share with others is to focus on each caregiver’s strengths, not their weaknesses – to model the best of their traits, not the worst.
How do you approach weaving moral and emotional intelligence into your stories without making it feel didactic?
What a sensational question. I’m a lover of 1970’s rock music, where the message in most songs is subtle, unlike most country music (which I also love), which is more direct. I think the best writing is subtle, so that’s what I tried to achieve.
Book one, Brunt and Eggbert, is full of humor and adventure, yet it also explores themes of patience, resilience, and the meaning of family. What do you hope children and parents notice beneath the fun and excitement of the story?
A couple of key elements: (1) you shouldn’t judge people by their outward appearance and even initial actions; otherwise, Eggbert would have never learned the fabulousness of Brunt; and (2) as stated above, model the best of everyone’s traits, not their worst. Eggbert did (2) well with all his caregivers at the unhoused community, where he learned the best skills from each of his caregivers. Book 2 focuses on goal (1) above – where Eggbert totally misjudges Wreck at the beginning of their relationship.
The monster world and the human world coexist, with tension between them. What does that duality allow you to explore about belonging, exclusion, or being misunderstood?
That people of all different backgrounds, personalities, and likes and dislikes can meld into a team with just a little effort, compassion, and grace.
In the second book, Brunt and Eggbert happen upon a wreck! The arrival of the wreck throws Brunt and Eggbert’s world into turmoil. Did writing about navigating unexpected challenges reflect lessons from your own life in sports, work, or personal growth?
Absolutely. Wreck was hatched by hearing about and observing my granddaughter Vivian’s reaction to the introduction of her baby brother, John, into what had been an orderly family!!
Children’s books often carry the most profound truths in the simplest language. What truth did you most want to whisper — not shout — through these stories?
Embrace differences/diversity!!
What’s next for you, and why?
I recently completed a master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Southern California. So, my next writing project may be a legal/crime thriller, combining my legal knowledge with my newfound expertise in criminal justice. I’m working on a plot and its twists.