I feel better talking about myself in answer to questions I pretend* people have asked me.
*actually some of these are real
How do you pronounce your last name?
Duh-VO-jack
Where did you go to school?
Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle for undergrad (graphic design). School of Visual Arts in New York for grad (illustration).
I also had two years at the University of Washington but started all over again in a new major at Cornish.
Is that—
(Americanized) Polish
Irish dance?
Yes.
I, like many children, saw Riverdance in 1995 and lost my mind.
Unfortunately, we didn’t live within easy reach of an Irish dance school. I almost started Highland (Scottish) instead. Then we moved in 1997 and I still wasn’t within easy each of an Irish dance school. I rented Colin Dunne’s Celtic Feet and bought the 25th Worlds VHS tape and almost shredded it.
But a few years later, the Haran School of Irish Dance officially opened a Spokane branch, and by sheer coincidence I had decided to look for Irish dance lessons again. My mom signed me up a month before classes began. With one year off due to injury and burnout, I kept dancing until college.
When I lived in NYC, I occasionally took classes at and performed with the New York Studio of Irish Step Dance.
These days I take classes at the Stillson School of Irish Dance in Maine and am back in competition.
See also, Irish Feet.
Where are you from?
♥ The state of Washington (Whidbey Island, Spokane, Seattle). ♥
What’s your day job?
I’m a book designer in trade publishing. Before COVID I was full time, but now I freelance remotely. I’ve been at Scholastic for almost six years, working on their Branches/Acorn line, and the occasional non-fiction picture book.
Where do you live now?
Portland, Maine. After almost a decade in New York City and one year in Naperville, IL.
Where did you live in New York?
Every borough except the Bronx and (obviously) Staten Island. I lived in Queens the longest.
How old are you?
My fanfiction.net account is 23 years old.
What are your current or upcoming projects?
My next book is Welcome to Fear City, an illustrated YA horror novel coming out on September 3rd.
I’m currently illustrating another book that has yet to be announced.
I’m picking away at Iz’s circus novel essentially always. I’ve got another section about her and what the deal is, so go look at that for more details.
I’ve also got a few other novels that are in the pre-pre-planning stage, where I take a concept and try to inject a plot into it.
You can find more details here.
What else do you do with your time?
Get steps on my Fitbit.
I’ve done other dance styles, mostly Lindy hop/vernacular jazz. I once did adult ballet but that was not gonna happen for my body. I also did a lot of Zumba before COVID. I was a true Z Club NY devotee. Now I do Zumba classes alone, in my basement, using DVDs and virtual lessons.
I also used to design and code websites a lot, mostly for fun and occasionally for profit, but I’ve gotten lazy about learning HTML 5.
I also take Irish language lessons off and on, focusing on the Ulster dialect because that’s what Iz speaks and where my Irish family was from. I’d say something as Gaeilge right here but. Oireachtas? Feis? An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha?