Meet Sydney Dunlap

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydney Dunlap a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sydney, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I think that sometimes we can find our purpose in the things that come to us most naturally. When I was very little, I absolutely adored playing school with my stuffed animals, and it was no surprise to my parents that I eventually became a teacher. The other thing I loved to do from a very early age was write. I had a small journal that I filled up with poems, quotes, and stories. So it was also not a surprise when the idea of writing a book and becoming an author crept into my thinking many years ago, and I began studying the craft and learning everything I could about the business. Then I saw a movie based on a real-life story of child trafficking, and after a move to a new city, I began tutoring kids rather than teaching full-time so I could volunteer with anti-trafficking organizations. I helped with fundraising and events, then led a monthly outreach to juvenile detention and met tween and teen trafficking survivors. Upon hearing their stories, I knew I needed to write a middle-grade novel to help young readers understand the risks of trafficking and how to be safe, because I couldn’t find any other books tackling this topic, even though kids ages 11-14 are especially vulnerable to being targeted by traffickers. Combining these interests that have always been with me led me to become an author, and now I’ve got a new book coming out next February touching on the opioid crisis, another important topic that I think young people need to know about. Since following a character through a story can provide a much deeper understanding of something than just being told about it, books are a powerful way to engage and inform our youth, and I’m grateful for these opportunities to do so.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I write books targeted for readers ages 10-14 that tackle tough topics with hope and heart. When I was growing up, I loved stories that were about real things in the world that might not always be easy, but were important, so I like writing books about timely, relevant topics that feature resilient protagonists. Reading about other people overcoming challenges has helped me find my own resilience, so it is my hope that my stories will do the same. My favorite part of being an author is getting to meet and connect with readers. It’s so much fun to chat with kids (and also adults) who have read my books and talk about my characters as if they are real people. During the year since the release of my debut novel, IT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY in February 2023, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to various parts of the country and participate in school visits, library and bookstore events, and book festivals. A very exciting part of all this was when my book was chosen as the 1book 1community selection in Loudoun County, VA last fall and the library system bought 5,000 copies to distribute throughout the community and brought me in to speak about it. I’m looking forward to a lot more author events this spring and to the release of my next book, RACING THE CLOUDS, in February 2025.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I’d consider resilience, creativity, and open-mindedness to be qualities that were impactful in my journey to becoming a published author. Although I’d heard from the beginning that most people have enough rejection letters to cover the walls of a bathroom before they have a chance at getting traditionally published, I’m pretty sure I had that and then some! You have to be willing to fall down and get back up again and again, knowing that the setbacks are part of the process and you have to try to keep learning and growing your skills and putting forth your best efforts over and over as you work toward a goal. Along with resilience, creativity is something that can look very different from one field to another, but in its essence, it is simply bringing ideas that are uniquely yours to the table. Coming up with a product, a piece of art, or a storyline that doesn’t exist until you bring it to life can be such a rewarding experience and help you to move miles ahead on whatever path you’re pursuing. And being open-minded and receptive to other people’s input and ideas is also very important. For me, joining a critique group and taking in feedback from other writers has improved my work immensely and has also been a lot of fun. Being willing to listen to what others have to say and accepting their feedback without taking criticism personally is so helpful and valuable. We’re all on different journeys, but we can all benefit from developing our resilience, creativity, and open-mindedness.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
At times when I feel overwhelmed, when the list of things I need to do is a lot longer than the amount of time I have, and I want to throw up my hands in frustration, I’ve found that it helps to take a moment to step away from the situation and give myself a little break and some sustenance in the form of a snack or maybe a cup of tea. Then I sit back down at my desk with a pen and piece of paper and write down everything that must be done. It helps me immensely to have a list in black and white in front of me so I can number the items in terms of priority and check each one off as it is completed. I read somewhere that it’s a dopamine hit to your brain when you cross something off a list, and I definitely agree from my experience. Breaking tasks down into smaller components also makes them feel less daunting and gives the satisfaction of completing more items on the list more quickly. I also think that self-care is extremely important when you have a lot going on, and that there’s a lot of truth to the value of getting outside and being in nature in whatever way you can, along with exercising and trying to eat healthy food. And either writing or talking about whatever’s got you feeling overwhelmed can be very helpful too. I think it’s important to take breaks, and for me, the very best break involves spending time with my dogs and cats. Their tail wags and purrs help me put things in perspective and always make me feel better.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Karen Butts (Headshot)

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Are you walking a path—or wandering?

The answer to whether you are walking or wandering often changes from season to season

Highlighter Series
What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?

With so many high-achievers in our community it was super interesting to learn about the

Highlighter Series
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?

We asked some of the wisest people we know what they would tell their younger