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Adventures Blogging Debby Gies Memoirist Writing Podcast TTT Season 3 Writing

Season 3 Episode 50: Debby Gies on Being an Eclectic Memoirist and Conversationalist

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you. 

I am delighted that blogger and non-fiction writer, Debby Gies and I are connecting Toronto and Vancouver, Canada.

Debby is a Canadian author, writing under the pen name of D.G. Kaye. She writes about life, matters of the heart and women’s issues. Her intent is to inspire others by sharing her stories about events she has encountered, and the lessons that have come along with them.

Debby is an empathetic fashionista and shopper extraordinaire who loves to laugh. She is an eclectic memoirist and conversationalist who writes to empower by sharing slices of life.  Her blog is a wide-ranging mix of randomness, where you will find anything from writing tips to tales from the past, to travel tips, book reviews, and author interviews.

I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for joining Debby and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you, Debby, for sharing your insights on living life in the now, with humour and expectation.   You have inspired me, and I know that you have inspired readers and listeners to head into the unknown with courage and determination.

I invite you to meet up with Debby on her blog, D.G. Kaye Writer.com , on her Amazon Page and on Goodreads.  It is a place that welcomes profound conversations that reminds us to Live, Love, Laugh and Breathe. 

Until next time, dear friends, keep safe, keep reading and be well.

Debby Gies on Being an Eclectic Memoirist and Conversationalist – Tea. Toast. & Trivia.

By Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

143 replies on “Season 3 Episode 50: Debby Gies on Being an Eclectic Memoirist and Conversationalist”

I was delighted to meet up with Debby. Her enthusiasm and joy for life is truly inspiring. I agree – building community is essential to our well-being and belonging. We are not alone – and that gives me great comfort!

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Thank you again for sharing your insights Debby! What a great time we over Zoom. The world has come closer these past months. A huge thank you to Sally for introducing us!! I am glad that we are entering 2022 – together! Sending hugs!

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Thank you Miriam for stopping by! I know you will enjoy this conversation. Debby speaks of how community, helping each other and sharing moments give meaning to our days. We belong to an amazing, compassionate community. Sending hugs!

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Loved this conversation!! The importance of community and supporting each other can’t be overstated — and appreciated the acknowledgement of how young people need this community. The past months have demonstrated that community CAN be built online. Thanks for sharing Debby — and thanks, Rebecca, for being a facilitator of online community. One favourite phrase from this podcast: “Don’t live someone else’s dream for your life!”

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I knew that you would love this conversation, Sarah. Thank you for listening in and being an amazing support to young people – and to me!! Looking forward to getting back to our podcast, The Book Dialogue in 2022.

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Thanks, Rebecca. I have been following Debby’s blog and her contributions and books for a while, but it was great to have this opportunity to hear her in conversation. She always has the right word!

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I am delighted that you listened in, Olga and for your comment. I agree – Debby has the right word – a brilliant conversationalist.. Special thank you to Sally who introduced Debby to me. I am glad that we have connected.

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How wonderful to hear another blogging friend of mine on your podcast. It was great to listen to Debby’s words of wisdom. I couldn’t agree more that community is so important. It is up to each of us to build it. Thank you, Rebecca, for facilitating this process.

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Thank you so much Darlene! I love listening to my writing friends on podcast. The voices add to the character we have in our heads, lol. And for sure, it takes a community to help us with our work and getting the word out. Hugs xx

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Thank you for your amazing support and encouragement of these conversations, Darlene. Don and I have so much fun meeting up with remarkable people who share remarkable stories. Throughout our zoom talk, the overarching theme that Debby presented was community and belonging. I believe, as you and Debby do, that building compassionate communities allows us to explore opportunities and possibilities.

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Nice to meet you, Rebecca. 🙂 As a follower of Debby’s blog and reader of her books, I enjoyed the interview and learning more about her writing methods. She is one of the most supportive people on social media and her points about building community are spot on! Thank you both.

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I am delighted that you listened in, Debbie. I agree wholeheartedly about Debby’s dedication to creating a compassionate community that welcomes all. Your comments are very much appreciated. Many thanks.

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It has been an encouraging and broadening experience to hear from this beautiful lady, the photo is lovely! It is good to hear from our own Canadian author with so many thoughts to empower us. It was important to feel her relationship with those about whom she writes, using their stories, but keeping their names hidden, showing much respect! I appreciated the way she chose her “pen name”. I really learned from her experiences of writing at a very early age (5 years) and her connections with members of the communities where she lived. This article is so full of interesting items so I can not comment on all, but one that I find extraordinary is that she writes with pen. ink and paper! How unique and very easy to relate to! Thank you, Debbie and Rebecca, this has been exciting and very motivational! !

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Thank you Frances for listening in – I knew that you would enjoy this conversation. I agree with all that you say – writing, community, caring for each other. Looking forward to our coffee tomorrow morning.

