Last Updated on 14th February 2022 by Caroline Haye
An interview with the author of Dappled
I have enjoyed reading fiction ever since I was a little girl. And, like most avid readers, I have my favourite novelists and preferred styles of writing. There’s nothing I like more than to lose myself in a well crafted story and get inside the minds of the characters. I especially love finding new authors to add to my list of must-reads. So, when I heard about a new novel, called Dappled, by Australian writer Lisa Brown, I was keen to find out more. Why this particular book and this particular author? Because the book is a psychological romance about life and vitiligo… And because Lisa has vitiligo herself .
The link to vitiligo was what initially caught my interest. So I listened to the recording of a radio interview with Lisa and what I heard made me want to read her book straight away. Her psychological insight, warm personality and talent for writing beautifully all combine to tell a story that will draw you in and touch your heart, whether you have vitiligo or not.
Having devoured the book, I asked Lisa if she would be willing to do an interview for The Vit Pro blog and she kindly agreed to answer the following questions…
Lisa, would you tell us a bit about yourself?
I live in Perth, Western Australia with my partner Matthew and our two young, rambunctious boys, Adam and Joshua. We inhabit a chaotic, noisy home strewn with books, Lego and unidentifiable electronic parts.
As well as an author, I’m an occupational therapist, and I work as a sessional university academic teaching neuropsychiatry and counselling units. I’m also employed as a group therapist at a private mental health clinic, facilitating therapy groups for people in varying stages of their recovery journeys. I love this work and feel many of the things my patients have taught me about resilience and vulnerability have helped inspire my writing.
A lot of people feel they have a novel in them somewhere but never actually take any action. What motivated you to go ahead and do it?
Dappled started off as just a story I needed to get down and came to mean everything to me. I’ve always enjoyed writing but I suppose you could say writing this novel lit a fire in me.
When I wrote Dappled, I wanted a book that explored a number of themes, including love, loss, friendship, mental illness, disability, and self-acceptance.
Being a group therapist and OT working in mental health and teaching neuropsychiatry and recovery, these themes were already close to my heart and so I felt inspired to write a story that included all those areas. I also wanted to include a big dash of humour in writing about these serious themes… as what is life without it!? As much as I wanted to tell a story, I’ve always intended Dappled to be a book that readers could have some real laugh out loud moments with too. Dappled is also about a young woman, Jane and her journey with vitiligo. Having vitiligo too, I wanted to read a book about someone else with the condition that understood the struggles, whilst being warm, hopeful and affirming. It was a book I couldn’t find… so I decided to write it.
Jane has had a difficult home background. Her path to self-acceptance is not an easy one and so the story explores the comments she was sometimes subject to and, as with many with vitiligo, the negative self-talk we sometimes place upon ourselves. Eventually, she meets someone who doesn’t see her white patches the way she does. He only sees her….
Meeting this special person inspires her to consider the concept that she can be beautiful and dappled at the same time. She can potentially see herself through an entirely different lens. Along her journey Jane discovers healing cannot come from anywhere external – it needs to come from within.
As someone with vitiligo yourself, how much of Dappled is based on your own life?
There’s a lot of me in Jane, although I would say she’s a lot more organized and selfless than I am! She’s probably a little harder on herself too. Some of her experiences are variations of things that have happened to me, while others are entirely fictional. Some of the negative self-talk and comments she hears about her vitiligo are based on things that have happened to me, however, some of the epiphanies she has are fortunately based on my own personal experience too.
What kind of readership did you write Dappled for and what do you hope they will get from the book?
Dappled’s universal themes make it a book that both an adult and young adult readership can connect with.
I wanted people to read a story that understood the struggles of having vitiligo, however also showed that love and self-acceptance is possible when living alongside this condition.
I intended Dappled to be a novel that helped readers learn to love themselves a little more and I hoped they would connect with the message that kindness and being yourself are such important things. Be awkward, be brave, be kind… and the right people will love you for it.
What has the experience of writing this novel given you personally?
It’s given me so much. It’s been incredibly cathartic… it’s actually helped me embrace my vitiligo more and lean into my own vulnerability, rather than hiding away from it. I’ve connected with so many people through talking about this book… I would say it’s opened me right up.
As an occupational therapist, do you have any advice for readers of this blog whose vitiligo causes them mental distress?
I completely understand how hard it can be some days having something that makes you look a little different. Don’t hesitate to do whatever makes you feel comfortable in your own skin, whether it’s wearing some camouflage/self-tanner or wearing your white patches beautiful and proud.
Personally, I’ve dabbled with both approaches at different times and it depends a lot on how I’m feeling on any given day and who I’m around.
There are elements of vitiligo we can’t control but, in order to get some of your power back, take ownership of all the things you can, like taking care of yourself with a nutritious diet, sufficient rest and surrounding yourself with people who are good for you. Laugh and wear clothes that make you feel good. Find the people and things that make your heart sing and relax you – don’t be afraid to avoid/say no to the things that don’t.
Vitiligo will perhaps always impact us but my advice would be, try not to give it the power to change what you want to do in your life, nor let it change who you want to be. Know that you can still shine alongside it … and never hesitate to reach out for support if you need to.
Dappled by Lisa Brown is available in paperback and eBook from:
