Candid Talk with Yolanda Isabel Regueira Marin

Hello everyone! Thank you for visiting my blog. It is my great pleasure to introduce to you today the lovely, talented writer and blogger Yolanda Isabel Regueira Marin. I met Yolanda on Google+ and it didn’t take me long to discover that she is a wonderful person. I visited her blog Love, Pain and Other Catastrophes and quickly became a fan. Read on and you’ll see why.

In her words…

I was born in Madrid Spain and immigrated to Australia with my parents when I was four years old  I speak and write Spanish fluently and dabble in Italian.  I have grown up surrounded by Spanish culture and traditions and have integrated them into my life in the land downunder.  I guess you could call me a Spanaussie.

I live in beautiful Sydney, Australia and am a Licensed Conveyancer.  For those of you who don’t know what that is … I practice Property Law and all that it involves.

I have many interests one of them being the theatre both performing and attending.  I am a member of a community theatre at which I perform.

I enjoy photography, trying capture the place … the moment, through the lens of a camera.  Hand in hand with this is my love for travel.  I  feel I have learnt so much through experiencing the different cultures and the colours of the many countries I have been lucky enough to have visited.

My greatest passion is writing.  Life is my inspiration with all its beauty and its ugliness.  I have always enjoyed writing, but started my blog as a way of externalising my thoughts and emotions. Whilst I enjoy writing prose, poetry is my first love.  I love the freedom of expression it allows.  Writing allows me to immerse myself in another character or travel to another world.  It feeds my soul and lets my imagination take flight.  It is as essential as breathing.

I live, I love, I breathe …. a mixture of unique and ordinary.  A little bit mad, but sometimes very sane.  Life has brought moments of overwhelming joy and dark despair …. I travel through this journey that is life, with one eye open and the other closed to unnecessary reality.

“We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde

Take my hand and join me in this journey that is life.

Yolanda has aways had a flair for the dramatic.

Okay, lets start the Q & A…

1) If you win the lottery what would be the first thing you would do with the money? (no mushy answer, haha!)
Really, no mush damn … lol It would depend on how much money I won. If I won an outrageous amount I would definitely leave work and dedicate my time to my writing and other things that I enjoy doing. I’m sorry, I have to get a little mushy … Please don’t stop the interview!! I would help my daughters out financially and as I have intentions of doing some work with charities once I retire, I would start that a little earlier. I have always wanted to contribute to and work with ill and/or abused children.

 Okay, that’s it! I’m writing a long letter to pope Francis requesting you be canonized as a saint.

2) Do you speak Spanish?
Yes, I do. I read and write in Spanish as well. My father in particular was adamant that my brothers and I would learn the language. He would make us sit down in front of a small blackboard every day after school and give us lessons. He was not quite as diligent with my younger brothers. Of course, I hated it at the time, but I am now very grateful that he took the time to teach us. I also went to Spanish lessons when I got older and speaking Spanish at home obviously helped. Although I speak Spanish well, my English vocabulary is more extensive and I would consider English to be my first language.

I believe it’s great to have a second language.

3) What is the most demeaning thing said about you as a writer?
I have been very lucky, I have not had too much criticism of my writing and the little that I have had has been constructive and I have learnt from it. The only incident I can recall happened about two months ago, when I was told that my writing was ‘dribble’, that my poems were ‘a pandering bunch of crap’ and that I ‘had only published one technically good poem’. It hit me in the gut and it hurt at the time, but everyone is entitled to their opinion and you cannot please or cater to everyone.

     I, like you, believe that everyone’s entitled to their opinion and I understand that not everyone is going to like every piece you write, but there’s a right and wrong way to give a critique. There’s no reason for someone to be rude or mean. Of course it hurts.

4) What are you passionate about? (in addition to writing)
My two daughters, they are my greatest achievement and my greatest love. Ooops, sorry I forgot about the ‘no mush’ rule ☺

I’ll let it go this time. ;D

I am passionate about the theatre, both attending and performing. It takes me away from reality and transposes me to another place and sometimes another time. Come on, who wouldn’t love it? You get to dress up and pretend to be someone else just like most of us did when we were kids. I will let you in on a secret, I have never really grown u, ha ha. On a more serious note, it has taught me discipline, expression and articulation when speaking.

Yolanda with her niece in a performance of Jayne Eyre

I also love to travel … Another great teacher from which I have learnt about different cultures, traditions and experienced the beauty of different landscapes and architecture. Hand in hand with travelling is my love for photography which allows me to capture the experience, the moment, the place and share these with others.

5) Where do you get inspiration for your blog posts? Do your experiences, songs, other writers, or dreams inspire you?
All of the above. Inspiration can be found everywhere if you leave yourself open to it. In Life, Love, Death, Nature and so much more … a newborn’s cry, a lover’s touch, a sound, a memory, an experience. I will leave it there, I am rambling. ☺

6) Have you ever hated (or regretted) something you wrote on your blog?
No, I don’t think so. Those of you who have read my blog know that it is personal. I am very honest and open when I write. I write from the heart and gut. My blog may not be for everyone, it was started for me and along the way, I have been told, it has touched other’s lives. There is no greater compliment than this. So no, there are no regrets. Whatever I have written was ‘right’ at the time.

I hear you. Well, actually I read you. You know what I mean.

