The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul
Memoir
Date Published: February 27th, 2025
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Deborah Rudell’s world unravels when the leaders of her spiritual
commune are exposed, arrested, and imprisoned for bioterrorism and attempted
murder. Crushed and adrift, she moves her family off the commune to create a
sense of normalcy. But when her husband seeks an opportunity to dismantle
and rebuild a derelict fifty-foot schooner, Deborah uproots their children
once again and joins him in Kauai. For the next five years, she dedicates
her life to restoring a boat.
Pouring herself into the work at hand can only distract her so much as
disillusionment about the cult’s lies and manipulation slowly rises to
the surface. While she grapples with emotional turmoil and contemplates a
new life path, Deborah sets out to accomplish something she never thought
possible: sailing across the Pacific to the Olympic Peninsula. Will the
dangers that come with navigating the ocean be too much to bear, or will she
find resolution and fortitude in the turbulent adventure?
Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship & a Soul is one
woman’s account of conquering overwhelming challenges with tenacity
and ingenuity and ultimately discovering her inner strength.
Interview
Can you tell us a little about the process of getting this book published? How did you come up with the idea and how did you start?
At first, I didn’t plan on publishing this book. I planned on submitting technical boat-building articles with photos, to Wooden Boat Magazine. When I presented this idea and some articles to a writing group, I was asked the question: is this a photo journal project or is there a story here? I had to answer truthfully; that there was a story! And then gradually, over time with the writing group, they coaxed the personal story out of me as they tired of hearing about drift bolts, epoxy and sandpaper.
And honestly, I just started where I started, in a gale at sea, and then the story led me back in time, and that led to another part of my life etc! I like large pieces of paper with word bubble maps: a central theme and then bubbles coming off with ideas for scenes. Then I number the scenes in the order that I think will best tell the story. Then I worked on transitions between scenes and between the central ideas.
What surprised you most about getting your book published?
That it got published at all!!! Amazing, just one step at a time and soon there was a finished manuscript. I have been surprised at what a lot of work the actual publishing process is. I have learned a whole new skill set!
Tell us a little about what you do when you aren’t writing.
I enjoy time in my garden, swimming, walking, reading and drawing and crocheting, and visiting over tea with friends and family.
As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?
There are two: the day I joined the Memoir Writers Association and actually shared my writing and listened to other writers…. and learned about the craft of storytelling. And then the day I signed up with a publisher…. total committment, I was going to share my story and my writing with more than just my writing group.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
My best ideas usually come from my own life, probably because that is what I know the best. The downloads come in the early morning and wake me up. While I don’t know why that is really, there are many mystics that say the veils between the worlds is thinner then, and the angels can inspire us!
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
The toughest criticism I ever received as an author was when I was ten years old and my teachers accused me of plagiarism. It stopped me from writing until now.
What has been your best accomplishment as a writer?
My best compliment as a writer has been when readers say the story is so interesting they cannot stop reading.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
This question makes me laugh, because it is so true. The ideas just keep flowing and unfolding and there are not enough hours and days to follow each of them all the way through to completion. I don’t have any unpublished books, however, there are about four outlines waiting for me in Scivener!
About the Author
A college professor in San Diego, California, Deborah Rudell participates
in her city’s vibrant writing community. She is a graduate of Hay
House Writer’s Workshop and the Certificate in Memoir Writing program
at San Diego Writers, Ink. Her work has been published in the International
Memoir Writers Association’s anthology, Shaking the Tree: I Didn't See
That One Coming.
Deborah lives with her black cat in a tiny house built in 1906 by a retired
sea captain, who carved a sailing ship into the front door. This is her
first book.
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