Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Getting to Know You #Interview with D. G. Kaye

My guest today probably needs little introduction to most of you who are regulars to the blog. Debby Gies…D.G. Kaye is a very popular blogger and non-fiction author who generously supports us all across social media. We have been connected for nearly four years and that initial contact has turned into a friendship that is treasured. There is a lot of talk about online relationships not being as valid as offline friendships, but I disagree.

The wonder of our modern age is that when you meet someone like minded, who lives thousands of miles away, you can communicate both in writing and visually. Of course publicly on social media but also privately in direct messages, emails and face to face using Skype or similar.

For me that offers so many amazing ways to enjoy a friendship.

Debby has recently become a columnist here on the blog with her new Travel Column… and as a double treat this weekend, you can read her second post on the subject of cruise ships tomorrow morning.

About D.G. Kaye

Debby Gies is a Canadian nonfiction/memoir author who writes under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She was born, raised, and resides in Toronto, Canada. Kaye writes about her life experiences, matters of the heart and women’s issues.

D.G. writes to inspire others. Her writing encompasses stories taken from events she encountered in her own life, and she shares the lessons taken from them. Her sunny outlook on life developed from learning to overcome challenges in her life, and finding the upside from those situations, while practicing gratitude for all the positives.

When Kaye isn’t writing intimate memoirs, she brings her natural sense of humor into her other works. She loves to laugh and self- medicate with a daily dose of humor.
I love to tell stories that have lessons in them, and hope to empower others by sharing my own experiences. I write raw and honest about my own experiences, hoping through my writing, that others can relate and find that there is always a choice to move from a negative space, and look for the positive.

Quotes:
“Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!”

                 “For every kindness, there should be kindness in return. Wouldn’t that just make the world right?”

When I’m not writing, I’m reading or quite possibly looking after some mundane thing in life. It’s also possible I may be on a secret getaway trip, as that is my passion—traveling.

Now time to find out which of the questions Debby has chosen to respond to and more about her books later in the post.

How would you describe your fashion sense?

I love this question and love fashion. I’m very up to date on trends in fashion. I’ve been a fashionista since I was a young girl. That doesn’t mean that I would wear all the fashions I love, not everything looks good on everyone. There are plenty of styles and trends I adore, but know instinctively that not all styles are made for my body shape. Some trends are more suited toward a particular body type despite them being advertised in a wide array of sizes.

Fashion sense isn’t only about what’s on trend but being aware of what is stylish and knowing how to put ourselves together with what looks best on us. I’ve had several years of experience in the retail and wholesale end of the clothing business and besides what I learned in the biz, I am gifted with an eye for style. I have a style of my own. I wear what pleases me, and I look for styles that will accentuate my finer qualities and keep the eyes drawn off the maybe-not-so finer qualities. I’m often complimented on my outfits and flair for style. I love wearing bright and bold colors, which I can pull off with ease because I have a big personality that can carry it.

Sally here:  one of my favourite photos of Debby dressed for her Mexican vacation… fabulous.

What are 5 things you would find in your handbag?

Whew, I’m glad you only asked for 5, lol. I have a standing joke that if I ever went on that (old) TV game show – Let’s Make a Deal, I’d never be without something they’d asked the audience to produce from a purse.

• Ok, I’ll start with gum. Gum is numero uno priority in my purse – always
• Next, lipstick. Oh yes, even if I dared to venture anywhere without make up on, never will you find me without wearing lipstick
• Kleenex – self explanatory
• Sunglasses. As long as the sun is shining, I’m wearing them. Not only are they fun and fashionable, but mine are all prescription so they are functional and good for watching people without being detected
•  Mobile phone. I don’t leave home without it. Not that I’m much of a phone talker, but good for emergency calls, Google maps if I get lost, and of course my trusted built in camera for capturing memorable moments.

One of Debby’s memorable moments when in Mexico recently.

Do you have a favorite childhood song?

Yes, I do. Louis Armstrong’s – What a Wonderful World. That song just brings warmth in my heart every time I hear it. When I was a child while in the car with my dad, I remember that song being popular and played often. I don’t even know why it resonated with me so much as a child, but I can say how big that song became with me since my father passed away. I don’t hear that song played too often, but when I do, I stop in pause and look up above to acknowledge my father, feeling as though he’s saying hello to me, letting me know he’s still around.

What’s your favorite TV show and why?

