Q. Why did you feel the need to write Nefertiti Street?

A. When I sat down to write an account of a seven-year period of my life it was not with the idea of publication. It was to make sense of the choices I made in my late forties and early fifties. I wanted my three sons and those closest to me to gain some understanding of what I had experienced both on an inner and outer level during those years and the deep soul-searching involved in deciding to live the life I really wanted. It was later, after reading bits and pieces of my memoir to friends, that I realised it might resonate with other people, particularly women.


Q. How scary is it to know that your story, with all its personal details, is out there for everyone to read.

A. There is no doubt that having a memoir published is damned scary. Since most of my other books are research-based, I had never faced anything like the publication of ‘Nefertiti Street‘ before. Putting your story out there opens you up to all kinds of criticism and sometimes outright ridicule. Also you never really know if people are telling you the truth about it. It leaves you feeling vulnerable even when the feedback is positive. As a friend of mine, Patti Miller, said ‘it makes you feel like several layers of skin have been removed. So why do it? That’s the writer’s job I guess – to become vulnerable for others.’ Despite the possibility of making some people wince or feel like voyeurs, I had to include a lot of personal stuff where it was relevant. There was no point in half-writing the memoir. I had to be totally honest and if that meant showing myself in a bad light, then so be it.


Q. What did you get out of writing this book?

A. It forced me to delve into my past and to address a whole lot of issues that I believed I had already dealt with long ago. Although confronting, it was therapeutic. By having my story published and allowing myself to become vulnerable once again, I grew as a person. My three sons have a greater understanding of and admiration for my various choices now although they were always proud of me, and I have made contact with a large network of wonderful women. Also, it made realise that I need to write. It is something I enjoy, that makes waking up in the morning so pleasurable and that provides an outlet for my creativityat this stage in my life.



Q. What do you think other people have got out of your book?

A. That’s a difficult question to answer as I have no idea how many people have read it or what they thought. On the basis of the feedback I have received from women one-on-one and via letter and email as far a field as the US, Britain, Germany and South East Asia, I would say that everyone resonates with something different in the book. One woman from North Carolina told me that she regrets never having lived her dream or going for the man she really loved and wishes she could have had the courage that I did. She seems to think it’s too late. It’s never too late. My courage in going for what I needed at that stage in my life, seems to be something that most people comment on. Others relate to small things, like my description of my first marriage. Others admire the way I went about leaving my husband in the most loving way I could and went to live on my own. Still others who have had a falling out with members of their family ask me questions about my sons and parents’ reaction to my decision to marry a much younger man from a different culture. Many of my ex-students loved the stuff about school and teaching and the way I stood up to the ‘boys’ club. Some people resonated with the Egyptian experiences and enjoyed my take on the ‘New Age’ movement, others inquired into my belief in past lives. Then there are those who said it has encouraged them to take a trip on their own. It seems Nefertiti Street has resonated with many people on different levels. I guess some thought it was just a good, easy read.


Q. Why didn’t you continue your story to include something about your life with your new Egyptian husband and some of the challenges you allude to in the epilogue?

A few other people have asked the same question. Despite the interest it might have aroused, it was never my intention to relate aspects of my life post 1994. A memoir is not necessarily a life story. This memoir was written to highlight the markers in my journey between the ages of 47-52: the decision to leave my career, to travel alone to Egypt five times and the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges I faced there; the trauma of ending my 31 year-long marriage and leaving my affluent lifestyle to live alone in the inner city, meeting a young Egyptian man with whom I had a soul-level connection and the realization that I had to pursue the path with heart.

For those who may be interested in my journey after my second marriage, snippets may be gleaned from an upcoming memoir.


If anyone has other questions regarding Nefertiti Street I will gladly try to address them.