Local author and actress Denise Camille Frye is shown with Civitan Club president Rob Robinson.
photo by Hollie Webb
Local author and actress Denise Camille Frye told the Chattanooga Civitan Club on Friday, "If it's something I really want to do, no place or stage is too far away."
Ms. Frye said that acting had been a lifelong goal, starting from when she was only three years old. However, she said various circumstances got in the way.
She also said she was scared. Certain negative family relationships had also left her "self-esteem in the cellar."
But, after years of working at Parkridge Hospital, she decided, "There was no reason why I couldn't retire and follow the dreams I'd put on hold for so long." After all, her children were now grown and had moved out.
While she had wanted to write a fairy tale story for children, her writing took a vastly different turn.
After talking to her brother about his care of his mother-in-law with Alzheimer's Disease, Ms. Frye was inspired to write a book describing the patient's perspective.
She said, "I realized nobody that had Alzheimer's had ever come back to tell their story." She said she wanted to give those people a voice.
She said of the book, "To me, success is not always measured in dollars." More than for the book to be a best-seller, she said she wanted every reader to feel "they have taken away something valuable," such as new compassion for the caregivers.
Her book, "Into the Fog," is available for purchase on amazon.com. Ms. Frye also decided to self-publish her fairy tale story, called "The Nestries." This book is also available online.
Still, she said, "The desire to perform never left me."
It was finally her daughter who convinced her to audition for a local traveling theater group. Though she was terrified, her daughter persuaded her to go to the audition.
Her courage paid off; Ms. Frye was immediately cast into a play called "Fairy Tale."
She said, "I haven't stopped acting since." She said acting has helped her shyness and turned her into a better public speaker.
Ms. Frye said, "I've learned you just have to get in there and do it...You think you might die, but you get through it."