Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Cindi McVey

 

“Where we love is home–home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” Oliver Wendell Holmes,Sr.

 

I am very pleased to feature memoir author Cindi McVey in this Google+ Hangout interview. Cindi is the author of To Live in Paradise: A Memoir of Dreams Found and Dreams Lost in the Heart of Africa. Cindi and I met through her publisher at Homebound Publications, Leslie M. Browning.   I believe the mission of Homebound Publications as stated on their website resonates with Cindi’s memoir:

 

“It is the intention of those at Homebound to revive contemplative storytelling and introduce a new mythology that will directly aid mankind in the trials we face in the present.”

 

 

 

Book Description:

 

 

Her adventures include a cheetah attack, rioting crowds, inspiring safaris, and eye-to-eye snake encounters, shared with endearing characters who are her friends. Within this tale of an American’s affair with a vibrant yet imperiled land, also unfolds a story of loss for one of Earth’s last Edens.

Set amid the magic and struggles of Africa, To Live in Paradise is the poignant memoir of a young American woman who finds herself swept up in an intriguing new life in Zimbabwe, just as this paradise country takes a critical turn in its history. As the idyll unravels, the nation applauded as Africa’s success story plunges into a lawless land where tyrants rule. In a clash of humanity and earth, an unparalleled wilderness and a distressed nation both fight for survival.

My reviews can be found on  Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing and Shelfari.

Welcome, Cindi!

 

 

KP:  To Live in Paradise is a poignant memoir about a young woman’s journey to Africa and how that journey transformed her. At what point did you realize you needed to tell your story?

 

CM:As described in my book, there were often times when I was out in the wilderness or countryside by myself, usually on horseback, and I would look around me and say in my mind, “Hey everyone, look!  You guys have GOT to see this!”  I wished that others could experience the awesome beauty and sense of peace that I felt from being there.  It was only later, though, that the idea of sharing it by writing a book occurred to me.

 

KP:  Your connection to Africa seemed to be a powerful theme in your memoir. You personify both Africa and Zimbabwe by referring to them as “she.” When and how did you discover this connection?

 

CM:  Once again, I was often out in this grand wilderness by myself, but not for a moment did I feel alone.  It was as though a great, comforting presence was with me, and like we were speaking to each other.  This presence also felt distinctly feminine, like an aunt, big sister or wise friend. The wilderness definitely had a soul to me and was something more than an “it”.  Rather, a “she”.

 

KP: You use vivid imagery to bring the country and its people alive to your reader. Can you share with us how you were able to capture your experience is such rich detail? 

“A gentle rain had pattered down most of the day, but by early evening when I arrived home the sky had cleared to powder-blue.  I wandered out to the veranda where I could settle into the molded comfort of my woven-grass chair, and feeling peaceful, watched a brawny sun dip towards the horizon, making the droplets on every leaf sparkle. While I breathed in the misted evening’s intoxicating scent, I smiled to see my favorite birds—the dainty Blue Waxbills—delicately pick seeds from the bird feeder, until the rowdy Masked Weaver pushed his way in. Nearby, iridescent starlings shimmered blue-green and purple, as they hopped about on the lawn. Flocks of ribbon-tailed swallows swept high across the sky, while perky lizards darted about on the low brick wall in front of me. Even the trees seemed content, swaying to the subtle rhythm of the wind.”

 

CM: All my descriptions come from a heartfelt place, and this passage particularly so because, in addition to the sheer beauty of nature that I often describe in my book, this scene has a lot of personal meaning.  I’m also describing my home, so there is a comforting, secure feeling.  But it is also a home which I’ll soon be leaving, and so I’m feeling a little unsettled, which makes the small details of “home” become more poignant.

 

KP: Who is your audience and how do you plan to connect with them?

 

CM:  My aim was to appeal to a broad audience. I did try to incorporate elements that would captivate a range of readers, like some action scenes, plus themes we all can relate to, like being young and having dreams that don’t go exactly as planned.  And of course there is the obvious appeal for those who enjoy nature or simply yearn for adventure.

 

KP: What is the most important takeaway message you hope to convey to your reader?

