Julia Suzuki - Bullying and Dragons

‘Yoshiko and the Gift of Charms’ is a children's novel aimed at 8-12 year olds set in the land of the last remaining dragons. Here Yoshiko, a young, chameleon-like dragon is bullied because he changes colour and fails to breathe fire. But Yoshiko discovers his own special purpose, taking magic, healing crystals to save people.

“Everyone has a unique gift,” says Julia “and when we discover that talent we can use it to secure happiness and success. I believe I have found mine as a storyteller.”

But like Yoshiko Julia suffered at school because she was different. She grew up in Fazeley, Staffordshire, happy at home but set upon at school.

“Bullying is sometimes trivialised as part of growing up. But it’s not an inevitable, trivial rite of passage. People can be damaged by it for much of their lives as they struggle to find self-esteem.

“At school I was treated as though I had a deadly disease because I had a well spoken accent rather than the local Black Country twang. It started at primary school and continued into secondary school. In my local comprehensive I was singled out because I was dressed in old fashioned clothes and had been sent to elocution lessons.”

But the bullying went way beyond name-calling. “I was punched in the face by a girl twice my size, suffering a horrible nose bleed, girls posted malicious notes in my locker and I was deliberately excluded. My clothes were even ripped off.

Being bright academically and good at sport seemed to single Julia out for bullying too.

“I was terribly shy and at times I would have done anything to be accepted, not popular just accepted. Anyone who suffers from bullying suffers self-doubt. My problems were compounded by the fact that the boys found me attractive, that angered the girls and made me focus on pleasing the boys, hoping to be saved.

“You can just as easily be picked on for being good at something as you can for being bad at it, the damaging effect is just the same. I still get flashbacks and feelings of worthlessness from those unhappy teenage days but now I try to use them to encourage rather than hinder me,” says Julia.

Julia found comfort from keeping a journal and writing escapist stories. Now her stories bring comfort to children who may need reassurance themselves. “My motivation is to bring happiness to others wherever I can,” she says.

And there was happiness in her childhood outside school. Her home was close to Drayton Manor Theme Park and Zoo.

“There was just a stream separating the park from our back garden, says Julia. ”I could lie in bed, the sunshine filtering through the window, listening to the sounds of the zoo animals and children screaming with joy on the rides.

“My father made my two older brothers and me a canoe and we would paddle across to the park and play with the owner George Bryan’s two grandsons and the gatekeeper’s son, who kept a pet monkey. We had a Basset hound called Bessie and I loved animals. The gang of us would go camping– we were like Enid Blyton’s famous five! My family had holidays in France of which I have very fond memories – the Mediterranean lifestyle was so laid back. “

These features of her childhood and reading Enid Blyton or C S Lewis, a passion for Disney, as well as escaping into the world of her imagination, kept Julia going through the tough times. The family was steeped in music and drama. Her father’s mother was a glamorous, charming and wild singer with a fabulous voice. Her mother had been brought up by her grandmother from the well known Burdett family.

And it was Julia’s mother who sent her to elocution lessons and drama school, who pushed and prodded – a perfectionist, with very high standards.

Julia studied Business Studies with Creative Writing at the University of Derby. She also studied ballet at the Royal Academy of Dance and speech and drama.  It was a decade later, however, before she decided to write a book. She had by then set up her own business and seeing a picture of a dragon decided it would fit her business brand.

“I love dragons because they have fire and drive and are spirited. But then this character and land just formed in my mind. It came to life so vividly, and grew all about ‘health, happiness and beauty’ inside and out. It seemed so natural to write the story and it developed with him facing challenges that we all deal with, I reflected on life and wrote of a world I felt we all would love to live in.”

In her business life Julia worked with a Disney licensing company and latterly former tennis ace David Lloyd. She owns shares in David Lloyd real estate business. To her the need for women to achieve balance and harmony within themselves is crucial.

She believes in the importance of inner health, wealth, wisdom and beauty, the importance of expressing who you are.

Today she capitalizes on the looks having been a lingerie model for Kays Catalogue, Parah and Christina and modeling at the Harrogate lingerie exhibition and is soon to launch a fashion business.

Although she remembers all too clearly the bullying that beset her in childhood, now she knows that being good at things, being different, is not something to hide. More important than the acceptance of others is the acceptance of herself and her goals now span taking her books worldwide while developing an inspirational high-end women’s lifestyle brand in the field of personal development, wellbeing, and targeted performance products.

“I just want to do the things I love and to create a great standard of life from doing what I enjoy,” says Julia, whose modeling and successful business career has allowed her to invest in property herself.

“Anyone who suffers from bullying feels that they are not good enough,” she says but you sense that perhaps sometimes, just sometimes she’d just like to add to those Birmingham bullies “Ya Boo – sucks to you!” 

Poppy Watt

Women Talking would like to offer five lucky subscribers the chance to win a copy of Julia’s book ‘Yoshiko and the gift of Charms’

Just answer the following question:

What recent story is from Julia’s world?

For assistance visit www.juliasuzuki.com

Send your answer to competitions@womentalking.co.uk ensuring you put the words Yoshiko in the subject header and also including your unique username with the submission.

This 

competition has now closed.

Posted Mon, 01/16/2012 - 00:59 by Poppy Watt