north melbourne books talks to amy timberlake - november 2020

Photo credit: Phil Timberlake

North Melbourne Books: Skunk and Badger is a classic odd couple story, with a couple of twists. Badger is a rock scientist, and when Skunk suddenly turns up to move in, he brings a flock of chicken friends that create a lot of chaos. Badger gets exasperated with Skunk and his eccentric way of living, and decides he can no longer stand it, but then soon realises his feelings for Skunk are more complicated.

How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Amy Timberlake: By daydreaming when I was supposed to be working on another book project! For research for this other project, I re-read A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories and thus, a daydream began. I started to wonder what kind of story I would write if I wrote a story in the style of those Winnie-the-Pooh stories. I didn’t want to make another “Winnie-the-Pooh” but what would happen if I wrote something episodic with animals who say, wore sweaters and lived in a gentler world? What kind of story would I tell? I also thought it would be great to write something that appealed to a wide range of readers so the story could be read aloud and everyone in the room (age six to ninety-six) could enjoy it. Eventually, I wanted to try it. So I set that other project aside and wrote Skunk and Badger.

NMB: In the book we learn how complicated our emotions can be, and that when we get irritated with people, we can also be growing fond of them at the same time. Did you have a particular theme in mind for the book when you wrote it?

AT: When I’m working on a story, I don’t have themes in mind at all. I let the story go where it needs to go. I will say that I wanted the emotional life to be as true as I could make it. I like emotional complexities in my books.

NMB: There is a scene when Skunk lets loose with his spray. You describe in vivid detail what a skunk’s spray smells like. Have you smelt it yourself, or did you write from imagination?

AT: Oh yes! Skunk spray is a smell we know well here in the United States. Open your window on a summer evening and it may waft through your window stirring you from sleep. Skunks are forever trying to teach dogs to back off. Dogs seem to be slow learners.

NMB: Jon Klassen’s illustrations are as wonderful as you would expect. How close did you work with him in deciding what needed to be depicted visually and were there a lot of conversations about chickens?

AT: Ha! Chickens! Yes, I can see how it would seem that we’d need to have a lot of discussion about chickens given what’s in the text! Hmmm...  I may have passed along the title of a chicken breed book, but that’s it. The truth is, Jon and I didn’t speak until the project was near completion.

I did see illustrations through my editor, Elise Howard. And the illustrations were gorgeous — every single time. Jon always got the emotion, the style, the feel of these scenes exactly right. Sometimes the art was so good it felt eerie — for instance, I thought I’d seen his illustrations before I’d actually seen them. I don’t know how he did that. All I can say is that Jon Klassen is really good. Wow.

NMB: What books are you enjoying reading at the moment?

AT: I’m doing this thing where I read all the novels written by a writer I love. It’s been great! So for instance, I’ve read all of Kate Atkinson’s novels (and just read Big Sky, the most recent Jackson Brodie to keep up-to-date). I’m finishing up Margaret Atwood now with Life Before Man. (I don’t read in order published. This one is from the late 1970s.) Next up to finish? Paulette Jiles, my favorite writer of North American historical fiction. If you haven’t dipped into her work yet, I recommend News of the World, The Color of Lightning and Enemy Women. And after Paulette Jiles, I’m going to work on a writer from your continent, Tim Winton. I cannot wait to read more of Tim Winton’s writing!

Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Published by Allen & Unwin. $22.99

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