She is a soulful and very artistic woman who has got the chance to delight in the Californian sunsets every single day. She lives in the City of Angels, she is a writer and a blogger, she’s got the dream job of teaching writing, and she is into a beautiful relationship. We have a lot to learn from this woman, who claims she is the typical Capricorn. She really is steady, disciplined, ambitious, and patient and has got great concentration and we all know that concentration is Love…
What if you have to choose between lovemaking and creativity?
You would THINK the choice would be difficult… but I choose creativity on most days! There are so many ways to express yourself – music, writing, blogging, it’s endless! You could do anything, and it all makes you feel… better.
What makes you so fond of writing?
It is music for those who cannot sing. I hear the music in words. My favorite musicians are the ones who write great lyrics – and put the words into beautiful melodies which make the words more meaningful. As much as I love the melodies, it’s always the words that get me. That’s why I love people like Bob Dylan; that’s why I don’t listen to things like EDM. Classical is the exception to that, by the way.
Classical music is a totally different adventure, you are right, my dear!
I recently went to a sleep concert. It was downtown LA in Grand Park, near the museums and theatres. They hosted a full orchestra and a soprano who played for 8 hours straight, from 10 pm to 6 am, while the audience slept on cots set up all over the park. Instead of a seat number, you had a cot number. It was so beautiful. By the time you got there, you were tired, and you listened to the music for about an hour before falling asleep. Then the music played all night while you dreamed. I woke up about half an hour before it ended in the morning and it felt like everyone was walking on clouds. They were all in their pajamas just listening to the music still playing.
I am exactly the type of person who would like to go to an event like that. When I heard about it I couldn’t believe how cool it sounded!
What do you think, in terms of talent, were you born creative or did you learn to be?
I learned it for sure. My parents are both creative people, but I think they were born that way! They don’t come from creative families. But my parents taught me to think in an abstract way, and express myself in lots of different ways creatively, and to love it.
I was happy to learn that you are fully realized on the emotional plane. During the interview, she shared that her boyfriend is sitting next to her. Wow! Imagine how supportive he is!
A question for Him: How does it feel to love your wife?
“It can be exhausting, but it’s not that complicated.”
Would you share to my readers the recipe for your relationship?
I have to think about that one for a moment…
It’s a yin/yang thing: he’s talkative, I’m shy; he’s social, I’m intellectual; he’s a carnivore, I’m an herbivore; I’m up by 6am and get working by 9, he likes to do work in the evenings and stays up late; his ancestors were rich, mine were poor. Somehow, we fit together perfectly!
Goodness, how did you ever come upon each other?
It sounds silly, but it worked – we met on eHarmony (a dating site in the USA) and discovered we grew up in the same neighborhood and had friends in common from high school.
That’s not surprising at all – the Internet dating scene works for a lot of people.
Do you think having a relationship is good for your creative process?
Yes, I think it definitely is, because it gives you more energy and more confidence in yourself.
He does inspire you – like a Muse? Have you ever based a character on him?
Since I met him, all of my male leads are loosely based on him! One in particular, who I named Ace, was a very close representation of him. Alex is a poker champ and I thought the name Ace was a clever wink at that hobby.
She considers herself romantic, nevertheless in her most romantic moments she has been perfectly surprised and felt like something impossible is happening to her.
What’s the most romantic thing that happened to a character of yours?
Her boyfriend surprised her by making a potion that her family used to make generations ago, and giving it to her before she embarked on a big adventure.
One piece of advice from our lady to the world of single ladies?
If you’re single, you’re not “missing out” on anything, and there’s nothing wrong with you whatsoever! I was literally single until I was 35– true story. For a long time, I felt insecure as all my friends paired off with partners. Then, I learned to enjoy my life and fill it with things I enjoyed. I learned what made me happy. I got a Masters Degree. I thought about what kind of life I wanted. When I finally met my husband and we started our relationship (nearly 3 years ago,) I knew myself well enough to really let him see me. That made him comfortable opening up to me as well. It will all work out – stop worrying!
What’s the unprofessional side of you?
I say a lot of purposefully silly things, mostly about my dogs! One of my dogs, who we’ve had for about five years, has an entire book written about her made-up life.
My dog, Juniper fills me with tenderness. I adopted her from an old lady who got sick and couldn’t take care of her anymore. She was six years old and very sad to leave her owner and her home. Juniper is so smart and loving. It has only been four months and already I can’t live without her – she is like a baby, haha!
What does teaching writing bring in your life?
I love to connect with the students. They are usually teenagers, and they have so many emotions that they NEED to express and not enough places to put them. When I was that age, I was just discovering how much words and language could express in terms of moods, feelings, and experiences that you feel are unique to you but are really universal. I love to be a part of revealing that to them.
What does it take to be a teacher of writing?
You can teach writing for many reasons. I teach writing because I love to read, I love to write, and I love to teach young people, so it all works together. You have to have a lot of opinions about what makes writing good in order to help people write better. You can’t just sit there and read them a textbook – because then, why are you there? On that note, you have to love people – especially young people – and be able to connect with them and give them the courage to open up.
How do you intend to make your readers happy?
By revealing their secrets through my characters’ experiences and showing them that they are not alone.
How does one tell a story?
I don’t know! I believe there are as many ways to tell stories as there are ways to be human. I like the stories that are told in their own special way, that express that unique person’s experience, mind, and character. e.e.cummings is a good example of a creative poet who made his own grammatical rules; Nicole Krauss writes in a totally different way in terms of structure. I like authors who bend the rules to suit their story.
If you had to teach me one thing about writing, what would it be?
Wow- I love the question! I would say: don’t just write the first thing that comes into your head. It’s probably something that’s floating around in the ether and finds it’s way into writer’s heads easily. Often I have written a description that “comes to me” only to find it has “come to ” someone else in the exact same form. Good writing is harder work than that!
Interesting!
Your typical day compared to your dream day?
They’re not too far off! I work from home, I write, I work on my blog [I just started a new blog at www.berrybook.home.blog :)] I eat healthy (most of the time!) drink lots of coffee and tea, take care of my dog… life’s good! On my dream day, I would own a home, and live around the corner from my favorite cafe.
And we are so happy for she, who decided to remain anonymous and her almost perfect day! She is really so responsive and more positive and more creative, and more loved than many people. Oh, we do have a lot to learn from her!
