A resident writer and longtime staff member of Magnolia’s Bookstore, Cameron Dokey has written more than 40 books for young adults that range from historical and horror to romance and fantasy.
By being in such close contact with young-adult readers who frequent Magnolia’s Bookstore, Dokey is better able to communicate with her audience.
“My experience both as a writer and as a bookseller tells me that young adult readers read widely, just as their older counterparts do,” she said.
When Dokey was younger, she said she always enjoyed reading books that involved history, adventure, fantasy and mystery. She tries to focus her writing on these subjects, as well as on what she loves and enjoys in life.
“I am trying to write to my own strengths, so I write what interests and moves me,” Dokey explained.
Dokey looks to her friends and neighbors for inspiration. According to Dokey’s blog, the main character of her upcoming book, “Zack’s Story,” is named after the son of her close friends and longtime supporters.
She also gathers inspiration from her past involvement with theater. During Dokey’s time with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, she fell in love with Mozart’s opera, “The Magic Flute”; the opera later became the basis for Dokey’s book “Sunlight and Shadow.”
The writing process
Dokey moved to Washington state in 1981, following her acting stint with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She began writing full-time in 1993.
“I left what was my then-full time job [as the exhibit text writer for Pacific Science Center] in 1993 in order to write full-time,” Dokey said. “My first books were published in 1994. Since then I’ve averaged about two a year. It really does add up!”
When Dokey first started writing, she chose to write within the young-adult fiction genre with the help of friends who were already working in that age group. Dokey said it was a good fit and has mainly stayed within the genre ever since.
In addition to young-adult fiction, Dokey has also published a series of books for adults and young readers.
Dokey’s two projects last year were “for not-young-adult audiences,” she said. The first, a new series called ‘Boys Camp,’ is for beginning boy readers ages 7 and older, though, she said, “Girls would like it, too, I’m sure.”
“Zack’s Story” is the first book in that series.
Dokey also wrote a romance set in Amish country in Lancaster, Penn., for adults, under the pseudonym Marianne Ellis.
This and “Zack’s Story” come out later this spring.
Dokey explained that her writing process varies, depending on what she is working on, but is largely based on having the freedom to see the big picture.
“Most of my work is sold on spec, which means I’m not looking to sell a completed work but have written an approximately 10-page synopsis and sometimes some sample chapters for style,” Dokey explained. “My concept gets purchased, if you will, and then I settle down to actually produce the work itself.”
After a piece is sold, Dokey begins an outline process during which she generates new ideas and pinpoints how the story will fit together. She tries to begin this process away from the computer, using handwritten notes as her guide.
“I find that if I sit down too soon, I want to start committing to details, and that gets in the way of being able to see the big picture I’m trying to create. It slows me down,” she said.
A captivated audience
Georgiana Blomberg, owner of Magnolia Books (3206 W. McGraw St.) met Dokey in 1992, when Dokey frequented the store as a regular customer.
“I’m captivated by the way she writes,” Blomberg said. “Her work is wonderfully thought-provoking and satisfies the needs of young-adult readers.”
Debbie Miller, an employee of Magnolia Books, said Dokey’s expertise is helpful to bookstore employees and customers, especially because numerous young-adult readers shop the bookstore.
“I would hope my readers see a little bit of themselves in my work,” Dokey said. “Maybe something I’ve presented resonates in a way that helps them know themselves a bit better by book’s end — sort of like my characters, in a way.”
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