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Thoughts . . .

D. K. Christi interview

Author Interview with D.K. Christi

D. K. Christi is a traveler and adventurer who chronicles her experiences in short stories in seven anthologies. Ghost Orchid, a mystery of love, lies and redemption wrapped around a mystical ghost orchid was released in 2009 to rave reviews by NPR and MBR and re-released in 2015 with a few surprises that lead to Bamboo Ring, released in 2014 as the second stand alone novel in the Bamboo Ring series. See http://www.dkchristi.com for more information.

When did you know that writing is what you were called to do? What is it about being a writer that you love the most?
As a lonely and introverted child, I was an avid reader. I dreamed that one day I would see my name on books. When college professors insisted I needed to publish my writing, I continued to dream of writing fiction while my career took me to technical writing and editing to earn a reliable income. Words are my paint and the page my canvass. I can paint the world I see or the one I imagine and share those images with other people. When I first saw the ghost orchid that inspired the novel by the same name, I returned to my office and immediately wrote my impressions – then every time I read my words I felt the power of that exquisite flower again as if I was standing in its aura. Other novels I have written borrow from my many international experiences and I’m able to live them again through my characters and give my readers the same chance to know other cultures and feel the joy of travel.

2. Can you tell us a little about your books and where our readers can find out more about them and you? What projects are you currently working on?

Amazon.com editors said it better than me, “Themes of friendship surviving tragedy, love conquering adversity and the triumph of the human spirit over the hardships of life serve to uplift and inspire…through her stories perhaps discover something about yourself.” Ghost Orchid is a mysterious tale of the power of belief, even it its in the magic or nature all around us and a beautiful, exotic flower in particular. The inspired story answers the question: Is love eternal? for a cast of characters that include photographers, a model and families that find their secrets unravel in a search for meaningful roots.

Currently, I have been spending a lot of time as a newspaper journalist for Spotlight News Magazines, three issues and several online ezines while plugging away on Caribbean Odyssey, a novel of beauty, wonder, love and terror aboard the family’s 70 foot yacht. It is the second novel in the Bamboo Rings trilogy that consists of already published Bamboo Ring and Ghost Orchid. I am also working on a Civil War romance based on my own relative’s escape route during the Civil War for which he was named a hero. I’ve often thought I would love to ride a train and write about the people sharing the ride for their own keepsakes – or similarly on a cruise ship.

3.) What has been your most significant achievement as a writer thus far? How have you dealt with rejection within your writing career?

Ghost Orchid is a unique and unusual plot that is timeless in its themes, including love, lies and redemption. It’s my favorite; however, Bamboo Ring takes readers on a global adventure in the yuppie world of the 70’s not to be missed. As a write, I need also to include the variety of topics in the Spotlight where I also write a dog column and reflect so much love and companionship that people share with their beloved dogs. Since most of earlier career

was grant writing, I have developed a pretty easy going attitude toward rejection. I do find that it’s distressing when the right connections don’t happen to take a book to the pinnacle that it deserves.

4. Do you have a schedule for when you write? Do you outline your novels? How long does it generally take you to finish a novel?

I write with a passion when compelled, with little sleep and obsessed. Otherwise, I schedule blocks of time in the morning or afternoon to devote to writing. I begin with a story and build it out from there. I outline it before it’s finished just to be sure all the parts fit together logically.

My first published novel, Arirang, took a lifetime to write, ten years to finish and two years to edit for a manuscript to publish. I had written snippets for that novel in every form beginning with yellow pads and manual typewriters and finished on the most sophisticated of computer technology. It was a labor of love that I cherish as well as the friends who helped edit the novel and critique its progress along the way. Ghost Orchid took two years to write and bring to publication readiness. Bamboo Ring took six years to bring to publication.

5. Where do you see yourself within your career in the next five years?

I will finish the two novels in progress and be on the book conference tour, keynoting and sharing a writer’s life and my recent novels, Caribbean Odyssey and Escape to Love (Civil War romance).

6. Do you believe that there is ever a point in life where it’s too late for an aspiring writer to become successful in this industry? Do you feel a late start would hinder their chances?

There is never a point in life when it is too late for an aspiring writer to be successful. Today, with self-publishing, it is easier than ever to bring a book to an audience. The trick is creating that audience and getting the novel up front and center with celebrity and connections to sell it widespread.A late start allows for the energy of wisdom and maybe the adrenaline of time passing. I encourage painting with words at any age just as painting with a brush knows no limits.

7. What’s the first book you ever read that really touched you emotionally and moved you? What’s the first book you read that made you know that you could do this for a career? What book are you currently reading?

