Book Talk: Hot Tea with Apricots with Kim Ballantine

Описание: 🛍️ Book: Hot Tea and Apricots: https://amzn.to/3XCMxS9
In this deeply moving interview, author Kim Ballentine shares her extraordinary journey of losing her voice for over a decade and regaining it against all odds. From the terrifying first moments when her vocal cords went into spasm, to using sign language, Botox treatments, and a tracheostomy, Kim reveals the emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges she faced along the way.


She also opens up about how she kept her family connected, raising her children intentionally through trauma, and creating rituals that nurtured faith, resilience, and love. Discover the story behind the book title, Hot Tea and Apricots, a testament to the support, hope, and small gestures that carried her through the toughest moments.

Whether you’re a memoir writer, parent, or person facing health challenges, this interview is filled with insights on overcoming adversity, parenting through trauma, healing through faith, and writing with authenticity.

🛍️ Buy Hot Tea and Apricots: https://amzn.to/3XCMxS9

🕦 TIME STAMPS

00:55 – What made you decide to write this book?
You went through so many years without a voice. What finally pushed you to start capturing those moments and turn them into a memoir?

02:44 – You wrote with such raw emotion — was writing in first person a deliberate choice?
Did you learn that technique in your memoir course, or was it simply the most natural way for you to express what you were living through?

04:15 – Can you take us back to the moment you first realised something was wrong?
What was going through your mind that day when your voice suddenly began to fail?

05:16 – Kim, what happened on the day you first realised something was wrong with your voice?
05:37 – How did a 40th birthday breakfast turn into a medical crisis for you?
06:10 – What did it feel like when your vocal cords went into spasm?
06:40 – Which treatments did you try to regain your voice and breathing?
07:18 – How did having a tracheostomy change everything for you?
07:49 – Was there a moment when you realised you didn’t want to “look sick”?
08:11 – How did you help your children cope with the trauma and fear?
08:36 – What is the “angry dance,” and how did it help your family release emotions?
08:58 – How did intentional communication help your kids feel more secure during this time?
09:31 – Which spiritual practices held your family together during the crisis?
10:18 – Why did your children say they felt more loved when you didn’t have a voice?
10:40 – How did the title Hot Tea and Apricots come about?
11:11 – Was there a moment when someone thought your book was a recipe book?
11:40 – Can you share the emotional story behind “hot tea and apricots”?
12:32 – How did a moment of choking lead to a life-changing metaphor for you?

Write Lean and Earn

📣Connect with Kim Vermaak

  / kimvermaak  
https://www.writelearnandearn.co.za

📣Connect with Kim Ballantine

  / kim-ballantine  

https://www.kimballantine.com

🛍️ Buy Hot Tea and Apricots: https://amzn.to/3XCMxS9