 

CM:I hope readers come away with a greater value of wilderness and nature, how ever far away it may be, and feeling a tangible loss to its disappearance.  If we don’t realize that something is being taken from us, we won’t know to stand up for it, in whatever small way that we can.

 

KP: What did you learn about yourself through writing your memoir?

 

CM: You know, I’ve been told a few times in my life that I’m stubborn, and now I’m starting to believe it!  Actually, it’s not stubborn so much as determined.  I finished the first draft of the manuscript in 2001, and sent queries out that year as well.  It was 2013 before I signed a publishing contract.  Somehow I didn’t ever give up after rejection upon rejection, turning all comments into improvements, and trudging on.  It was sheer doggedness that kept me going at times.  It’s been a testament to how hard work and determination can truly pay off.

 

KP: Do you have any memoir writing tips for other writers who are writing a memoir?

 

CM: With memoir, the reader either needs to identify with you (as the main character of the book) or have empathy for you.  I’ve read memoirs where, as the story goes on, I start to dislike the main character (the memoirist). This was because I disagreed with choices he made, or hurts that he caused, for which he didn’t sufficiently show regret or try to rectify the wrong.  Maybe he did have regret in real life, but if so, that wasn’t adequately conveyed in his story.  All stories need “conflict”; just remember to adequately explain why you made the choices you did, or how you wished you done things differently.  You’ll be given greater leeway when your reader identifies with you on a personal level, but when appealing to a broader audience, make sure that any “conflict” gets fully explained.  In my case, in early drafts of my book, people needed to better understand why I would run off to a crazy place like Africa (of course, adventurers needed no more explanation.

 

KP: How can we buy To Live in Paradise?

 

Publisher direct at Homebound Publications

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Author’s website

You can also ask your local bookstore to order it if they don’t have it on their shelf.

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Thank you Cindi  for sharing your memoir writer’s journey and for offering so many helpful tips. Writing from the heart is the key to inviting readers into our stories. You do that very well in your memoir.

 

Author Bio: 

I was born and raised in Alaska, by parents who loved the wilderness and felt blessed to have a home there. My parents made adventure commonplace, taking my sister and I skiing, clam digging, camping on the river and in the mountains, fishing, hiking and exploring. Life was about trying new things and living to the fullest.

So to them, my trips to Africa in my twenties were what life was meant to be: Discovering, experiencing the new and different, pushing the envelope. My decision to move there, however, and live 10,000 miles from home was met with somewhat less enthusiasm. But what could they say, having done the same themselves, moving all the way up north to Alaska and so very far from “home”.

As described in To Live in Paradise, I first owned an automotive engineering shop, overhauling engines. Later I owned an auto glass business, replacing windshields and door glasses in cars, trucks, buses and anything else. With a business degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage, having my own business was always a goal. Africa runs on entrepreneurship, and being self-employed was a natural path to follow.

I am part Alaskan, part African, all American, and for now, a bit of a gypsy. The reality of economics means Africa cannot be my home at present. But every day I hear her calling, feel her presence, and know that, surely, the time will come to return home.

 

Cindi can be found on :

Facebook: at Cindi McVey

Website: To Live in Paradise

 

How about you ? Have you experienced a bond to another country and its people through your travels?

 

Cindi and her publisher, Leslie Browning of Homebound Publications have graciously offered to give away a copy of To Live in Paradise to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

 

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

 

 This Week:

Saturday, 5/16/14: 

“New Funding Options for Authors”, a guest interview on Sharon Lippincott’s The Heart and Craft of  Life Story Writing  blog

 Next Week: 

 Monday, 5/19/14:

“A Dedication for Ever Faithful to His Lead: A Memoir Moment”

 

Thursday, 5/22/14:

“Google+ Hangout Interview with Mary C Gottschalk about Her Debut Novel, A Fitting Place”

 

***

The Pubslush Crowdfunding Campaign for my memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse was launched on May 12 and is 17% closer to its goal. The campaign ends a midnight on June 11.

 

By making a contribution you will help spread the messages of hope, resilience and courage to those seeking freedom from abuse. Here’s the link to the campaign:

http://pubslush.com/books/id/2076.

 

If you are unable to make a contribution, please share this link with others.

 

Thank you!