Interview with Audrey deChadenedes

Author of Offerings

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’m originally from New York City; I currently live in San Francisco, CA.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

When my daughter was born in 1985, her father and I decided we didn’t want to raise her in NYC, which at the time felt very hostile and violent. We moved to Santa Fe, NM, where my parents lived, thinking it would be good to be near family, where I opened a flower shop. Unfortunately, in the first year it became clear that my daughter was not developing normally and she was tentatively diagnosed with Rett Syndrome at age 4. Her disability, or more specifically her father’s reaction to it, took a toll on the marriage, and in 1993 we separated. I decided to close my shop and move with my daughter to San Francisco, where a dear friend lived and offered work and community. After determining that services for my daughter were sufficient, we moved to this lovely city in the spring and we never looked back.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

This is my first book, and I don’t consider it to be about the words as much as the pictures, or rather, what the pictures are of. I began a weekly practice of creating offerings after my daughter died suddenly in 2018. I spent most of that year in a fog; my main relief was the long walks I took each day around San Francisco’s Lake Merced, which I’m lucky enough to live near. I took great comfort from the sky, the water, the trees, and the birds I encountered each day, and I started noticing a group of large tree stumps. They looked to me like altars and I began thinking about placing some sort of offerings on them – offerings to my daughter’s spirit and all others who have passed, and to the creatures in and around the lake. One day, I just started, and I’ve been creating a weekly offering ever since; I’m now up to #49. I just let the process unfold on its own; I use mostly gathered natural materials I find around the lake – leaves, stones, feathers, seeds, and sticks – supplementing with purchased flowers, and some beads and other pretty things I have at home. I post each week’s picture online, and I began getting strong positive feedback immediately. Soon people started stopping while I worked to tell me that they looked forward to seeing them, that they also photographed and posted them, and sharing with me their very personal stories of loss and comfort received from seeing the offerings. Friends convinced me that I should turn the pictures into a book; this is the first 6 months or so of offerings, and I now have another book’s worth for the next installment. I plan to continue indefinitely.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

This book is about love, nature, spirit, loss, and healing. My purpose is to illustrate our deep and innate connection with nature, and its powerful ability to nurture and restore us.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I think that anyone can appreciate this book, but especially those who appreciate the beauty of the natural world, people who might already be curious about or working with energy and spirit, and anyone who has experienced loss and longed for a way to remember and honor those they love.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I was very surprised at people’s positive reactions to the book, since I had considered it to be something very personal. After hearing so many people’s stories about the peace they felt, I’ve started thinking differently about these offerings and what they can do in the world.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

I would not have been so hesitant to publish – I really had to be pushed! Next time I’ll have more confidence about the value of what I’m offering, even as I work to improve the quality of the words and pictures.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

I want the book to reach everyone who can benefit from it.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Well, I’ve never published a book before, and it was scary. Mostly, because I wasn’t at all certain that anyone would want to look at it, but also because I was self-publishing with no experience. I think my biggest problem was formatting; I tried many, many layouts before finalizing the one I used, and I still think I could have done it better.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

a) I tend to work from inspiration, rather than organization, so when I’m on a roll I can go on for hours and come up with wonderful things.

b) and c) Since I have no experience at all, my main strength is my natural optimism.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

a) As I said, I work from inspiration, so when it’s not there, things can get rough. I am not linear in my approach to anything, no matter how hard I try, so simply “having a plan” is not usually good enough.

b) and c) My lack of experience is a drawback, but I can only improve in this area. I do have a reluctance to blow my own horn, which is definitely a marketing weakness. I’m very grateful to Author Voices for making it less intimidating.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m working on the next book now. In it I hope to instruct and empower others to do the same thing I’ve done. I would like to train and recruit an army of people to leave little bits of natural beauty in random places in every city and town. After seeing people’s reactions, it’s obvious how much we need these pockets of grace in our everyday lives.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Self-published.