Grist Almighty! Inspirational new author interview

I am so excited to have met another woman who does what she loves.

Alice Grist.

She has just had her first book "The High Heeled Guide to Enlightenment" published and it really strikes a chord with me and I haven't even READ IT YET!

"In the modern age of high speed, high tech, high maintenance, Alice Grist brings us the warm and witty book, The High Heeled Guide to Enlightenment for women who are looking to connect to something other than their internet provider and gain an understanding of alternative spirituality.

This book provides spirituality for the sexy socialite, enlightenment for the lipgloss dependent and a crash course in serenity for the yummy mummy!

Veering between the wildly faddish and fashionable to the freakier and less familiar, the High Heeled Guide sheds a pink and intelligent spotlight upon a diverse collection of spiritual options that well suit the modern woman.

An intriguing, informative and hilarious read for any woman who knows deep in her worn down sole that there is more to life than cars, careers, kids and cocktails."

Alice's book is receiving much hype in the UK and I have no doubt this trend will continue internationally.

Here is my interview with Alice:

Tell me about yourself and why you wrote this book.

I was born the daughter of a vicar in Manchester UK.

My parents divorced and my mum moved in with her first gay partner.

My dad became a Wiccan.

I grew up with feminist leanings coming from both parents.

I studied Women’s studies at university.

Following uni my heart was broken by my first love and I moved far away from home.

I met my husband to be and ventured into a rock and roll kinda life, much, much fun, for many, many years!

I experimented with several versions of myself and then writing re-found me.

Writing teamed up with my personal spiritual interest and the book was conceived.

Since then I got married, bought chickens and continue to tap away at my keyboard!

I wrote the book because I had been unhappy, I had entirely lost track of who I was, who I wanted to be and what I wanted out of life.

I returned to my spiritual roots via Reiki and Buddhism.

I soon realized how hugely beneficial these things were to me.

It seemed suddenly natural to write a blog, the blog became an idea for a book within about 5 minutes!

I then continued my personal spiritual path, experimenting with a great number of spiritualities, healing techniques and divination and writing it all up in a fun, humorous and accessible way.

I wrote the book for me and as a tool to share all I have learned.

I believe spirituality can transform your life for the better, and I felt that was something young, modern women needed to know.

What challenges did you strike along the way towards having your book published?

Working full time whilst writing the book was a challenge, as well as trying to not become a recluse.

I think I went missing in action for a good few months!

However I needed to do that to get the book done, I’m glad I did.

What are your greatest joys from doing what you love?

The transformation in my own self has given me a lot of joy.

I was not happy prior to writing the book and setting off on my spiritual path, now I feel grateful and joyous most days.

I love the adventure of it also and the education that comes as part and parcel of research.

I love being a student of this great, crazy, spiritual universe!

What inspires you?

Nature is a big inspiration, it is so healing, peaceful and energizing.

Whether I am digging holes in the garden or taking a walk in the hills I always find nature reinvigorates me and gives me fresh ideas to work with.

Also other people’s devotion and commitment to their work is inspirational.

My mother was an inspiration in this respect, and my husband too.

My husband’s devotion to his music has given me a tremendous example of somebody working hard at what they love and continually doing so because it is part of their soul.

He certainly inspired me to find that quality in myself.

What was the turning point for you from writer to published author?

Any tips for the aspiring author?

It all happened so quickly.

I was at work when I found out that my book would be published.

I had only been writing the book for a few months and despite that I was not surprised.

I had complete conviction in the fact my book would be published since I had the idea of the book in the first place.

I was very lucky that this was the case, and I followed this up by continual positive thinking.

My advice to aspiring authors is to write what you believe, do so with passion, enjoy it and believe in yourself.

Can you be into clothes and fashion and 'stuff' and still be spiritual?

I don't believe that fashion and spirituality are mutually exclusive.

We live in a world that worships at the alter of consumerism, and to be spiritual you may have to question that and how it impacts on you, your ego and your general existence.

However I of course also realize we live on a modern planet and as human beings our nature is to pimp and preen.

I see no harm in that, we cannot all be Buddhist monks after all!

Spirituality can change your attitude to fashion, but it does not mean you have to be unfashionable!

Not by a long shot!

What advice would you give to a mother raising a child today?

One of the biggest keys for any woman who wants to be spiritual is the ability to know herself. Particularly to know herself very deeply so that she is in touch with her intuition and her essential higher self.

I imagine that having a child can be a big distraction to that because all of a sudden you have a little person who is wholly dependent upon you.

I would guess that under these circumstances it becomes easy to lose touch with yourself.

As such I believe it is important for any mother to keep in contact with her soul, for her own sake and for the sake of her young family.

