Behind the scenes of Li’l Bits: The Littlest Giant with author D.J. Wray
- sophiaholland120
- Oct 29
- 4 min read
Warning: Spoilers
Greetings, PPS Blog readers! My name is Michelle, and I am thrilled to be a part of the Fall 2025 intern team. I had the pleasure of interviewing one of Patella Publishing Services’ authors, and D.J. Wray drew the proverbial short straw - she would be sacrificed to the intern team!!
Just kidding… Actually, she graciously agreed to interview with me. It was a fantastic conversation and the chance that most readers never get: to sneak a peek behind the curtain of a beautiful book and see what makes the author tick. I left the interview feeling like I could be a kinder person and a more courageous writer.
From the very first page of her book, I had one question: What inspired the character of Li’l Bits? How did this book end up with a protagonist with dwarfism? The answer surprised me, in a good way. “She came to me,” D.J. informed me with a shrug. “Because I like contrast, I like juxtaposition. I like writing different things. And so, as I was just thinking about Li’l Bits, I was like, ‘Who would the most unlikely heroine of a book be?’ A teeny, little, itty-bitty, blond curly-headed girl. The anchor of this entire world is this teeny, little thing.”
The next character to come to D.J. was George, the huge “6-foot-5 mountain of a man”. An obvious contrast to Li’l Bits. This theme of contrast is throughout the novel—big vs. small, friend vs. foe, tall vs. short, and broken vs. whole. Wray doesn’t use these contrasts to draw moral lines. Instead, she presents her characters and their contrasts with compassion. Remy is no less of a man/father for being shorter than George. Trinny is no less loved by the community despite her lack of trust in them. Even Ervyn – the wayward son who broke Orvalee’s heart – is welcomed home with the same love as those who stayed.
While Li’l Bits is full of contrast, there are also themes of constancy. For instance, the story continually circles back to Li’l Bits’ birthday parties. I noticed this thread and wondered about its purpose. When I asked D.J. about it, the answer was brilliant:
“Did I purposely use birthday parties? Yes. Because [it was] a way to keep threading her mother, her birthmother, through the story with the flowers…. I wanted her mom to keep being a presence, like a whisper, from the background.”
D.J. also explained that parties are great for stories with many intertwining story lines. It’s a way for an author to get everyone together and have needed conversations or confrontations without " going out” into the characters’ lives. I appreciated this as someone who enjoys story craft. And this answer was deeply satisfying for me as an avid reader. For all her “Pollyanna” sweetness, Li’l Bits is a complex character that can easily be “othered”. Obviously, she has a physical difference, but also, she is adopted, which brings a whole new dimension to her character. As the mother to three adopted children, I know that even children adopted at birth – with no memory of their birth parents – can and do experience some feelings of being “out of place”. Combined with the physical difference from her peers, Li’l Bits is a character primed to stand out. Using the birthday parties as a recurring scene throughout her book was a brilliant way to show how even the most unique characters march through life in many of the same ways that everyone else does. Every year rolls by without any indication that time will slow down. Such constancy brings readers a sense of familiarity when faced with a character profoundly different from what most of us read.
The final theme that struck me as beautiful is the journey from brokenness to healing. The fact that this story is set in post-WWII is the perfect backdrop for the healing all these characters undertake. At a national level, the aftermath of WWII found the U.S. as both the heroes and the monsters. Heroes for how we’d liberated Europe and monsters for how we’d treated so many of our own citizens. Wray treats the healing journey with gentleness and care but doesn’t flinch away from real emotions or ugly truths.
Wray’s love for history truly shines in this post-WWI story. She tackles interracial marriages, the Japanese internment camps, racism, post-war mental health dynamics, and the cultural stigmas attached to each issue at the time. Because Wray treats her story with so much love, what could feel overwhelming instead just feels tender.
Readers are in for a treat with Li’l Bits: The Littlest Giant. And you can find the book on November 28th and 29th at the Spanish Fork Christmas Gift and Craft Show, where D.J. Wray will be a featured author at the PPS pop-up bookstore. The show is open from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. on both days. Make sure you grab a copy of her beautiful novel and get an author signature while you’re at it!
Upcoming Pop-up Bookstore Event:
Dates: November 28 - 29
Times: 9 am - 7 pm
Location: Spanish Fork Fairgrounds
Address: 445 S Main, Spanish Fork, Utah
D.J. will be signing books during the event!
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