Writers on Wednesday: Kristina Dryza

Welcome back to another great Writers on Wednesday post. This week, I am chatting with South Australian author Kristina Dryza ...



Tell me a bit about yourself …

My name is Kristina Dryza and I’m a consumer trends expert advising the world’s biggest companies on emerging social and cultural trends. I’m also a keynote speaker on creativity, innovation and the future. Studying the patterns of economic cycles and consumer behaviour led me to become interested in the patterns of nature; specifically seasonal, lunar, tidal and circadian rhythms. It became apparent that the very nature of life is expressed and experienced as rhythm and it’s around this theme that my book Grace and the Wind is based.

Tell us about your most recently published book?

Grace and the Wind is really a handbook for life. It’s an allegorical novel about a teenage girl, Grace, and the friendship she develops with the Wind. [I chose to tell the story of the emotional and metaphoric influence of nature via fiction, as we interpret and understand the world through stories – not facts.] The Wind teaches her how to align with universal cycles and patterns so she can flow through life, and in doing so, becomes the embodiment of her name. By embracing the wheel of time and aligning with the continuous ebb and flow of life, she experiences less struggles and more grace.

Tell us about the first time you were published?

I’ve had many articles published over the years (I used to be a writer for CNN) but nothing compares to the first time I saw my book on a bookshelf (both at a friend’s house and in the bookstore).

As writer, what has been your proudest achievement so far?

Being given a platform to talk about the concepts in the book, run workshops on the material – but more than that – it’s been helping others remember, feel and experience the patterns and cycles of nature. The rhythm of life comes from within and then enters into the constitution of all things. Discussing with others how to tap into the rhythm underneath each moment and sharing how we can honour this cadence as we go about our lives, is what I’m most proud of. Giving permission for others to create space for grace, stillness and beauty is really the gift of the book.

What books or writing projects are you currently working on, if anything?

I don’t want to give too much away about the next book, suffice to say, I’m fascinated by the symbols of the unconscious realm: myths, metaphors and archetypes and my new book focuses on this world.

Which do you prefer? eBooks or Paper Books? Why?

Paper. I am that person who turns down the corner of the page instead of using a bookmark and scribbles notes in the margin and highlights meaningful phrases.

Indie Publishing, or Traditional Publishing?

Either. A story that needs to be shared requires as many publishing vehicles as possible.

Aside from your own books, of course, what is one book that you feel everybody should read?

Momo by Michael Ende.

Finally … is there anything you would like to say to your readers in Adelaide, Australia?

Thank you so much for your support. Thank you for purchasing Grace so that Dymocks keeps reordering!!! Thank you to all those who write and tell me the effect Grace has had on your lives, how you’ve been changed by the story and now perceive the world with different eyes. It is for you that the book was written.

Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Wind-Kristina-Dryza/dp/099244733X/ref=sr_1_4_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424596041&sr=8-4&keywords=grace+and+the+wind

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Wind-Kristina-Dryza-ebook/dp/B00MFVEFEY/ref=sr_1_4_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424596041&sr=8-4&keywords=grace+and+the+wind

Dymocks (available at all branches): https://www.dymocks.com.au/

Publisher: http://www.doctorzed.com/

Website: http://www.kristinadryza.com/
Grace and the Wind: http://www.graceandthewind.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraceandtheWind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristinaDryza

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