D. G. Kaye
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Good morning, Debbie, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. What have you written?
Conflicted Hearts – A daughter’s quest for solace from
emotional guilt
Meno-What? A Memoir – Memorable moments of menopause.
Words We Carry - Essays of Obsession and Self-Esteem
Words We Carry - Essays of Obsession and Self-Esteem
Menopause, good subject. If you don't need that information now, you will later. What is your favorite genre to write?
I love being a nonfiction memoir writer to share
issues about the things we encounter in life and relay messages of overcoming.
Favorite food.
This is a tough question because I’m not a real
foodie. I’m a health nut and I have several food allergies. I like to eat
healthy whole foods. But I’d have to say that I really enjoy Middle-Eastern
cuisine.
Tea or coffee?
Both. I need my morning cup of coffee and I’m good for
the day, unless of course I am out and pass a Timothy’s or Second Cup coffee
house, then I will grab a soy or almond milk latte. I prefer assorted teas in
the evening. No coffee after 5pm or I can’t sleep.
Pizza or ice cream?
Sadly, neither. I am gluten and dairy-free. But I do
enjoy a piece of chocolate after dinner.
Where would you like to visit?
I recently returned from Arizona and would love to
seek out a winter home there and become a snowbird.
Favorite musical artist.
I love music. I need it when I wake and while I’m
driving. I love R & B, the seventies bands and artists like Alicia Keyes,
Sade and Motown music.
Do you listen to music when you write?
What?
I can’t listen to music or have the TV on when I’m
writing. It distracts my train of thought.
What makes you laugh?
Ah, my favourite past-time, laughing. I love to try to
find the humour in everything. And I enjoy making others laugh. I enjoy
listening to funny stories and watching a select few of TV sitcoms such as The
Mindy Project and Modern Family. I love to smile all the time, it’s contagious
and is such an effortless way to brighten someone else’s day.
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
I am fascinated by The Mona Lisa. Her ordinary looks
with a knowing, stoic look keeps me wondering what she knew or was thinking.
I’m also intrigued by Da Vinci’s motives for creating her. I saw it decades ago
on a trip to Paris.
How old were you when you started writing?
I began writing little ‘love notes’ and making cards
for my parents and teachers when I was about six or seven. I knew back then how
cathartic it felt to put my feelings on paper. By the time I was ten, I was
sure I wanted to be a journalist. In my early teens, I began writing poetry. I
then began writing in journals about the dysfunctional life I was growing up
in. I had told my friends for decades I wanted to write books, but the time
never seemed right until a few years ago.
Describe your perfect evening.
A warm desert evening, sitting on my back patio,
overlooking the mountains, having wine and dinner with good friends.
Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration always come from events or situations
I’ve lived through. I get inspired to write and share with readers so that they
may be able to take something from, or identify with my writing by comparing my
stories with something they may be going through or have gone through. My
writing always contains a struggle and how I choose to resolve and overcome.
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I force myself to sit and remember incidents in my
life, which eventually spark a new memory. Occasionally, I may have to stand up
and look out the window for a while, or get a glass of water as a distraction,
but I plant myself right back in the chair. When I allot writing time or word
count limits for the day, I don’t stop until I’ve reached them.
Who is your favorite author?
I love Nora Ephron.
Best book you ever read.
The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough.
Last book you read.
Living in the Shadow by Deborah Stevens.
What would you do for a living if
you weren’t a writer?
I’d retire. Now as a writer, that goal will never be
attainable.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and
why?
One of my two best friends, Zan. I met her just after
I moved away from home. I was barely twenty and quite ignorant of the world,
carrying a much damaged soul. We became fast friends and she taught me all
about love and happiness and pried open my introverted soul.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or
dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
I would love to sit down with my Aunty Sherry who was
more like a mother to me when I was young. She died well over twenty years ago,
and she was the only person who really knew me and my struggles as a child.
After going through many hardships with my narcissistic mother (my aunt's
sister), and never finding out the truth from my aunt why my mother was so
damaged, I would have loved to learn about both of their damaging pasts;
particularly what spurred my mother to reinvent herself and live her life in
her built up ego.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
Write every day. Write what you think and feel and
what you know about. Commit to word counts or hours to pursue your writing.
Write because you love to, not because of financial gain aspirations. Often the
financial rewards for a writer aren’t enough to make a living off until you’re
well established. Many of us writers do aspire to make a living from our
writing, but it is for the love of writing that keeps us going. Write because
you are passionate about writing, without any other ulterior reason.
Links:
My newest book, Words
We Carry – Essays of Obsessions and Self-Esteem, will be out in mid-to-late
October of 2014.
Thanks for being with us this morning, Debbie. We at Vision and Verse wish you continued success in all your writing endeavors.
Thank you so much Carol for inviting me to your place here. It was lovely of you to want to interview me. Thanks again for the opportunity. :)
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