Congratulations to Dr. Darla Calvet, she is our author of the month!
Her memoir My Life in Stitches: A Heart Transplant Survivor Story was published last year. She holds a PhD in education, a master’s degree in sociology and a bachelor’s degree in both sociology and educational leadership. Dr. Calvet lives in San Diego.
How did you discover IMWA?
My publisher, Acorn, reached out to me because they thought I would be a good fit for this. So I emailed Marnie and said, hey, I’m interested because prior to this, I didn’t know that memoir was my genre, but it is. So I love that whole notion of an association just for people who are memoirists. Love that.
Why did you choose this topic?
This book is about as real as it gets for a memoir. It is my journey of dying twice while waiting for my heart transplant. When someone receives a diagnosis, they have a right to know what lies ahead of them. Your medical team will tell you what to expect medically, but I felt strongly that I wanted to write a companion piece for people explaining what they might go through psychologically and emotionally. This is a firsthand, no-holds-barred account of what I experienced being a patient.
Tell us about your new memoir.
When someone has an issue with their heart, the whole family is impacted. It’s not just you, you’re the one going through things physically, but your family is going through the emotional piece of it, like whether you’re going to make it or not. The impetus for writing this book was because when I was diagnosed with heart failure at 39, I looked everywhere for a heart transplant memoir and was unable to find one. I had heart failure actively for 14 years before my transplant. I had a defibrillator in my chest that shocked me over 20 times. And while we’re grateful for these life-saving devices, often the medical team doesn’t realize the impact it will have on your everyday life. So, to me, that was screaming for a memoir. And that’s really the essence of the book.
Who are your favorite authors?
For memoir, David Sedaris and Augustine Burroughs. I am a huge Stephen King fan, just because I’ve danced with the macabre, and I love the way he writes. I love Amy Tan. I read across a wide variety of books, but I notice that most of the books I read are memoir-based.
What is your favorite memoir?
I really like Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I also like Augustine Burroughs’s The Wolf at the Table, about his relationship with his dad, because we’ve all had relatives with hot tempers, and he nailed it.
Do you have plans to write another and if so, what would be the topic?
I’m already working on my next book. It’s going to be about the process of dealing with losing a loved one, and especially one with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. But there probably will be another cardiology book as well.
What advice do you have for new writers?
Get educated on the publishing process. I chose a hybrid publisher. because I wanted to retain the royalties to my book. It’s a personal decision, and I felt that no matter how good my book was, if it went to one of the big eight publishers, it would sit in a slush pile, and I wasn’t willing to wait that long. I wanted people who needed it to have it sooner rather than later.
If you don’t write professionally, try to write an hour a day. Also find a group of peers that will review what you’re writing. I joined the San Diego Writers Group, and it was a great place where I felt comfortable sharing my work, especially when you’re writing memoir because you are bearing your soul. They gave me very positive input. There is phrase I use; I died twice waiting for this heart. They suggested that it be the opening line in my book.
How can we reach you?
Website: darlacalvetauthor.com