Five minutes brief meditation a day would help her to remain clear and to listen to the little voice inside herself as opposed to all the little voices external to herself shouting ‘Mummy’!

What is next for you?

I’m writing a second book and exploring opportunities as they arise. It’s an exciting time!

How does it FEEL now you have your book out there for the world?

Was it everything you thought it would be?

It’s incredible. I never thought I would have written and published a book by the time I was 30. I still potter about in my day-to-day life and occasionally something will happen that reminds me of that achievement and the breath catches in my throat!

and lastly....

easy one

What is the meaning of life?

I actually answer this a little bit in the final chapter of my book, so I’m not going to give that one away!

However, one aspect of the meaning of life is to learn.

We are all here to learn our individual lessons.

Forgiveness, love, compassion and kindness are some of the key curriculum!

Thanks Alice - I like your philosophies and attitude and can't wait to read your fascinating book!

Any chance of a tarot reading to reveal if I am going to be a published author like you one day :=)

A big fat whopping sign that I was to live in the country for now...

"I can see clearly now the Armed Bandits are gone" - April 2007

Only four days ago I was down on the ground in the foetal position praying for my life.

Three armed bandits equipped with a gun, a machete and a sledge hammer were standing over some twenty of us drinking in the beer garden at the Golden Sheafe Hotel in Double Bay.

A few seconds earlier we'd heard them shouting “Get down on the F****** ground ” , enforcing the command with a gunshot.
How had I ended up in this mess?
Only three days earlier I left my hometown of Hay for a brief return to Sydney Town where I had been working and
living for several years.
As I packed my overnight bag I was wondering whether this trip might make me feel that I should shut up shop in my quiet little town and return to big-city action.
My first two days were filled with lunches, theatre, clubbing and other twenty-something amusements so on Sunday night after a frantic day of shopping my best Sydney buddy Carly and I retreated to her Rose Bay home to chill out in front of Channel 10. (Sad , I know, but it had been a while since I was able to watch the Biggest Loser!) Time somehow disappeared and at 10.30pm we were still rolled up in our blankets on the couch.

At that point we turned to each other and laughed “Are we grandmas? What are we doing at home, we don’t have to work tomorrow! Lets get amongst it! ” So after tossing the dice over several likely establishments, as fate would have it we decided on the Sheafe in Double Bay and took a cab to NewSouth Head Road.At this time of night the hotel is normally overflowing with swanky party people, but we noticed it was oddly quiet.

Perhaps the Universe was trying to warn us?
We ordered some vinos and made our way out to the beer garden to have a relaxing drink with a dozen or so other patrons , some of whom appeared to have been there all day.
Suddenly the quiet buzz of the garden was broken by the most horrific shouting.

My first thought was that it was just a drunken fool – but I turned around to see a vision that
hasn't left me yet : three masked men – one yelling “ Get down on the
ground” . At first everyone thought it was just bad street theatre and continued drinking.
“This is not a f---- joke” the bandit yelled and fired a gun to ensure we took him seriously.
Carly and I dropped to the ground clutching each other's hands and falling into the foetal position. I've watched scenes like this on television, but my real-life reaction was a little less predictable.
Certainly tears were rolling down my face but, probably out of complete hysteria, Carly and I were both
laughing uncontrollably .

At the same time I was thinking how I still had stuff I wanted to do with my life , how much my body was going to suffer when they shot or stabbed me and and, oh god, how I didn’t want to die. I was thinking of the Columbine Massacre (this was the day before the Virginia Tech one) and suddenly felt empathy with those victims. At this point I was not seeing this was as a pubrobbery – if something went wrong I knew I could be involved in a massacre.

My life and those important to me flashed before my eyes.

I told Carly I loved her and then started praying for my life, all the time in some sort of hysterics. The sheer terror had us reacting in the strangest ways.. “If they catch us laughing, pretend we are crying” Carly hissed at me. My heart was racing, my mind was thinking a million things at once. I could hear the guy lying on the floor next to me calling the police on his mobile, and I was worried that the bandits would include us in their reprisal if they heard him.
If you asked me how long we were down there I couldn’t tell you, but after what seemed years Carly said to me “It’s Ok you can get up now” .She was certainly the calm one of us in this scenario; I was still frozen on the ground.

“How do you know?” I asked as I warily popped my head up.
Then I realised that people were standing once again and that the police and paramedics had arrived.
We learnt later that the bandits had put a knife to the barman’s throat and forced the hand-over of the contents of the safe.

The three had escaped through a getaway car stationed out the back of the beer garden. Never in my life had I needed a reviving a drink so much. Talk about sneaking back into Sydney for a quiet holiday!
The question I had put to the Universe: “Should I return to Sydney?” was answered.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have packed so much emotion into that question:
a little symbolic sign would have sufficed. All in all, Hay has never looked better.