An Interview with Brian Sullivan

Brian Sullivan worked in legal publishing for almost thirty-five years as an editor and writer, and is now enjoying retirement with his wife in suburban Chicago. As a father of three, he always wanted to write stories that children would enjoy, but life continually got in the way. It was only when he became a grandfather that he found the time to write a children’s book inspired by his first grandchild, Beau. Beau Wants to Know was followed by a second book, Lilah Loves Life, about his second grandchild. After being blessed with a third grandchild, Dylan, Brian was thrilled to make the book series a trilogy by writing Dylan Is Delightful.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

It took quite a while to come up with the perfect title. There are so many different aspects to my granddaughter Dylan’s personality that it was difficult to zero in on just one. Then, in thinking back, I realized that I had used the word “delightful” on multiple occasions when describing her to others. And the alliteration was a nice bonus!

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

It’s always a magical moment when an author can hold in his or her hand the product that has been under construction for so many months, or even years. You realize that the hard part is over and all that remains is to share your labor of love with the world.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

My mother was a schoolteacher and her side of the family included many other teachers and professors, and I was always encouraged to develop my language skills. This resulted in having an interest in writing from a young age, which led to a career in the publishing industry.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

What is most rewarding and meaningful to me is to know that parents and others are reading my books to young children, and those children are enjoying them, laughing at them and having conversations about them. It’s also quite rewarding to be told by parents and grandparents that their young readers and pre-readers ask to have my books read to them multiple times.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

What I hope youngsters take away from Dylan Is Delightful is that you can live your best life just by being yourself, and that every child is delightful in his or her own way. I also hope that parents will see how it benefits children to let them be themselves and develop their own unique personalities.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I am currently considering a book featuring the sibling characters coming together and solving a problem with their own individual talents and abilities.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

Dylan Is Delightful was my third project with Atmosphere Press, and each one has been a very positive experience. All of the people I’ve worked with have been very capable, pleasant and responsive. They have all worked very hard to make my experience a good one, and I will gladly recommend Atmosphere to anyone I know who has a story to tell.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.