You know those views that sometimes keep you up at night, but you have a feeling no one else will understand where you’re coming from? Those are the kinds of thoughts that I incorporated into this book. I am hoping that through writing my heart, others will connect, relate, and feel more open to express themselves through their chosen art.

Christie Leigh Babirad – 5 November 2021

The Back Flap

Igniting the Heartbeat of The Soul

Scarlet Secrets is Christie Leigh’s second collection of poems. This is a book about desire, heartbreak and times of metaphorical wilderness in our lives, and those dreams kept private in the deepest part of the soul. This collection echoes the longing to continually live your life passionately in a bright red: Scarlet to be exact!.

Scarlet
In a rose
A body-hugging dress
Lips
Desire
And the secrets in those most authentic wishes.

With lines that carry the musicality of a city jazz club at night and soulful love songs playing on your stereo, Scarlet Secrets is also about the greatest aspects of this life we live and what gets many of us up for that bright sunrise each morning.

About the book

What is the book about?

Scarlet Secret: Poems is about “igniting the heartbeat of the soul.” The book is divided into three chapters that intimately take the reader through the emotions of desire and romantic love, heartbreak, claiming your individuality and life views, and knowing exactly what you want out of life. The poems in this book are written purposely personal, as I am known to do, and my hope is that by writing so personally, the lines stir my readers to awaken to their own unique life, opinions, and dreams.

When did you start writing the book?

This book is a collection of poems that have mostly been written in the first half of this year, and some are from as far back as ten years and were revised.

 How long did it take you to write it?

This collection was different from my last because as soon as Sapphire Stars: Poems was out, I had a vision for the next book. As I mentioned, some of these poems were first created about ten years ago, but most were new thoughts that began in November of 2020. I would say that putting the full vision of the collection together, writing mostly completely new poems, and arranging them into chapters was about a five-month process.

 Where did you get the idea from?

So, my first poetry collection was color inspired with dark blue and sapphire. That collection I wanted to focus on passion, voice, and heart. Scarlet Secrets came from the fact that I wanted there to be the alliteration with the “s’s” again, and I also wanted this book to be color inspired. I have always loved the color red. I believe red, “scarlet” is a passionate color that is filled with so many associations of love, romance, and my two favorite holidays, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I wanted this book to have similar themes to Sapphire Stars, but with more passion, a musicality, sexiness, and of course there’s a newness to this collection. This book reflects where I am right now and the growth that has occurred for me between the two books. I don’t shy away from desires and viewpoints on specific topics.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Hmmm, that’s a good question. I think the only parts of the book that I may have struggled with are truly being vulnerable with desire and my opinions. I really went for it in this collection, so to speak. You know those views that sometimes keep you up at night, but you have a feeling no one else will understand where you’re coming from? Those are the kinds of thoughts that I incorporated into this book. I am hoping that through writing my heart, others will connect, relate, and feel more open to express themselves through their chosen art. This collection is also more intimate, so it has more adult desire and wishes that of course having other people read is a little strange but at the same time, that is what makes writing so powerful. Writing connects you with the reader and in turn creates this great thread between the author and reader of this mutual desire to live a life that is filled with passion, love, and authenticity.

What came easily?

What came easily with Scarlet Secrets was the vision for the book and the journey I wanted to take the reader on through my personal poems. I knew I wanted the collection to have a musicality to it, more specifically, a jazz and soul style. I begin with Part One, “Hearing you”, where you hear your inner voice and know what you desire. Then, we go to Part Two, “Scatting Away”, which is representative of the voice “scatting” with many different emotions and sounds, and then finally, Part Three, “The Spotlight”, where all the desire and views have culminated and you are ready to sing out with your entire voice.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Scarlet Secrets is written personally. I have used my own life experiences, thoughts, passion, and circumstances I have encountered and witnessed to put together this collection.

Do you have a target reader for this book?

You’re supposed to always have a target reader, aren’t you? I’ve never liked this because I want everyone to feel welcome to pick up this book. I believe that if you’re attracted to this cover and intrigued when you read the back and the table of contents, then this book is for you. I would say that this book is for anyone who is still discovering themselves and has lots of passion and desire in their heart. This book is for the people who wake up in the middle of the night with a thumping in their heart, knowing they have to write something down or create something. This is for the people who don’t feel that they fit completely into the mold of society most times and believe this life needs to be filled with passion and romance. Finally, it’s for those who don’t want a “Bucket List,” but an “Adventure List” that keeps growing.

How was writing this book different from what you’ve experienced writing previous books?

This book was different than my previous poetry book simply because it’s filled with poems that reflect where I am at this point in my life as a woman in her thirties who has not settled down, and refuses to ever adopt that term. While my first poetry collection, Sapphire Stars is filled with heart, dreams and reflections, Scarlet Secrets is unapologetically bold, passionate, and filled with soul that has a long, musical, “scarlet” thread weaving through each section.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

I learned that I wanted to incorporate more of my love for photography in this book. So, there is a photo that goes with each poem in this collection. I also learned more about myself in writing and preparing this collection by writing even more personally than before. I think that with every new writing project, you learn more about the power of words and what you are uniquely capable of creating and giving to your readers.

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of Scarlet Secrets: Poems from Amazon US or Amazon UK.