Friday , March 29 2024
Self-help author Gulten Dye in an interview about her life, writing and the creative process.

Interview: Gulten Dye, Author of ‘Semi Coma ’

Gulten DyeGulten Dye was born and raised in Turkey, where she graduated from nursing school in Istanbul. She met and followed her boyfriend to Philippines, and while there, they eventually married, and later moved to the United States where she continued her nursing, becoming charge nurse at the UniversityMedical Trauma Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2001, divorced and supporting her two sons, she created a successful business of creating and designing jewelry called “Jewels2Dye4.” After many years of success in designing with crystal beads and semi-precious stones, Gulten expanded her vision to include casting her jewelry into a line of interchangeable pieces called “Metamorphosis.” Under her name GultenDye, her success has been world-wide and she is known as an international jewelry designer success.

In 2011, Gulten completed her first book, Semi Coma – Evolution of my Intermittent Consciousness.  In 2013, she opened her first store called – Gulten Dye Creative Playground – featuring her creations, works from local artists and local authors, and a place where anyone can stop in to create a piece of their own. In 2014, her second book, The Missing Link to Success – Let the Magic Unfold will be released, along with a book of intimate poems, Gulten Dye’s Poetry – Going Within.

Gulten lives and creates in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Semi-ComaCongratulations on the release of your latest book, Semi Coma, Evolution Of My Intermittent Consciousness. When did you start writing and what got you into self-help?

I first started writing when I was in middle school, and for years I wrote in Turkish since that is my first language, and, of course, as my English got better and my Turkish started to decline because of infrequent usage, I found that it was easier for me to write in English.  As to why I chose self- help, I suppose as my awareness grew in me as a person so did my need to help others as I had received help from reading countless self-help titles.

Did you have a mentor who encouraged you?

No I did not. I am the type of person who really beats to her own drum so, for the most part, there were not many people who knew of my writings. When I finally told several people that I was writing, overall, I got negative comments as to what I was writing wouldn’t make a good book.  Thank God for my personality which is independent of the good opinions of others.  If I had really listened to most of them, there would not be a book called Semi Coma. 

Did you have any struggles or difficulties when you started writing?

I had a difficulty writing it the good old fashion way with pen and paper because I was not the most avid speller, and since I didn’t know how to type, the book was written with one finger at a time

All and all it was actually better that I didn’t know how to write it faster since that aided me in being able to stay connected with my heart and mind at all times.  When I used to write in Turkish in the old days, my mind used to go 90 miles an hour, and after I wrote anything, it was hard to get back to it, and when I reread it again, it was often senseless . . . maybe it was because that was how I was at that time in my life. 

What was your inspiration for your book?

I was coming back from a business trip from China when I encountered two very short teenagers who appeared very happy and confident to be themselves.  It was striking, I must say, and was beyond the ordinary display of confidence that I had ever witnessed up to that point.  As I was watching them disappear into the massive sea of people, a thought came to my mind – they were kings of their lives, and they knew it without the shadow of any doubt.  In that instant, I realized that we all were kings and queens of our own lives.  When the belief that I held in my head for years about how all short people want to be taller, including myself, in order to be happy, as well as any other similar thinking vanished from my mind forever, I no longer wanted to wait for any particular condition to come to its fulfillment.  It inspired me to write my book now. 

What do you hope readers will get from your book?

I wrote the book from the point of trying to show the fallacy of my thinking and what worked for me on the way to correcting my thinking which, ultimately, resulted in a happier version of my true self. My hope is for my readers to get their A HA moments by reading my book and to have the strength to be themselves, along with a sense of entitlement to be happy now, regardless of their circumstances. 

Did your book require a lot of research?

Yes, I had to have countless trips to the depth of my heart and soul, which was very scary for me.  It was hard to find anything resembling a soul at first; it was crushed under all the layers of wants, needs, and unnecessary pain.  As I started to peel back the layers of crust, I felt lighter and lighter, one moment at a time. 

What do you do when your muse refuses to collaborate?

I wait for it come back again.  In truth, the moment I isolate myself from the daily grind of things and put myself in a quiet room, and start writing, after about 20 minutes of just sitting there or reading what I previously wrote, my muse, who is always patiently waiting for me to get back to it, showers me with endless words. 

How do you keep your narrative exciting?

Keeping the narrative exiting was a bit difficult for me at first, but shortly after I started writing this book, I noticed that there were some pages I loved when I would read them later because they were exciting. I further noted that by getting excited myself about what I was writing as if I became one with the moment, it was quite lovely to witness the change from writing to being in the flow of things.  The moment I was able to join my head which was often doing the writing with my heart, it all got exciting, including what I put onto the pages in front of me. 

How do you define success?

Success for me is having true moments of being one with myself without any fears, wants or needs; it is watching the smiles of people around me; it is the satisfaction of the firm decisions to embrace the life the way it presents itself right in front of me regardless of the outcomes of any of my endeavors.  Success for me is the complete acceptance of myself, which I am still working on every day.  Anytime I catch myself disapproving of anything or anyone, I immediately try to correct my thinking. 

Do you have a website or blog where readers can find out more about your work?

My website is gultendye.com I write a blog on there as well, which is a mixture of my writings, my jewelry, and my poetry – kind of like me, a bit of everything. 

What advice would you give to aspiring writers whose spouses or partners dont support their dreams of becoming an author?

To remember that we each have our own dreams, and ours don’t have to look like anyone else’s.   Try to understand that what they say is just their opinion; you truly don’t need anyone’s support or their approval to be anything, including a writer!  Just be determined and be true to yourself and your desires.

About Mayra Calvani

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. Represented by Serendipity Literary.

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