
A mysterious longtime Bird Rock resident has revealed herself to have a split personality. It’s all in her new book “Inga Tells All: A Saga of Single Parenthood, Second Marriage, Surly Fauna And Being Mistaken for a Swedish Porn Star.” Inga has been writing under an assumed name and sharing her life lessons with an edge the past few years in a San Diego-based community newspaper column called “Let Inga Tell You.” Now, she’s seeking a broader audience. And people will find her new tome is not only the new and improved “Inga” but also an unfettered one. “Regular readers of my column will recognize some material, but there has been much editing and rewriting,” said Inga of her anthology. “There is also a lot of material not previously published that would come under the heading ‘totally unsuitable’ for a family newspaper.” “Inga Tells All,” weighing in at 342 pages and published last fall by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, is available on amazon.com and elsewhere for $12.35. Inga said going from journal to novel with her personal experiences has been all-consuming. “Over the past year, I have spent virtually all of my time (besides my weekly column) writing a book,” she said. “It’s been hundreds of hours of my time over the last year, and I’m really excited to finally unleash it on the universe, or at least on the 50 friends and family members I hope will buy it.” Asked whether she’s shy about blowing her cover and finally unveiling the “real” Inga (who previously had only been shown veiled) in a photo on her book’s jacket, Inga replied, “My children say that’s more of a disguise photo than my disguise photo.” Inga and her family lived in Sweden for a couple years before returning to La Jolla. Inga was then seriously injured in a car accident, which left her with some down time recuperating. It was then that she began reconstituting and reflecting on her life experiences. “I’ve been referred to as an essayist,” Inga noted, “but if you’ve ever read my stuff, I’m not an essayist. I’m a chronicler, a storyteller. I was just writing about my life for the last 30 years and trying to pick topics that I thought would resonate. It just kind of evolved over time.” Inga’s style is more grit and gristle than nicey-nice. Many of her reflections are just as — or more — bitter as sweet. One example involves a problem child whom she writes went out of his way “to embarrass me,” i.e., faking seizures in airports and yelling out the window to the neighborhood about being “beaten” and “taken advantage of.” “We even had the bomb squad called out one day because of him,” Inga said noting, “He was a wonderful topic to write about. And there was a revenge component there as well.” Even Inga’s chapter titles are captivating. Examples include “The inexplicable mind set of men,” “Changing our décor gave me the shutters,” “Fauna I have known and sometimes loved,” “Technology and why it’s so frigging annoying” and “Hail Caesar, but hold the fish sauce.” For Inga, writing has been not only a passion but also a tonic. “It’s a labor of love,” she acknowledged, adding, “It’s been a coping mechanism for me. It’s a way of connecting with people.” Inga said the biggest compliment she’s gotten from people who’ve read her book is their saying “I feel like you were eavesdropping on my husband’s and my conversation.” Having successfully navigated the book publishing process for the first time, Inga acknowledged that “This has been a huge learning curve” while noting there are a few things she’d do differently. But overall, writing a semi-autobiographical book has been a fulfilling experience. “Everybody has a story to tell,” Inga said. “This is mine. It was therapeutic to be able to write your life’s story. I’m writing in what I think is a fairly unique voice. It doesn’t have to be funny. It doesn’t have to be anything other than your story. It’s a record for your kids – and grandkids.”
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