Deborah Rudell is the author of the new memoir Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul. Also an educator, she is based in San Diego, California.
Q: What inspired you to write Grit & Grace?
A: I kept photo journals of the Elixir Project, planning to submit articles to Wooden Boat Magazine, but time and life flew by.
It wasn’t until 2009 when a neighbor met me on the beach and asked about the boat, building it and then sailing it across the Pacific. He encouraged me to write the story. The biggest encouragement was him saying “just start anywhere.” That is the thing you know, there is a big story and it’s daunting to know where to start!
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The book’s working title started as The Elixir Project, the name of the boat. Within a year it was Grit & Glue referring to sandpaper and epoxy, but also to what I was discovering about myself and my inner resilience and tenacity.
I also, in my mind, knew there was a huge element of Grace, or I could never have accomplished the project or even survived the gales in the ocean crossing.
My publishers helped me decide on Grit & Grace. The subtitle, The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul, was there from the beginning of the writing project because it is what the book is about: transforming an old boat, and at the same time, discovering and rebuilding my own soul after leaving a communal life with a spiritual master; healing after disillusionment.
Q: Did you need to do any additional research to write the book, or was most of it based on your memories?
A: The story is based on my memories and experiences. I researched dates and milestone events around Rajneeshpuram and the photo journals were invaluable in reconstructing timelines and boatbuilding details.
Q: What impact did it have on you to write this memoir, and what do you hope people take away from it?
A: Writing this memoir had more of an impact on me than I expected. I learned more about myself than I dreamed was there! It has been, and continues to be, an amazing experience of self-discovery.
I am able to put the puzzle pieces of my life into their places but also, with hindsight, the resolution of the life-images keep becoming clearer. I can see the interconnectedness of things that appear to have no relationship to each other. For example, what does building a boat have to do with spirituality?
It is my hope that people can read this book and find inspiration to follow their dreams despite how impossible those dreams may appear.
It is also my hope that this book will find those who have been disillusioned in their life and be an example of how one person navigated those stormy waters, and even though it felt like I was lost and drowning, there has been a way through.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am currently recording the audiobook for Grit & Grace. And as anyone who has published a book knows, the lead up to, and the launch of a book is time consuming with marketing -- making sure readers know about it!
And yes, there are a few drafts and outlines in my Scrivener folder that I can’t wait to have the time to start developing!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Yes, I am very grateful for the adventures I have been able to experience in this life, and they just keep coming … like with being on this publishing train for example!
Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about Grit & Grace.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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