My favorite TV show has been Grey’s Anatomy since its inception 13 seasons ago. I’ve never missed an episode. I’ve always enjoyed watching medical series on TV going all the way back to the Dr. Kildare days. I may have watched every doctor series through the years, but I was instantly hooked on Grey’s because of the interaction with the doctors and their relationships with both, patients and in their own personal lives. Despite the show being based in a hospital environment, the stories involve a compassionate look into patient/doctor relations, doctor/doctor relationships, and love relationships among the doctors.

Grey’s is a heartfelt show with a cast of characters who have become like friends and family to me over the years. I laugh and cry with them and can’t recall too many episodes I didn’t need a Kleenex to watch whether for happy or sad tears. The show’s writers know how to entertain and touch our hearts and there are plenty of Grey’s fans around the world, unsurprisingly.

Sally here:  I have also watched Greys since the start.. and I used to sneak down and watch Dr. Kildare through the crack in the door.. had a massive crush on Richard Chamberlain.

Have you ever played a musical instrument or sang in public?

I sure have done both. When I was a child I took piano lessons. That was organized by my paternal grandmother, who despite there being no real love between us, I know she tried to compensate for the lack of activities any of us children were enrolled in. Sadly, my stubbornness not to conform to anything she wanted for me, had me bailing from piano lessons as though they were a punishment.

Ironically, I was born with an ear for music and gifted with a lovely voice. My dream was to become a singer. Once I left home at 18, I pursued by dreams of ‘stardom’. I actually took 3 years of voice training at university, hung out with musicians, was in a band for a couple years, made some demo tapes hoping to be discovered, but getting discovered in Toronto, Canada in the late 70s/early 80s was a tough situation as the music industry was hot in the US, but more difficult to get anything going in Canada.

I had several auditions, hoping to go to New York and latch on to an agent, but once again my stubbornness ended that when I discovered there was a lot of sliminess in the music industry. I began to feel as though it wasn’t about how talented we were, but more about connections – who we knew that could further us ahead. And of course, there were those who dangled promises of advancement for a price. I wasn’t about to use my body to get ahead. I realized I’d given that industry my best shots, had some fun years doing the club circuit, and finally packed it in.

Sally here: I am sorry that there is no video of Debby singing.. but I am sure that had this been today with all the platforms to share music, that she would have been a star in the music industry too.

More about Debby and her books with a recent review for  her memoir P.S. I Forgive You.

About the book

“I hurt for her. She wasn’t much of a mother, but she was still my mother.”

Confronted with resurfacing feelings of guilt, D.G. Kaye is tormented by her decision to remain estranged from her dying emotionally abusive mother after resolving to banish her years ago, an event she has shared in her book Conflicted Hearts. In P.S. I Forgive You, Kaye takes us on a compelling heartfelt journey as she seeks to understand the roots of her mother’s narcissism, let go of past hurts, and find forgiveness for both her mother and herself.

After struggling for decades to break free, Kaye has severed the unhealthy ties that bound her to her dominating mother—but now Kaye battles new confliction, as the guilt she harbors over her decision only increases as the end of her mother’s life draws near. Kaye once again struggles with her conscience and her feelings of being obligated to return to a painful past she thought she left behind.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Heartfelt By Marina Osipova on May 13, 2018

The author’s honest account of her relationship with her mother is a deeply emotional read. The unresolved longing of being loved by the person who, by nature, is the most capable of it.

A thought itself of such a mother D.G. Kaye was unfortunate to have is disturbing. Yet I can’t help but express my sadness about her mother’s plight while she, herself, was a victim of the unloving family.

The scene where the mother wanted to console her daughter at the news of her (daughter’s) upcoming heart surgery and was denied by her broke my heart.
I think the book will appeal to the broad readership – who suffered in a dysfunctional family may find inspiration in the D.G. Kaye’s story, who grew up in a loving family may appreciate it even deeper.

Read the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/P-S-Forgive-You-Broken-Legacy-ebook/dp/B01LWOYPRP/

And Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/P-S-Forgive-You-Broken-Legacy-ebook/dp/B01LWOYPRP/

Other books by D.G. Kaye

Read all the reviews and buy the books: http://www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7

and Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/D.G.-Kaye/e/B00HE028FO

More reviews and follow Debby on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/dgkaye

Connect to Debby Gies

Blog: http://www.dgkayewriter.com
About me: http://www.wiseintro.co/dgkaye7
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@pokercubster (yes there’s a story)
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dgkaye7
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dgkaye
Google: http://www.google.com/+DebbyDGKayeGies
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dgkaye
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/dgkaye7

Thank you for dropping in today and I know that Debby would love to receive your feedback.. It would be great if you could share the interview on your social media as well. Thanks Sally.