Watkins, Dawn L. (Alice Bronson, Louise D. Nicholas, Morgan Reed Persun)

PERSONAL:

Hobbies and other interests: Training dogs, collecting art and antiques, gardening, photography.

ADDRESSES:

Office—BJU Press, 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville, SC 29615.

CAREER:

Writer. Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC, worked as teacher of writing and English; BJU Press, Greenville, worked as an editor and supervisor of elementary writers' division, became director of marketing.

WRITINGS:

Medallion: A Fantasy for Young Readers, illustrated by Dana Thompson, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1985.

Jenny Wren (novel), Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1986.

A King for Brass Cobweb, illustrated by Holly Hannon, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1990.

The Cranky Blue Crab: A Tale in Verse, illustrated by Tim Davis, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1990.

Very like a Star, illustrated by Dana Thompson, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1990.

Wait and See, photographs by Suzanne R. Altizer, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1991.

Zoli's Legacy (novel), Part 1: Inheritance, Part 2: Bequest, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1991, published as Zoli's Legacy: Based on the Life of Zoltán Gaál, JourneyForth Books (Greenville, SC), 2003.

Pocket Change: Five Small Fables, illustrated by Tim Davis, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1992.

Pulling Together, illustrated by Kathy Pflug, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1993.

The Spelling Window, illustrated by John Roberts, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1993.

Once in Blueberry Dell, illustrated by Tim Davis, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1995.

Nantucket Cats, illustrated by Lynn Elam Bonge, Journey Books (Greenville, SC), 1998.

(Under pseudonym Morgan Reed Persun) No Pets Allowed, illustrated by Timothy Banks, Journey Books (Greenville, SC), 1998.

(With Kimberly H. Pascoe) Heritage Studies 2 for Christian Schools: Winning America; Working Together in the Colonies, 2nd edition, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 1998.

Chickadee Winter, illustrated by Gabriela Dellosso, Journey Books (Greenville, SC), 1999.

A Winter Secret, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 2001.

(With Candace J. Levsque) Science 2 for Christian Schools, 2nd edition, Bob Jones University Press (Greenville, SC), 2003.

(Editor of abridgement, with Reverie Collins) Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna, abridged edition, JourneyForth Books (Greenville, SC), 2006.

Shield, JourneyForth Books (Greenville, SC), 2008.

Other writings include film scripts, narration, lyrics for a cantata, plays, and poetry. Contributor to education journals. Some articles and essays appeared under the pseudonym Alice Bronson; some short stories appear under the pseudonym Louise D. Nicholas. Bob Jones University Press is now BJU Press; some JourneyForth Books were published under the name Journey Books; both are an imprint of BJU Press.

SIDELIGHTS:

Dawn L. Watkins once commented: "I grew up on my grandparents' farm where it was always quiet, despite the buzz of a chainsaw or the thrum of a tractor engine. It seems to me now that the drone of insects in the air or the whistle of the wind in the pines was as ceaseless as the sunrises that even in memory take my breath away. I spent most of my preschool days in the woods with my grandfather. While he felled trees and cut wood for our wood stove, I played with Penny (the best collie who ever lived), watched for deer and turkeys, and memorized every rock, fern, and bird on that mountain. Amid such beauty I learned that hard work is good whether it pays well or not; success is being a noble person and is more important than fame or riches; and that while all virtue is not necessarily rewarded, all vice is eventually regretted. I also learned early from caring for animals, from changing seasons, and from Sunday sermons that we are mortal and temporary.

"Growing up in the care of grandparents and living and socializing primarily with older people reinforced this acute sense of brevity. While age gave everything a history, it also gave it something of a shadow. I saw that ‘life is fleeting’ and things did not last. Except books. They went on for centuries, handed down from generation to generation, a tangible and valuable link to the past and an extension toward the future. Books became companions in a somewhat limited social circle. They answered questions I could not ask, taught me some of the ins and outs of human interaction, and showed me ways of thinking I might otherwise not have explored.

"Grandfather stood staunchly by his beliefs. He paid attention to everything—stars, weather, barn swallows, me. Grandmother paid attention, too. She turned the peach halves over each other just so, to make them ‘look nice in the jars.’ She made me memorize the family tree. She read me stories and quoted poetry. Stories, I noticed, carried me effortlessly along like a stream. Eventually I entertained myself by making up my own (mostly with me as the heroine).

"Somewhere it began to dawn on me that words were more than just playthings. To satisfy me fully, they had to have an effect on someone else. I realized that all writers—even the ones who say they do not—write to persuade the reader to a way of thinking about the world. I believe that while good may not always appear to prevail in the realm of the temporary, it will always triumph. I do not believe such a view is naïve or foolish. Though human depravity casts shadows, it is only because light is always present. I write from a full heart, not to preach but to delight with words, and along the way my worldview reveals itself.

"Whatever I write touches back to the farm; it gives me my respect for history and a deep sense of place. Its beauties still inform me, make me try to impress on any who will listen that, despite all evidence to the contrary, I still live there."