International Women’s Spread Kaylyn Gabbert

Some of the lovely ladies in this year's spread asked me interview questions. I'm posting them in order of when I interviewed them. ^-^ 

Irene Lyla Lee: If your writing was a tool for the world what would you want it to be able to do?

Kaylyn Gabbert: I would bring attention to the importance of mental health care, not as a health care worker, but as one who still suffers from depression, anxiety, and PTSD with love, support, and meds. I would also show people how it is to live with disabilities that heavily impact your life in multiple ways, but I would give others a safe place to talk about their mental health, disability, or otherwise stories they wish to share. They don’t have to share their name if they don’t want to. I also have a passion for education and the education system as how it should be. No matter what my passion is I always study up on it and share my personal experiences as well. 

Molly W.: Throughout your interviews, have you noticed any common theme with what inspires the women you've spoken to or what their hobbies and interests are?

KG: A lot of hobbies include relaxing-like, reading, watching movies, going out to restaurants. 

Sara W.: What got you started with writing? 

KG: I started writing on my way from a church camp vacation with a friend, and on the hours long ride back I got bored. I started writing a short story about hanging out with my older brother during my favorite holiday, 4th of July. He was watching me inattentively and there was an accident that happened. I’ve been writing ever since. 

Varuni S.: What got me started interviewing people for this? 

KG: I was already celebrating International Women’s Day by showcasing the women of my fictional world when I found an article about interviewing people in many different ways from Writer’s Digest. My dad had already taught me how to interview people back when I was a teen. I wanted to try my hand at that to celebrate International Women’s Month. I’ve since tried my hand at every method they’ve mentioned for interviewing except in person due to the cold and memories of freezing up during my first in-person interview as a teen. My Cerebral Palsy shorts out my muscles in my legs and back when it gets too cold. 

VS: Why do you think you’re so into anime and fantasy?

KG: For anime, it’s as simple as the anime groups in middle school, in eighth grade specifically where the anime group got together once a month for a sleepover to watch anime and celebrate all the anime birthdays in the month. It gave me the opportunity to get out of my house when I needed it. 

As for fantasy, when I wrote fantasy as a kid and teen I was no longer bound by my Cerebral Palsy or by the abuse I was going through. I could do things I couldn’t in real life and about situations I had absolutely no control over in real life. I stuck with it because it helped me deal with my father’s passing, healing from abuse, and now I can’t imagine writing much else, but that doesn’t stop me from attempting to be a journalist, a blogger, a romance writer, and more. 

Dr. Danett: What’s the thing you love most about writing?

KG: I love that it’s an escape from my Cerebral Palsy and gives me a chance to do something in situations where I’d usually be powerless. But my favorite thing about writing is being able to write my family and friends into my adventures when in reality we’re spread far and wide. I’m one of those crazy people who asks if people want to be in my stories. 

Kat B.: Why are you in Brooklyn Women’s Writing Group? 

KG: I run a group on Facebook called Accountabilibuddies and we had talked about doing writing sprints, but with all of us around the conflicting schedules and living all over the world we couldn’t meet for sprints. I found it to be more helpful to get more writing done during sprints, so I ended up finding the Brooklyn Women’ Writing Group and loved it ever since. 

KB:So what are your day jobs?

KG: I’m an editor and beta reader. I have three loyal clients, two I’ve known since my college years, and they have different things they want me to look out for in their books. They let me know what they are looking for.