Issue 11.2 | Summer 2009
Diverse Voices Awards & Takeshita Demons author, Cristy Burne talks to Louise Ellis-Barrett
Cristy Burne kindly spent time at the commencement of her maternity leave answering questions about her new book Takeshita Demons, winner of the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Award. Fun, fear, travels and demons all feature in this fascinating interview.
Without revealing too much what can you tell us about Takeshita Demons?
Takeshita Demons is a rollicking adventure, sometimes scary, sometimes funny, always exciting...the kind of thing I love to read. It's about a girl called Miku who discovers that the spirits and demons her grandmother used to talk about have followed her all the way from Japan...and not all of them are friendly.
What was the inspiration for writing the story? Is it an exploration of your own personal experience as well as an opportunity to help other émigré's feel at home in an adopted country?
First and foremost, I wanted to create some nail-biting fun that would get kids reading. Then, inspired by the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices award, I wanted to experiment with a different voice, a lead character who might share many of my experiences (changing countries, changing schools), but who could bring a unique light to the adventure. After my years living and working in Japan, it was brilliant to write about all the weird and wonderful parts of Japanese culture. Add to this mix my own experiences as a child, a traveller and a newcomer to a foreign land, and Miku and Takeshita Demons grew naturally from the mish-mash.
Do you hope to promote understanding and tolerance among children through this story?
Absolutely. Reading is a very powerful tool for understanding: when you read you can see into the hearts of people who are not you; you can experience different things, go to different places, play different roles. All these things help readers to develop a broad outlook on life, to realise that everyone gets sad; everyone gets scared. So when you meet someone who is “different,” you can understand that they are also “the same.”
You have worked with children in the outback, what was that experience like and how, if at all, did it inspire you?
I spent a year working with a travelling science circus, and a highlight of that time was working with Aboriginal communities in the Australian outback. Although we tend to package Aboriginal people together, there are in fact many different types of Aboriginal Australian. To give an 
indication, there are around 200 distinct Aboriginal languages: imagine the richness of culture required to evolve such diversity. English was often a second or third language for the children we worked with in these communities, but the tricks and experiments in our shows worked across language, across culture. I've performed these shows in expensive boarding schools, in outback community schools, in rural South Africa, in central Melbourne. Kids the world over are the same: we all love playing with slime, giggling at weird noises, learning how things work.
Where do you feel the most at home? I understand that you had an Australian mother and New Zealander father. Did you spend much of your own childhood travelling around?
This is my least favourite question, and one I was often asked to answer as a child. “Which do you prefer?” “Where is better?” “Which do you like?” These questions prompt you to choose one loved thing over another, which is something a child should never have to do. In Takeshita Demons, Miku harbours this feeling that she needs to be one thing (Japanese) or the other (English), that loving her new English-ness should come at the expense of loving her Japanese-ness. I disagree! I'm a fan of “the more the merrier!” Why not take
the best of all your worlds, because that's what makes you you.
I've lived or worked in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Switzerland and England, and I've travelled lots in between. I've felt alone in all of these places, and I've felt loved in all of these places. The world is just one small, shared place, and we all live in it together. There's no room for one country or culture to be better, only different.
This book is about Japan and demons, what experience do you have of either - I hope that the demons have come from your imagination!
The demons most certainly do not come from my imagination. They have been documented in Japanese encyclopaedias since the 1600s. For example, in the Wakan Sansaizue encyclopaedia, published in the early 1700s, you can read about many species of demon in a chapter on “Rare or fabulous breeds”, listed right between “Rodents” and “Birds.” There are literally thousands of different types of demon or yokai and each has its own distinct set of characteristics.
What encouraged you decide to start writing stories for children?
I've always wanted to write stories for children, as a way of “giving back” for all the amazing books I read as a child. Getting started was a huge hurdle: I worried I wouldn't be able to do it, I wouldn't be any good, I wouldn't be able to finish...blah, blah blah. In the end I just needed to knuckle down and do it. That's a huge part of writing: actually sitting down and doing it. That's the hardest part.
What was your initial reaction to having your book accepted by a publisher?
Dizzy head. Immediate need to sit down. Then point-blank accusation: “Are you joking?” (What a great way to start a new and trusting relationship!)
How do you feel about being nominated for the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Award?
Absolutely thrilled. Meeting the other shortlisted authors was such an honour...they were all so energetic and enthusiastic and the judges were so excited about their books. Like me, several writers wrote their stories with this award specifically in mind, which means the award has already made an impact and I think will continue to do so. Hopefully we'll see an influx of exciting and culturally diverse stories on the market very soon.
Do you find much time for writing in-between other commitments? Would you like to write full time one day and if so would it be for children?
I write after work or on weekends. I was a full-time freelance writer for a couple of years, but I found that my inspiration and motivation dried up. I need to be around people and external stimulation to stay fresh. My ideal routine would be to spend a few days writing (children's adventures), a few days working (science communication), and a few days chilling with my family.
Is there another book on the way soon?
Always! There's always a story brewing. I'd love to write more of Miku's adventures and am putting together some ideas for that now.
Thank you Cristy for your time, we look forward to the publication of the book and wish you every success in the future.