7) Do you consider yourself a writer, blogger or both? Why?
This is the most difficult question because of what my definition of a writer has always been. I have always considered a writer to be someone who writes for a living, however meagre that living may be. What I have learnt from the writing communities that I am involved in, who are full of talented writers and some who are passionate about writing, is that if you write regularly you are a writer. If you have had your work published, you are an author. It makes sense, don’t you think? I am a poet and a blogger. A writer? I am still trying to get my head around being a writer. I have been called a writer by others and I have started delving into writing flash fiction and short stories. Maybe, I am a writer, I will leave that to the readers ☺

You are a writer, poet and blogger.

8) What is your favorite theme/genre to write about? Why?
I enjoy writing about life, the good, the bad and the ugly, and romance. The same three descriptions apply to romance too, lol. Whilst I have a vivid imagination the words flow more easily when I have lived it or have had exposure to something. Upon saying this, any form of writing irrespective of what theme/genre you write in, this would apply to. When writing, you have to dig deep and draw from inside. The more we get out there, live, experience and feel, the more we have to draw from.

     I absolutely agree. You do have to get out there and LIVE life. Experiment, take risks (calculated, don’t go nuts) and have fun.

9) If you got an offer to be a travel writer for a popular magazine making lots of money, would you leave your current job and go for it? Why/why not?
Is this a serious question? I am typing my resignation as we speak , lol … To combine my love of travel, with my love of writing and throw in some photography would be the ultimate career. To then be able to share these experiences with others, how exciting and satisfying. So, if there are any travel publishers out there … Hell, any publishers I’m your gal!! ☺

 You go girrrl! Ha,ha!

10) What do your loved ones think about your blogging/writing? Do they read it?
My family have always been aware that I write poetry, but some were surprised when they found out I had started writing a blog. Mainly because of how personal it is and how much of me it exposes. When I have written particularly raw pieces, my daughter used to ring and asked if I was ok. She is better now as I have explained to her that it is not always about me. They are all very supportive and all follow my blog. They have told me that they enjoy it and many posts have touched them. If they really hated it, I would hear it … We are very open in my family, lol.

That’s awesome Yolanda! 

11) What makes you laugh?
Myself, I can laugh at myself very easily, lol See, he he. Children, a good comedy, life … I laugh a lot and it has gotten me through some tough times. Laughing is the key to wellbeing and so much more fun than giving in to sadness.

So true! Sometimes I’m asked why I’m always smiling and laughing. Well, it keeps you young. It is the best medicine.

12) What makes you so sad you could cry?
Ok, here we go … mush again. The plight of so many people in war torn countries, living in extreme conditions. The poverty, famine … With so much wealth in the world, why does it still exist? Especially the children that never get a chance to reach their full potential. Abused and terminally ill children. When I feel like crying about my pain, I try to think about how great my life is, compared to others. This does not invalidate my own pain, we all experience sadness in our lives. I have gone off on a bit of a tangent, he he. I am pretty emotional, a sad movie or book will have me sobbing.

     I’m writing the letter to pope Francis as we speak. Ha,ha. But seriously, the things you mentioned are heart-wrenching and the       answer to your first question is GREED.

13) What character from a novel (protagonist/antagonist or other) do you see yourself in? Why?
Can I say two? Elizabeth Bennett in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and Scarlett O’Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind’. They have always stood out for me. Elizabeth Bennett because she is independent and outspoken for her time, but still feminine and caring of the people she loves. Scarlett O’Hara because whilst she comes from a life of privilege and some would say is spoilt, once thrown into chaos … She is passionate, strong and a survivor. She does what needs to be done for herself and her family. I admire strong women.

     I could see you in both these characters. Great choices.

14) What is your guilty pleasure?
Not too guilty, I don’t believe you should feel guilty about pleasure. Every morning I have a cup of coffee in bed. I get up a little earlier to be able to start the morning with this little bit of pampering and relaxation.

 Hmmm. This makes me wonder…who prepares this cup of coffee? (Re-thinking the letter to pope Francis)

15) Do you think your life would make an interesting memoir? If so, who would play you in a film of your life?
My life has been pretty average with all the usual ups and downs. There are some parts that others may consider interesting, but at this point I don’t feel I have led an extraordinary life. Maybe that is still to come ☺ If a film were made I would want Cate Blanchett to play me. She is such a talented and versatile actress and could even make my life seem interesting, ha ha.

     Why did I know Cate Blanchett would be your choice? Ha,ha! By the way, your life is very interesting, which brings me to my next question.

16) Tell us briefly about your recent vacation in Hawaii.
Aaaah Hawaii … back at work two weeks and it already feels like a dream ☺ It was a fun vacation. I did a 7 day cruise of the Hawaiian Islands, which was great and allowed me to see Maui, Hawaii – The Big Island and Kauai. The landscape of these islands is breathtaking and though I took many photographs it was difficult to capture the grandeur of Haleakala Crater or Waimea Canyon. I met some lovely people on the cruise and had a few party nights, he he. Waikiki was vibrant and busy with lots to do. In Waikiki, Pearl Harbour was the highlight. It was interesting, emotional and a must if you’re visiting. Hanauma Bay is great for snorkelling. Last, but certainly not least, I did some major retail therapy, lol.

 So much for not having an interesting life. 

Yolanda Isabel Regueira Marin in Hawaii

Okay, officially tore up the letter to pope Francis! Ha,ha!

Check out the links below to contact this very interesting lady.

http://lovepainandothercatastrophes.blogspot.com

http://about.me/yolreg

http://yolreg.tumblr.com

https://twitter.com/yolreg

Yolanda I. Regueira Marin
performing in Murdered To Death