Grace Livingston Hill wrote a series of romance novels for Christian teen girls and I read the whole series, dreaming that this poor little girl would be swept away by her wealthy prince charming into a world of excitement and travel.

Currently, I am reading The Four Agreements by Dom Luis to remind myself that self-improvement is part of the writing game, in life as well as on the page.When I read Bridges of Madison County and saw what it became through a movie, I knew I could write a compelling novel with more substance.

8. So many writers say that they hate reading their own work? Do you ever just sit down and curl up with your own book?

I love to sit down and read Ghost Orchid. It’s as though it was written by someone else who takes me into the Everglades and gives me a wonderful experience with nature, the exotic ghost orchid, and the lives of the characters who are changed forever by its magic that is spiritual or paranormal or just imagined, depending on the reader’s point of view. For me, it is a spiritual experience and remains so every time I visit the Everglades. I also enjoy reading my short stories because many are close to my own experiences, written for a special short story program at Amazon.com that is no longer there. They are unique vignettes with a twist.

9. What are your thoughts about how the publishing industry is drastically changing? Are you more of an e-book person or a traditional book person?

Everything in life is changing. I just wish there were enough hours in the day to catch up. Good things come from change; but sometimes there is chaos before it all sifts through.

I prefer holding a book; however, when I was receiving iron infusions, I was glad to read novels on my smart phone and continue to appreciate that convenience. I also appreciate the ability to find great reads at affordable prices and the classics as ebooks for everyone at mostly zero cost on ebook.

10.)I feel like so many of us writers, us artists in general, are made to conform to other people’s idea of what we should be. I think we creative types should be unafraid to be whoever it is that we feel we have the right to be. So what is your write 2 be? What unique quality is there about you, about your art, that you feel represents your authenticity?

I find that I am often expected to have a “real job” and when I turn down an invitation because I have writing scheduled it’s hard for some friends to understand. For many, writing is seen as a hobby, a diversion, not even an art. It’s something to do while waiting for a real job.

On the other hand writers are expected to be hot sellers and well-known for their works to be appreciated. Mass market appeal requires conforming to popular genre expectations that many of today’s writers follow to gain income. I still write what I know and feel and fall into the literary fiction collection where themes and beautiful prose are still as critical as a quick plot and a happy ending.

I write 2 be free – free to express my thoughts, my visions, my imagination in the many ways afforded by the use of words. I write. If it doesn’t fit a genre or today’s popular mass market format, it may be just right for its niche.

My authenticity is found through characters that are not exaggerated but could be neighbors, lovers, friends and family. They are real personalities with composite lives who think and talk and feel like people one meets. Readers love them and hate them, even telling me to rewrite them so they make better decisions. I still use descriptive prose and thoughts that have been eliminated to “get to the plot” or “get to the sex” or “get to the mystery” in today’s writing. I write because I love the color of language in its many forms and wish to preserve that love as long as I can in between texting and twittering.



Check out D.K. Christi’s books on Amazon.com

DK Christi_Ghost Orchid coverDK Christi_Bamboo Rings cover




Jimmetta Carpenter is the Editor and Creator of the Free Fall Literary E-Zine and the Spoken Like A Queen E-Zine. She has dedicated herself to the power of the words and given into her passion for writing and has been writing poetry officially since the age of ten. She has a book of poetry titled “The Art of Love” published through lulu.com under the pen name Gemini. She is currently finishing up with her first novel and already working on her second. In 1998 she had her poem “Rest In Peace” published in an anthology put out by the International Library of Poetry and in the Spring of 2007 will have another poem titled “Through The Eyes of an Angel” published in another anthology also put out by the International Library of Poetry. She was also awarded the Editor’s Choice Award for that poem as well. She is looking forward to having a very long and rewarding career in writing and hopes that through living out her dreams she can inspire someone else out there to realize theirs. Her advice to other up and coming authors is to NEVER stop believing N your dreams and don’t ever be afraid to dream big. Jimmetta can be contacted by sending her an e-mail at freefall_lbp@yahoo.com or jcladyluv@yahoo.com.
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Ghost Orchid Review by Crafty Green Poet

Ghost Orchid by D K Christi

Inspired by the author's own experience of seeing the ghost orchid blooming, Ghost Orchid is the story of a rare plant and it's ability to bring people together.

Mel likes to take a lunchtime break from work by finding God in Nature in the local swamp and enjoying her encounters with the animals

Laughter ran out of her soul as the squirrel leaped from the rail to a tree, just barely catching the limb. It looked back at her and chattered loudly as if to tell her she had interfered with plans.