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Hello Carol! I had a wonderful breakfast this morning, thanks to you. Oatmeal in the crockpot!! Thank you so much for listening in and for your comments – very much appreciated. I am honoured that Debby was a guest on TTT. And a thank you goes out to Sally – I met you and Debbie through her Smorgasbord Cafe. What a wonderful community of belonging.

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I’m delighted your listened in, Diane. I hope that more bloggers will look at connecting their posts to a podcast. Isn’t it wonderful to hear the voice of an author reading their books. Many thanks for your visit and comments.

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It’s wonderful to hear your voice, Debby! Yes, when I read your book, I felt like we were sitting down at a coffee shop listening to you talking. You were born to be a writer! I laughed when you said, if people wanted someone to say good things about them, they should have behaved better. I love your comments about community and being ourselves. Thank you so much for this interview, Rebecca!

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Thank you Miriam for your support and encouragement. I am looking forward to connecting with you for another conversation.

“Hearts soft and gentle,
Accept loss or gain from high.
Let it flow with grace,
Nothing on earth we can hold.
Live peacefully as a mortal.”
Miriam Hurdle

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Thank you so much for coming back and reading Miriam. Lol, you know me, I call them as I see them – and that includes people behaving badly, lol – They should have behaved better. 🙂 ❤

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I just finished listening to the entire interview. It was fun for me to put a voice to a blogger I have followed since I started some two and a half years ago. Debby’s personality, intelligence, sense of humor, and kindness come through in her writing, her blog, and now through this interview.

I have listened to a couple of your other previous interviews, Rebecca. I’m sure you get this a lot, but you have a great voice for radio. It comes across with great sincerity.

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Thank you Pete for your very encouraging comments. A few years ago I began reading poetry out loud to an empty room. I found that when words are read, they are filled with emotional nuances. I then listed to poets reading their poetry via an audio that I borrowed from the Vancouver Public Library. Again, there was a resonance that came through the voices that ignited a response. And that is how I came to podcasting. I am looking forward to connecting and the conversations that are waiting for us in 2022.

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Dear Rebecca, I very much enjoyed your conversation with Debbie and especially the advice she gives to young people, such as to be their individual self and not just a follower!:)
Many thanks to you both for all the courage you give to people.

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I am delighted you enjoyed this conversation, Martina. Debby is a wonderful conversationalist. I laughed out loud when she said that she started talking at 9 months old! Debby’s understanding of the human experience enables profound discussions. Many thanks and hugs coming back your way!!!

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I have to tell you, Rebecca, you had me at “loves to laugh.”

Collaborating on creative endeavors is a challenge and very rewarding. I think Debby’s insight on writing about personal stories is very valuable and I thank you for bringing her to your podcast.

I write on a computer, but I take notes and outline what I want to write on paper. I like being able to add doodles and arrows and graphics. It’s good to see someone who appreciates the value of pen and paper.

I was particularly moved by her mention of the people who helped her through tough teenage years. I remember so many people from that time, and as Debby says, they were so important to my development as a person.

I love “don’t be afraid to be original.”

Thank you and Debby for taking the time to share these insights with us. I hope you both have a great week.

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Many many thanks for listening in and for your heartwarming comments. Writing personal stories takes courage, which Debby has in abundance. I was honoured that she agreed to be a guest on TTT. We owe a debt of gratitude to memoirists over the centuries for making history richer because they chose to share their stories.

I have noticed that writing with pen and paper is coming back. It is a different flow than using a keyboard. I am now using a fountain pen with green ink. YIKES. I have more green ink on my fingers than on the page. But I continue to learn and learn and learn.

All the very best of this holiday season to you and yours!

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I am delighted that you listened in and for your encouraging comments. I hope that writers and bloggers will explore the possibility of reading from their books. There is an emotional nuance that comes from hearing the voice of the author.

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A compelling and enjoyable conversation, Rebecca and Debby! So interesting, Debby, to hear about your writing origins, why you prefer to write longhand, the importance and pleasures of building and being part of a writing community, and more. I look forward to hearing you read your work on a future Rebecca podcast. Last but not least, my condolences about your husband. 😦

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I knew you would enjoy this conversation, Dave. I admire Debby’s courage for writing non-fiction and being a memoirist. I cannot imagine that this is an easy task, and yet, Debby accomplishes it all with enthusiasm and humour. Many thanks for listening in and for your heartwarming comments.

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Hi Rebecca, how wonderful to find Debby Gies featured here. She is one of the most generous people I know in the blogging community and I do try to keep up with her posts on her own blog and on Sally’s. I have read a few of Debby’s books and found them to be excellent, full of sound advice and interesting experiences, served up with Debby’s terrific sense of humour. I have another of her books coming up soon on my kindle.

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Thank you, Robbie, for listening in and for your comments. I have found that the writing community is a brilliant force for good. The support and encouragement that flows through the blog posts, the excellent book reviews, the sharing of information, and the warm welcome ignites possibilities. Exciting stuff!

