Book: Wonders In Dementia Land
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
My name is Suzka. I am an artist, a painter and now an author. I look at things differently than most. I love everything irreverent, imaginative, delightfully manic and brimming with color. It is the other side in every scenario that interests me the most. So it goes without saying, my take on dementia is going to show that other side – the magical cockeyed world that exists a step outside reality. From the book, to a podcast to a movie in the mix, everything Dementialand™ in my new love.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Dementialand’ book?
The challenge came after I wrote the book. The word dementia, even the word ‘Dementialand’, ignited a fear and negative response to a subject no one wanted to talk about. Part of me understood. When my mother got dementia I searched all other for a book that was not depressing. I ended up writing the book I was looking for.
I loved living it, writing it and reading it… again and again.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I love story’s that are written beautifully and character driven. Faulkner, Steinbeck, Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, Lawrence Durrell, Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and everything Fellini. I sleep with the books of Picasso, Giacometti, Rauschenberg, DeKooning and Joyce Cary. We are all so close. I use words like they’re paint. Gully Jimson from Cary’s ‘The Horse’s Mouth’ is one of the strong visiting characters in Dementialand.
Q4. What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
My favorite place is where I am and where I dream to be.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?
Play pool. Wash my kitchen floor. Cartwheels… whatever works at that moment.
Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Wonders In Dementialand’ book?
Four years. I had cancer and was going through treatment. I was unable to paint or move around much. About all I could do was lift my iPad and write. For four years I walked to a coffee shop at the corner and wrote every morning from 7 am to noon. Some days I wrote only one sentence. It was the routine that saved me.
Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘Wonders In Dementia Land’ book to buy?
Physical book and kindle available on Amazon. Audio book on: Audible, Google Play, chirp, kobo and Spotify. Check out Dementialand’s storyline podcasts on YouTube. In the works: Dementialand’s first short film in its new episode series (check Dementialand’s Instagram for updates).
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Wonders In Dementialand’
I am constantly creating images of Dementialand. The whimsical topsy-turvy persona appears on the cover and in my paintings as well as Dementialand’s storyline podcast on YouTube. Dementialand for me exists a step beyond reality. It’s an artists’s playground.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
Movement keeps things fresh for me. From the book to a podcast to making a movie. The American Film Market selected Wonders In Dementialand to be pitched to producers at their book-to-movie session. It was Dementialand’s first introduction to the film industry and received an overwhelming response as well as a full movie producer contract. The script’s first draft was written, a trailer was in the works… then came the pandemic, Covid and the return of my cancer. Everything was canceled. I was devastated but not broken. The AFM experience made me realize the enormity of the subject and how important it is to tell this story.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
I loved living in Dementialand. There were no more expectations of who or what I was suppose to be. It was scary at first. My entire daughter-hood was colored by issues I had with my mother. It was who I am for God’s sake. My rebellious, my insecurities, my defensiveness was all part of my makeup. And if my mother cannot remember our issues, then who am I. Her memory loss was changing my identity not hers. Under that canvas I created, I saw someone I hardly knew. I believe Dementia was my mother’s last gift she gave to me.
Book Is Available On Amazon
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