Episode 186: True Stories Can Bring Your Work of Fiction to Life
Our conversation easily flowed from topic to topic, and it was clear to both of us that the themes from the book are highly relevant in many of our friends' lives, as well as our own.
Each of the protagonists is in a very different place in their lives, one in her early 30s, another in her mid 40s, and another in her late 60s. And yet, each is grappling with transition and transformation in their lives, which is what brings them together.
A Novel About Transformation and Resilience Includes Aspects of Truth
Suzanne Simonetti sees parts of herself in each of her characters, but she relates most closely with Krystal in her award-winning novel The Sounds of Wings.
Suzanne Simonetti podcast episode cover art with image and quote
Our conversation easily flowed from topic to topic, and it was clear to both of us that the themes from the book are highly relevant in many of our friends' lives, as well as our own.
Each of the protagonists is in a very different place in their lives, one in her early 30s, another in her mid 40s, and another in her late 60s. And yet, each is grappling with transition and transformation in their lives, which is what brings them together.
Highlights for me:
A major theme of the book is silencing our own ghosts from our past. We must be able to tell the stories of our paths without reliving them, to be able to see those stories as lessons to take forward.
Suzanne Simonetti podcast episode cover art book cover and quote
A theme that resonated strongly with me is the way women grow into relationships with themselves and with (and among) other women. In the book, the three main protagonists forge unlikely friendships, despite their distinct differences. I loved seeing the personal growth each experienced as they learned to trust the other women who happened to show up in their lives.
We spoke of Suzanne's mentor, award-winning, NYT Best Selling Author Caroline Leavitt, as well as our mutual friend, Meg Nocero, also an award-winning author, both outstanding women you will be glad you discovered through this podcast.
Make sure you follow Suzanne on Instagram, and check out her website to learn more.
Elkins Consulting cover art image of Sarah Elkins and her dog on a wintery, snow covered mountain
ABOUT SARAH:
"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."
In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.
My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.
The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!
Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana.
Episode 113: Stories that Create and Build Life-Long Friendships
I went to four different elementary schools, moved from Washington DC to Denver, then to Los Angeles, and then back to Colorado in Colorado Springs just before starting junior high. My closest friends were always my siblings because we moved so much in those early days.
It’s a Different Kind of Love in Life-Long Friendship
I went to four different elementary schools, moved from Washington DC to Denver, then to Los Angeles, and then back to Colorado in Colorado Springs just before starting junior high. My closest friends were always my siblings because we moved so much in those early days.
But in 2nd grade, I met Amorisa Lynn at Devonshire Elementary School in Chatsworth, CA. We were best friends immediately because we had SO much in common. We were both tiny, and had long, very straight, very fine brown hair. And in 2nd grade, that’s all it takes.
I remember when a boy who liked her broke her pinky finger. Again, 2nd grade.
And I remember going to her home after school and for sleepovers. Her Taiwanese grandmother lived with them, and would fix us snacks and Ramen noodles - and wouldn’t let me use a fork or spoon - so I learned to use chopsticks like a natural.
Aimee, Sarah, Gwenda (Aimee’s little sister) - 1978, Chatsworth, California
Amorisa moved around even more often than I did, so our long-term friendship seems even more unlikely.
Aimee remembers lots of things I had forgotten, like the fact that I taught her how to flip an egg in a skillet, and how to make “Super Eggies”, which are typically known as egg-in-a-nest.
The strange part about our long friendship is that we only lived in the same place for a very brief amount of time. After 2nd grade I switched schools, then she moved away from our neighborhood. She finally got back to our neighborhood at the beginning of 6th grade and started school at the same school I attended, but then I moved, two weeks into the school year, to Colorado Springs.
We kept in touch all those years the old fashioned way - as Pen Pals. Yes, we wrote letters to each other throughout elementary school, junior high, and high school. We visited each other a few times, traveling across the country by ourselves and living as part of each other’s families for a few weeks at a time during the summer.
Here we are, nearly 43 years later, spending a weekend together in Cayucos, California, where my husband and I decided to rent a beach house for a month to work remotely in a place where we didn’t have to shovel snow.
Panorama fun in Cayucos, CA February 2020
I took the opportunity to record this episode of Your Stories Don’t Define You with Aimee, all about friendship, our friendship, and the idea of friendship itself, while we were together. This is the first time in at least 20 years that we’ve had time to spend together like this, and we took full advantage of every moment. And just like any other true friendship, we picked up right where we left off, never skipping a beat, like no time had passed between visits. The only evidence being a few gray hairs and images of grown children.
Amorisa Lynn Denzel is a freelance artist living in Ventura, California.
Photo of a painting by Amorisa Lynn Denzel