Author Q&A WIth Sally Dukes
Sally Dukes has been published in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy and has spoken nationally as an educator and psychotherapist. A successful business owner and committed healer, Sally expanded her career through academic pursuits in psychology and contemplative practice. Her studies deepened her understanding of the mythos that can unconsciously shadow one’s persona.
As a psychotherapist, she paid careful attention to her client’s narrative, witnessing their pain, their joy, and, in turn, became their unbiased mirror. As an educator, she taught middle school students to give voice to their emerging selves. As an independent editor, she helped writers to better align their messaging with their hearts. True healing does not come in a pill or a prescription. It comes when our stories are heard, and our humanity recognized and honored. Sally Dukes believes in the power of narrative as medicine. Meet Sally:
You are an author, but is it your day job? If not, what fills your days? I am long retired. Drummer Girl is a story that, for me, had to be told. Although the writing of Drummer Girl has undoubtedly become a full-time endeavor, it has not and does not predominate my days. In the summer, my mornings are spent writing, but in the afternoons, I hike and swim. I have a special hike that takes me over several hills that skirt a ridgeline, and then I turn left down an herb-filled path to the Aegean. In winter, I no longer swim, but I still hike. Without the heat, I can meander down a pebbled back road to the village below. Each day is glorious, each day is different, each day fills me with gratitude and wonderment.
Did you always want to be an author? For most of my life, I have wanted to be an author. At one time during my adult life, we lived on Brown University’s campus. I remember spending time in Brown Bookstore on Thayer Street. As you entered the front doors, there was a table with stacks of hardcover new releases. I often fantasized that my book would someday be there among the many.
What is your most recent book, and what inspired you to write it?
I have only written one book. Drummer Girl is a memoir. Life events inspire this book. I placed a quote by Rachel Cusk at the start of the book.
And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that writing comes out of tension, tension between what’s inside and what’s outside.
This “surface tension” was what kept reminding me that the story of the drummer girl needed to be told.
How do you hope your book uplifts those who read it? From my earliest endorsements, I have come to understand that Drummer Girl touches people in many ways for many other reasons. It is a spiritual, meditative look at transforming trauma into healing, a practice of living in the present, and a reminder that there is only today, and that this precious life cannot be taken for granted. This delicate call to turn inward prompts the reader to remember that while we seek answers in the world around us, the most profound truths can only be found from within.
What are you most excited about with this book? I am so very excited and grateful that Drummer Girl has made its way to press. This is a story that I have carried alone for too long. I am incredibly vulnerable and feel overly exposed on one hand, but on the other, I am now free.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to succeed in your professional industry? Although I am no expert, excuses only get in the way. Write the book. Worry about publishing it later. Write for the love of writing. Do not write for fame or fortune.
How do you handle setbacks and criticism? Unfortunately, writing a piece so close to my heart is bound to bring criticism along the way. This book is not for everyone, and I do not expect everyone to understand it or like it. This is why I find myself so vulnerable. Setbacks are just another obstacle in the path we call life. It is not on the setback that one should focus, but on one’s relationship to the obstacle. How gracefully can you negotiate your way forward? That is the real question.
How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? I have lived a long life. I have come to understand that only I am responsible for all aspects of my life. It is written.
How do you structure your day and make time for writing? My days begin with coffee at 5 AM. It is during this time that the quiet of the night gives way to the morning call from the valley roosters. I feed the many cats at our doorstep and watch the sun paint the sky in strokes of pink. After an early breakfast, I head to my studio to write. This studio is separate from the main house. I pack my computer and head down the exterior stairs. On my way, I take in the dawning of another day. Once the door to the studio has closed, I begin to write. I stay sequestered until lunch. There may be edits on the dining room table late in the afternoon, but the actual writing only happens in this sacred space, the studio.
What do you find most fulfilling in the career that you’ve chosen? For this phase of my life, writing fills me to the brim. Over the years, I have had many careers: business owner, teacher, editor, mother. Although each career path has filled me in various ways and for different reasons, the writing of Drummer Girl has been a very personal, transformational undertaking.
What book uplifts you? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an inspirational masterpiece for all ages. I used to teach this book to my eighth-grade students. It is a fictional tale about a shepherd boy’s search for treasure. Santiago was a pilgrim in the truest sense. He left home with no prescribed path to find his way back to his home, his treasure. Metaphorically, The Alchemist speaks to leaving what is comfortable to follow a vision, an inner urging, a dream, a personal legend. It is a perfectly couched lesson about trusting yourself enough to pursue your life’s purpose despite the many obstacles you encounter along the way.
Learn more about Sally and her work at: www.sallydukes.com.
