“What do you do when you’re born to be Center Stage and all you want to do is hide in the wings?” Lady Glamb wrestles with this question in her memoir Glamb Dimensional, which begins with a traumatic event in infancy, progresses through ordeals of child performing and abuse, and culminates in a glorious adulthood that both shakes off and embraces the past. Glamb takes on trauma and miracle Dorothy Gale-style, taking her sepia-toned existence to one of perpetual vibrant hues. GO spoke with the 66-and-fabulous New Yorker about finding your voice, sharing it with the world and living (and loving) the life you truly want.
Tell me about your book, Glamb Dimensional.
The book is my story. The story I’ve always been afraid to tell people. I led a very eccentric and unfiltered life that was impulsive and driven. I was finding my way and trying to heal many childhood wounds. At 60, I chose that moment to decide who I could finally be. I had gone through so much, and fought my way through as a warrior. I deserved the chance to be honest with myself and the world.
What inspired you to write the book?
It started as an idea on my living room floor when my spiritual daughter was over. She was watching my YouTube channel and saw a video of me singing with a friend. She thought we were interested in each other, but the other woman and I were just friends. She was straight and I was a Christian pastor. That ship was not going to sail. I opened up about my life as a woman loving women and all my quirky escapades in my youth. My spiritual daughter told me, my life was like a movie or a good book. At that moment, a vision was born and we started a journey to create my life in technicolor!
You call the protagonist of Glamb Dimensional a “direct replica” of you and your experiences. Would you call the book a memoir?
Actually “Glamb Dimensional” is a memoir, it’s just not an autobiography. It’s completely based on my life. Names, situations, and a few people, have been changed to protect those who encountered me throughout my life. To quote one of my reviewers, “it’s a Metaphorical Odyssey”. Many of the stories are true. The parts that hurt my heart, I chose to have my own happy ending. The book however is my heart and my soul. A child I birthed to the world. It is all me, and definitely based on truths of my life experiences.
What made you decide to adapt and fictionalize your experiences and the people in your life? How did this affect your writing of the book?
Only a small portion of the book is fictionalized, to protect people throughout my life. Some stories can’t be told in actuality, but the concepts of what happened are true in essence, how I processed it and came out on the other side. But again it is a memoir and many memoirs are told in a different way as autobiographies are factual to the core. I did not want to hurt anyone with my story. I wanted to purge the pain inside of me. It was a download from God, and I was letting go of all the pain. I was in awe as he healed me. The words ran over my soul and released the trauma, the experiences, and the toxicity that was no longer part of my life.
In your bio, you say “There are many lifetimes in our lifetime.” Tell me more about that, and how it’s portrayed in “Glamb Dimensional.”
I’m referring to the fact that I reinvent myself every 10 to 20 years. I’m planning on living to at least 107; so who knows what’s next on the journey of life. There are no limits or boundaries, only possibilities. The book takes you on a journey throughout my life. With each stage and significant memory the reader gets a look at the many dimensions of Lady Glamb.
What was the writing and publishing process like?
Since I worked with an amazing team on this project, it was quick and easy in the timeframe. The writing and editing process did take four years. The book was published in four months. It was originally a trilogy. Two books were finished when my team and I combined them into “Glamb Dimensional.” I always say, I did not write the book. God wrote the book. I was only the human that typed the words. Words that came through my very being, showing me my life before me. My life in many dimensions.
Who is your ideal reader for “Glamb Dimensional”? What do you hope readers will get out of the book?
This book is for anyone who has fought their way and battled life. For anyone who wishes to be inspired and wants to go on a journey with me. They will touch a piece of my heart, my life, and my soul. I pray the readers then take what they’ve learned and help another human find their way. Through the arts, I am a visionary. A visionary changing the world, one creative vision at a time.
Any advice for those looking to write and publish a book?
If you have a story in your soul, then put it out there. Whether it’s going to change the world or only helps change one person, just put it out there. Believe in yourself, and never give up!
Anything else you’d like to add?
When I came back to my [faith] community at 60, I didn’t believe I was relevant anymore. When I saw the reactions of young people and older alike, telling me I had something to say, it both broke my heart and filled it with so much love. I am grateful to those that made the name Lady Glamb happen because without those people, I’m nothing but an ordinary woman. I know God chose me to shake things up a bit and be extraordinary. I pray that my work and my mission has only begun. I have a great love for my community. I want everyone to know what love is, and that God loves them all no matter what they believe or who they love.
“Glamb Dimensional” is available in digital and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.
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