Personal History : Guest Interview with YA Historical Fiction Author Patrick D. Joyce
Cold war stories and spy secrets draw us into the recent past the way music attracts a crowd. Dark tinted windows, suspicious neighbors, and tapped phone lines get our hearts pumping as we wonder, “what if that happened to me?” Our imaginations strain as we absorb chronicles of eastern European history through works of fiction like The Secrets We Kept and The Berlin Letters.
Historical thriller YA author Patrick D. Joyce writes with a special advantage to his imagination because much of his childhood was set behind the Iron Curtain. His wonderful creativity and true connection to culture and place offers readers that firsthand account we’ve been longing for. As someone who loves to look at history through a new lens, I was thrilled to connect with Patrick and discuss Cold War-era Czechoslovakia, writing within the historical fiction genre, and how we love to delight readers. Welcome to the blog, Patrick!
MK: I’m so glad to have found a historical fiction author who wrote about the same time period as I did! Your novel has a special element, though, because Strawberry Fields mirrors some experiences from your childhood. How does your past inspire you to write today?
PJ: First of all, thanks for inviting me on your blog! My protagonists in Strawberry Fields, Josie and Laurent, meet in Prague during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. They’re rookie journalists hoping to break a big story, and they get much more than they bargained for. I didn’t live in Czechoslovakia myself, but I grew up in a diplomatic family and spent time in communist countries during the Cold War. So, I knew what it was like to be a young person dropped in the middle of a place ruled by an authoritarian government where you had to watch your step.
My father’s career as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer took me to embassies all over the world. My family moved every two or three years, and I was constantly encountering people from other countries. It was an incredible way to grow up. It was also a transient existence. Without a fixed place to call home, I wasn’t always sure about who I was.
In places like the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Nicaragua, potential dangers lurked everywhere. We were protected by our diplomatic status, and embassy compounds provided safe havens. There were diplomats and military officials and journalists and their families, but also secrets and spies. I came to understand that the people around me weren’t always what they appeared to be.
My first book, Back in the USSR, more closely tracks with my childhood. Its protagonist is a fourteen-year-old son of American diplomats. But he and my protagonists in Strawberry Fields all find themselves faced with challenges shaped by the kind of uncertainties I felt growing up. They all have to navigate cross-cultural encounters that are fraught with risks, decide who to trust in hostile environments, and figure out how to disentangle truth from lies.
MK: Your books cover some fairly adult thematic elements, like political manipulation, global terrorism, and racism. Why choose YA fiction as the genre for the Sing and Shout series?
PJ: Young adult fiction wasn’t a conscious decision. I started with the characters rather than the genre, and the concerns I imagined for them were young people’s concerns, like knowing who to trust and navigating friendship and family relationships. I wrote Back in the USSR in first person so readers could share what it feels like to be a stranger in a strange land. It only occurred to me later that first-person voice was a common feature of YA fiction.
But rather than shying away from heavy themes, many teens are drawn to them. We see that in the popularity of YA dystopian fiction. The world can look like a big, scary place. Characters in books can model challenges for them. Make the good choices but also the bad ones. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone can be brave, too.
I wanted my books to be engaging and fun, with elements of adventure, mystery, and humor. I think it’s possible to combine all those things successfully. It’s a hallmark of good YA novels. Think about The Hunger Games, which has plenty of violence and tragedy, but also lots of excitement and some pretty wry humor. Laughter is a weapon.
MK: How do you entice readers, who don’t typically read about history, into stories about the past?
PJ: If a story takes on familiar themes like friendship, family, love, and trust, and also revolves around difficult, life-changing, possibly life-threatening choices, it doesn’t matter when and where it takes place.
But I also like to make a story very much rooted in its setting. I want it to be immersive and convey a powerful sense of time and place, so readers can feel like they’re running right alongside my characters. I also like to give readers threats to confront, dangers to flee, puzzles to solve, heroes to root for, and villains to scowl at, because I like all those elements myself.
I don’t shy away from history. It’s not only facts and figures. It’s the personal struggles people endured, the stories they told, and the music they loved. Kids (and adults) like to read to learn and to feel smart. We should let them.
“I also like to give readers threats to confront, dangers to flee, puzzles to solve, heroes to root for, and villains to scowl at, because I like all those elements myself. ”
MK: What was the process like opening up the plot of Back in the USSR and creating a series after hearing from a reader?
PJ: My narrator in that book, Harrison, is the son of diplomats, but he has a friend named Prudence who is the daughter of journalists. She’s equally important to the story, and in many ways his opposite. Since she wasn’t narrating, I had to find other ways to convey insights about her. One was to talk a little about her parents. So I gave them a backstory about how they’d met in Prague fifteen years earlier. It was only two paragraphs. And I never intended to turn it into its own book.
Then one of my early readers told me she wished she’d gotten to know Prudence’s parents better. I realized I did too! So those two paragraphs became the seed for Strawberry Fields.
I’d always intended to write a sequel to Back in the USSR that would switch narrators and give the first-person voice to Prudence. I’m working on that book now. So Strawberry Fields gave me an opportunity to learn more about her by learning about her parents first. She’s a lot like them. She’s got a big heart and a penchant for trouble. I’m excited to bring her story to life.
MK: I can’t wait to read that book! What encouragement do you have for any writers trying to balance publishing novels with other professional careers?
PJ: I began my writing career as a newspaper reporter and then a political scientist. Those jobs gave me plenty of opportunity to write in other ways and to hone my skills. I began writing fiction later, when I was a stay-at-home dad and later a medical practice manager. Finding the time was always a challenge. When I did, I felt extra pressure to fill a blank page. The ideas didn’t always come easily.
It took me a long time to realize something important: You have to make time to think about a story too. Writing is about more than putting words on the page. It’s about letting your imagination take over. You do have to write regularly, research if your story requires it, and read other works of fiction. But you also have to give your brain the space to work on its own.
One way I do this is by taking long walks. Walking frees my mind to wander, and sets my subconscious in motion. So I try to build that into my routine. I think you have to experiment and find out what works for you. Once your brain starts to work on its own, you just have to be receptive to the ideas that pop into your head and be prepared to capture them wherever you are. Then you’ll have ideas ready and waiting for you when you are able to find that precious time to sit down and write. The words will follow!
MK: Thank you so much, Patrick! This was a great conversation. I’ll be looking forward to Prudence’s story being published soon.
For more reading, Patrick sent over a chapter of Strawberry Fields for you to enjoy. The entire novel is fantastic, and I highly recommend snagging your own copy today. For those of you who are audiobook fans, Strawberry Fields is available in audio format, too. Click below for a free sneak peek:
Patrick D. Joyce writes young adult thrillers made of music, history, and mystery. The son of a U.S. diplomat, he grew up at embassies surrounded by secrets and spies. He has been a newspaper reporter, a college lecturer, and a medical practice manager. He lives in Massachusetts, and when he isn’t writing, he can be found haunting coffee shops, taking long walks with his wife, and practicing martial arts. You can find him and his books at patrickdjoyce.com.