University of the Fraser Valley graduate Julia Dovey signed her first book deal last month and looks to her future as a writer and, one day, a professor of creative writing. This book, an LGBTQ+ romantic fiction titled Lipstick Tattoo, is due to be released in the Spring of 2022.
Lipstick Tattoo is a story about a romance writer at the crossroads of staying in a safe, colourless relationship or leaving for a twisting, vibrant trail into the dangerous unknown.
After an intense period of writing, editing, and revision, Dovey completed her manuscript and was extremely pleased to have it accepted by the Canadian publisher Books We Love.
Dovey graduated from UFV in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Creative Writing. At 16 years old, Dovey completed her first attempt at writing a novel, but says she started writing when she received her first journal at 11 years old. Through journaling over 400,000 words, Dovey found writing to be a means of expression allowing her to unlock her mind.
As an aspiring writer, Dovey explored writing different genres. Early on, she preferred magical realism or the inclusion of some kind of magical or supernatural element in her stories. Popular examples of magical realism include Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits.
“I just write because it’s fun. [Writing is] a form of expression I choose that allows me to bring what’s in my head onto paper for others to appreciate,” Dovey says.
She found a lot of support and inspiration from within the UFV writing community. As a founding member of UFV’s Creative Writing Club (CreWri), Dovey found a place to share her work with other students. During her time with UFV’s CreWri, she wrote several full-length manuscripts and explored playwriting for theatre.
The mentoring relationships Dovey created as a student have been instrumental in the successful submission of her manuscript to a publisher. Professors John Carroll, Rajnish Dhawan, and Michelle Superle have all contributed in helping develop her skills as a writer.
Dovey also credits her friend and fellow UFV writer, Jay Lang, with helping get her a book deal by following her example of a dedicated writing schedule and hard work. Lang has found success as a writer and has published six books in the past couple of years. This kind of success set a precedent of sorts and Dovey hopes to find similar success.
“I learned from my friend [Lang] how to prepare my writing for publishers. It was very intense, and I wrote for hours and hours every day.”
Dovey grew up watching her parents pursue their artistic interests. Her father is a writer and a painter, and she has memories of her father writing on an older word processor. Dovey explains the joys of reading her father’s many manuscripts.
“My dad has been writing my entire life — he’s always been a writer — and encouraged us [kids] to write and paint or do art because he’s very into the arts.”
Dovey’s mother is also very artistic, and is a musician and performer.
Learning the business of writing started early for Dovey, as she helped organize, package, and mail her father’s manuscripts and query letters to agents and publishers. She believes this is a key element in her desire to be a writer and editor.
Dovey also looks to some well-known authors like Nora Roberts and Kenneth Oppel for examples. Roberts, because she takes a strong position on work ethic and a “shut up and write” approach (Roberts has written more than 200 books, and clearly her approach works); Oppel, for his vivid plots and relatable characters, but also his committed work-ethic.
“I like to write in a free environment, but deadlines really help with the completion of my projects. With shorter deadlines — I’ve written a manuscript in three weeks —I find Roberts’ and Oppel’s examples of putting everything aside and writing really motivates me. Also, sometimes writing out of fear of missing a deadline can push me to get it done.”
Dovey is currently working on her next novel. In the future, Dovey wants to continue writing, tutoring, and developing her teaching skills through a Chilliwack-based writing workshop she co-created with fellow author and friend Abrianna Leaming.
Dovey is also currently completing her Master of Fine Arts degree application and would like to focus on creative writing. Her long-term goal is becoming a professor, and she ponders the idea of a PhD in Creative Writing with a chuckle.
“I’d like to help other aspiring writers and be a positive influence for those writing and who may feel they won’t get published. Becoming a university professor teaching creative writing is a long-term goal.”
Image: Julia Dovey
Steve is a third-year BFA creative writing/visual arts student who’s been a contributing writer, staff writer and now an editor at The Cascade. He's always found stories and adventures but now has the joy of capturing and reporting them.
