Rebecca Durkin, author of Chemo
on the Rocks:
My Great Alaskan Misadventure, and her short story, Behind the Smile, is
known for her candor and sense of humor.
Rebecca is a featured speaker/creative
trainer for an annual women’s retreat in California, where she shares her
experiences and provides writing ideas. She is also a volunteer for the
Survivors Teaching Students: Saving Women's Lives ® program
for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
Rebecca spent the majority of her life
living on the edge of the shore, first on Whidbey Island, Washington and then
in rainy Ketchikan, Alaska where she lived a waterlogged existence for almost
thirty years. She currently lives in the
Pacific Northwest where she enjoys road trips with her husband, hanging with
her adult children, playing with her three Bichons—Scuppers, Scuttles, and
Teeny Booty—and finding the humor in everyday life.
For
More Information
About the Book:
Chemo on the Rocks is a shoreside seat on Rebecca (Becky) Durkin’s great Alaskan misadventure.
It highlights the hilarity and heartache of a young girl who finds herself
marooned in Ketchikan—fondly known as "The Rock"—where she remains on
her self-imposed Alaskatraz for almost thirty years.
Chemo on the Rocks is witty, inspirational, satirical, and
sometimes terrifying. It is a mix of pain and laughter as Becky walks the IV
gauntlet, trailing behind the unfettered back end peeking through the drab
hospital gown of the man shuffling before her.
Chemo on the Rocks is a hard-fought battle in the fallopian
trenches where Becky wages war on ovarian cancer—the ultimate wedding
crasher—as it invites an entire medical team into her honeymoon suite. She slays the cancer dragon and has two
children in defiance of the beast, but just when it seems life has returned to
normalcy, she prematurely crashes onto Mount Hysteria and wanders
aimlessly through the Hormone War Zone in the Land of the Ovary
Snatchers.
Everything about having chemo on the rock
was made more difficult by Becky’s fears of boating and flying—the only escape
from the island—which became more terrifying with each trip to Seattle for
surgery or testing. Chemo on the Rocks showcases the many parallels
between sea adventures and cancer adventures, such as doldrums while awaiting
diagnosis, the skull and cross bones of chemo, the bitter end of a failed
marriage, tying the knot of another, listing dangerously, and perhaps a return
to navigable waters.
For More Information
- Chemo on the Rocks: My Great Alaskan Misadventure is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Thank you for this interview! I’d like to know more about you as a person
first. What do you do when you’re not
writing?
Thank you for the opportunity! I love to go on daytrips with
my husband. I have a zippy little Mustang convertible perfect for exploring Washington
State’s back roads. I grew up in Ketchikan,
Alaska where the annual average
precipitation is nearly 13 feet per year. Being able to drive with the top down
is such a treat! I have three Poodle/Bichons, Scuppers, Scuttles, and Teeny
Booty. They keep me busy and entertained with their antics. I also enjoy
hanging out with my two adult kids, Jeffrey and MacKenzie.
When did you start writing?
I started writing about fifteen years ago. I had no writing
aspirations, but writing found me. It was my solace when the aftermath of
having a deadly cancer caught up with me. I had no idea how to write a book, so
it was a long process.
As a published author, what would you say was the most
pivotal point of your writing life?
A few things were pivotal. It’s hard to think of just one.
First was when I realized that even though I never intended to be an author,
writing is what I’m supposed to be doing. Of course, finding someone who
believed in my story enough to publish my book was huge. Then, that moment—when
after reading and editing until my brain and fingers hurt—I finally accepted my
book was ready. I think the most pivotal point was when I knew how to write the
ending.
If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next
book, where would that be and why?
I would like to find a small cabin somewhere with a view of
the mountains and some prancing goats and cows in the pasture. For some reason
that peacefulness just takes me to a happy place. If I can’t find inspiration
there, I’m not sure what I’ll do!
If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?
Well, Washington State
has set records for high temperatures lately. After living in Alaska
for almost thirty years, this extreme ninety-degree weather has been brutal for
me. I’m thinking I’d hop in the car and head for the ocean to feel cool breezes
in my hair.
Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done
yet?
It would be fun to set a story in a place I know nothing
about. That way I would have the challenge of research to make sure I had all
my facts straight. Maybe I’d just take a dart and throw it at a map and let the
story begin where the dart lands. That being said, I do have many pages already
written in my novel, Heaping Teaspoons of
Sugar, which is set in Washington
State.
Back to your present book, Chemo on the Rocks: My Great Alaskan Misadventure, how did you
publish it?
I sent queries out to multiple publishers and agents. My
dear friend and writing mentor suggested I send a query to Christine F.
Anderson Publishing & Media. That turned out to be an excellent suggestion.
In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?
Because my book is a memoir, my travels and adventures
throughout my life all contributed to research. I did go back to Whidbey
Island, Washington two years
ago to make sure the places I remembered in my story were accurate. It was a
great trip into my past.
Why was writing Chemo
on the Rocks: My Great Alaskan Misadventure so important to you?
Initially it was a healing tool. It was excellent therapy to
write about my experiences. Through the writing I realized how much I love
humor. The ability to laugh at oneself and the joy of being able to share that
with others is golden.
I think it is important to provide hope to people who may be
embarking on an arduous journey. If my story continues to generate laughter,
inspire, and help raise awareness about ovarian cancer, then I have met my
goal.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that
is?
I get my best ideas by observing people. They all become
characters to me. The meanest, maddest, biggest and most boisterous are all
fuel for a story. I think my ideas flow because I’m curious and inquisitive.
Also, I like to write my thoughts about what’s happening when it’s happening.
It is raw and fresh that way. A poem about what I see out my window, or perhaps
when someone hurts my feelings, or better yet when something amazing happens. I
love to put it all on paper.
Any final words?
Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit about myself
and about Chemo on the Rocks: My Great
Alaskan Misadventure. I’m pleased that the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
allowed me to share an important brochure in the back of my book that tells
about ovarian cancer symptoms. I donate a percentage of the proceeds of my book
to them.
Thank you for the interview!
ReplyDeleteRebecca Durkin
Author, Chemo on the Rocks: My Great Alaskan Misadventure