Meanwhile photographer Roger has finally persuaded Neev, his best friend, sometime lover and also another photographer, to accompany him to Florida to capture the ghost orchids in their rare blooming in the Everglades. Neev is reluctant to travel to Florida, because that is where her estranged mother lives, but once she is there, she doesn't regret the journey.

The Florida Everglades are brought to life in atmospheric detail and the far reaching effects of the mysterious flowers on those who see them is well drawn out in a story that feels quite static at times but is ultimately very moving.

This is the third in a series of books but stands alone.

Disclaimer - I received a free e-book of Ghost Orchid.
Crafted by Crafty Green Poet at 1:01 p.m. Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
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Reviews for Ghost Orchid and Bamboo Ring

Two great reviews at Amazon.com:

"Bamboo Ring"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3BXL7X37DEQDV/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00RY9ZUGO


"Ghost Orchid"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R257UVKVCQZLOI/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00E4WZAHI
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Sex, Myths and Magic - The Rare and Endangered Ghost Orchid

Sex, Myths and Magic - The Rare and Endangered Ghost Orchid
Available for presentation to conferences, workshops and organizations by:
D. K. Christi, author, journalist and lecturer

D. K. Christi shares her obsession with the “Super Ghost” of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and why it’s a “matter of consequence.”

D. K. Christi lived and worked in Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
Her stories and novels capture the multi-cultural experiences and the beauty, fear and excitement of foreign lands.

Three years of blue water sailing in the Caribbean add tropical spice.
A polished and professional platform speaker who includes the audience.

Christi spent her U.S. years in Michigan, California and Florida with stops in Idaho and Washington, D.C. Today she contributes feature articles to the Bonita Springs Southwest Spotlight, and is available for freelance writing, editing and grant proposals between novels. Favorite local haunts are Bonita Beach, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Koreshan State Park, and all outdoor places to kayak and ride her bicycle.

Contact D. K. Christi at dkchristi dot com
Email: dkchristi at yahoo dot com
P.O. Box 367061, Bonita Springs, FL. 34136

The rare and endangered American ghost orchid is a protected species for good reason—it only grows in the wilds of the Everglades in Florida and is found in Cuba.
It is among the most complex and sophisticated of the orchid species, and is credited with legendary powers and mysticism.

July 10, 2007, D. K. Christi was spending her birthday wandering the boardwalk in one of her favorite places, Blair Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. To her surprise, “the air was filled with excitement—the discovery of the ‘Super Ghost.”’
D. K. Christi’s obsession with the “Super Ghost” led to write-ups in the Naples Daily News for her daily walks for three months following every nuance of change in the orchid plant that reached into her soul and took hold.

The novel, Ghost Orchid, grew from that obsession. She also became a certified Corkscrew Swamp naturalist to take visitors on tours along the boardwalk and gained expertise, both legendary and botanical. The mixture of sex, myth and magic provides an entertaining experience and a new appreciation for the habitat that is the domain for this rare and endangered treasure.

“Haunting” “Enlightening” “Amazing” “Brilliant” (A few reviews…)

Ghost Orchid Synopsis: A story of love, lies and redemption unfolds one coincidence at a time under the aura of the rare and mystical ghost orchid high in the cypress canopy of the Everglades.

NPR Reviews praise Ghost Orchid for the beauty of the Everglades that shines through on every page, the ghost orchid the heart and soul of the story; a must read. Photographers seek the perfect subject in the perfect light, finding themselves and the answer to the question: Is love eternal?

A complex unraveling of family secrets and unique friendship touches the heart, adding new meaning to the roots that strengthen family ties.

Buy Ghost Orchid: online print and ebook sellers; Corkscrew Sanctuary Gift Shop, Naples Visitors Center 900 5th downtown; Hallmark gift shop & Eastfork Orchids in Bonita Springs; Sarasota & Lee County libraries. Order from bookstores & purchase at frequent D. K. Christi book signings. www.dkchristi.com . ISBN 978-1-60318-136-5

Review by Amazon.com —“Themes of friendship surviving tragedy, love conquering adversity & the triumph of the human spirit over the hardships of life serve to uplift & inspire...through her stories perhaps discover something new about yourself.” -

Book club conversation starters:
Why did Mel find such peace and serenity at the swamp?
What happened to her singular love relationship?
Neev had no desire to travel in Florida. Why?
Roger was faced with a heart rending dilemma. Describe it.
When did the mystery begin to unfold? The first clue?
Was the ghost orchid more than an exquisite flower? Why?
Find the coincidences as they occur.
Does the unraveling feel coincidental, spiritual or contrived?
Symbolism, spiritual and paranormal, threads through this story; point out incidences and their meaning.
Why is the setting critical and a “matter of consequence?”
Do you see any other potential endings for this story?
What do you think a sequel would include?
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