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I remember attending a music evening with my university professor of music many years ago. Those were the days of records and phonographs! She played her favourite pieces which started with Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff! I confess that when she put on Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto 1 (B Fat Minor), I started to cry. So yes indeed, I love Tchaikovsky!! And I am thrilled to meet a kindred spirit.

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I knew you loved Tchaikovsky, Rebecca. I uses to listed to my mom’s records when I was a girl. She had all the ballets and many of the Broadway shows. I’ve seen most of them live now. My all time favourites are Mame [with Bea Author and Angela Lansbury] and Phantom of the Opera.

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Have you read the “Auntie Mame” books by Patrick Dennis. I listened to the audiobook a few months ago. But in my opinion, Patrick Dennis’s story was more interesting than his books – and his books were very entertaining and gave me an insight in the times of which he wrote.

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It was great to hear both of your lovely voices, Rebecca and Debby. I have read a few of Debby’s books and love to read her experiences while she adds humor to the mix, and many events she writes about her readers can resonate with. Debby, I love Anne Lamott, and she lives near me. I have run into her at the post office. 🙂 I’ve also watched video interviews with her discussing writing, very interesting. I loved your emphasis on community and truly felt that support when I published my recent book in September. I will add that while I have several journals lying around the house, I absolutely love to type. So, I find myself tapping away on those keys more often than picking up a journal. But like you said, I have to be mindful of how easy it is to edit, so to keep moving forward with thoughts pouring out, and to edit later. Great interview!
~Lauren 💕

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I am thrilled that you joined the conversation, Lauren. I enjoyed meeting up with Debby – her enthusiasm and generosity in sharing her story and insights inspires me. I have gone back to cursive writing to reengage with pen and paper. I have been typing for so long that my thoughts come through best when I am in front of a keyboard. I agree with your thoughts on community – it is a gift that keeps on giving! Sending hugs!

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This was so fun, Rebecca and Debby. I liked hearing Debby’s voice and getting to hear from her outside of her blog. I was most interested in the challenges with writing memoirs and Debby’s thoughts about potentially upsetting family members. I also think it’s amazing that she writes by hand. I do find writing by hand draws out greater creativity, but it does take a long time. 🙂 And Debby is a wonderful supporter of our blogging/writing community. She’s kind and positive and I enjoyed listening to her laugh. Hugs to you both and Happy Holidays!

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I am delighted that you joined this conversation, Diana. I share your interest in how Debby writes her memoirs so that others can benefit from her experiences. Debby has a marvelous enthusiasm, doesn’t she? I have gone back to cursive writing, but I find that there is a different connection between pen and paper than with keyboard and screen. I thought that it would be easy to express my ideas when I used a pen rather than a keyboard. What I found was that I lost my creative thoughts when I looked at the illegible handwriting and tried to correct it as I went along. So, now I am determined to keep up with pen and paper to recover that lost art. All the very best of this festive season to you and yours. 2022 – here we come!

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I hand write all my story outlines, Rebecca. I find the process highly creative when brain-storming. I write between the lines and in the margins. I draw bubbles and arrows. After that, its all computer work.

I think I’ve read all of Debby’s books. I enjoy her wisdom and personal stories as well as her wit! She’s a lovely person. ❤

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Thanks so much for hopping over Diana. Nice to meet you LOL. Yes, pretty much as I write, so what you hear is what you got. So glad you enjoyed. And now, we’ve both heard each other! 🙂 xx Happy holidays my friend. ❤

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Thank you for introducing to Debby, and also gave me the possibility listen to her voice the very first time.;-) I was amazed that I understood almost every word, even though I am still very early in understanding English-language conversation. :-)) Thanks again, and have a wonderful weekend. xx Michael

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Such a wonderful interview! I loved hearing about your process, Deb. It’ll benefit me greatly while writing my memoir. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca. Thank you for this enlightening post. Happy Holidays!

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I am delighted that you listened in and very much appreciated your heartwarming comments. I am looking forward to connecting with you in 2022. So many conversations and adventures waiting for our arrival. All the very best of this holiday season!

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I am delighted you listened in, Marina. Isn’t it interesting how creativity flows from an idea that is formulated in our minds through to our hands, whether it be words, music, or art. Extraordinary.

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It was great listening to Debbie. She sounds so confident, and her end advice to young people is right on. is Be your own individual self, be who you want to be without (fain?) or fear. Reach out to older people you can trust. I have had younger people wanting to get into wardrobe for film. I have given honest advice, and have mentored 2.
It’s a great feeling.
Debbie you are inspirational!
Thank you, Rebecca for this podcast with Debbie!

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Many thanks for listening in, Resa! Debby has a wonderful sense of humour that comes with a profound understanding of the human experience. I enjoyed meeting up with her and look forward to a return conversation. Your support and encouragement of these conversations is truly appreciated, Resa. Hugs and more hugs!

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Hi Resa. Thanks so much for listening. My advice comes from experience, encouragement I wish I had when I was young. I like to pay it forward, just as you are doing with your beautiful designs and expertise. ❤

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