Minty: "Iboni is the weaver, but you are the source. Sometimes authors 'beautify' or change things for the sake of the narrative—they add a little extra drama or change a conversation to make it pop. When you read the final draft of Boy in Denim Jacket, was there a moment where you thought, 'Wait, that's not exactly how it happened,' or did Iboni capture the feeling of those years exactly as they lived in your head?"
[Minty leans forward, curious about the friction between real life and fiction.]
Yvonne: "Oh, she captured them. She captured my thoughts and my reactions as well. Iboni knows me too well not to capture every thought and every feelings that I have. In fact, she knows what happened as well. She's the one I open about things going on in my life. That's why I am thankful to her for not using my story as 'her story' and for asking for my permission first before writing Boy in Denim Jacket."
Minty: "And specifically—is there a deleted scene from your life that you decided was too personal to tell Iboni, something you kept just for yourself and didn't let make it into the book?"
Yvonne: "There is, there is. We agreed not to publish it and it's been good. I'm pretty sure she can come up other stories if she wants to. I believe in her."
[The audience hums with a deep sense of respect. A few people are nodding slowly, clearly touched by the bond of trust between Yvonne and Iboni. It's rare to hear about an author-muse relationship that's built on that much mutual protection.]
Minty: [Her voice softening, truly impressed] "That is such a beautiful testament to your friendship. It's one thing to be a writer, but it's another to be a guardian of someone's heart. The fact that she asked permission and respected those deleted scenes... that's why the book feels so grounded. It's not exploited; it's honored."
[Minty leans back, reflecting on that deleted scene Yvonne mentioned.]
Minty: "You mentioned that you and Iboni agreed to keep that one specific part private. Since you're the one who lived it, does knowing there's a secret part of the story that only you, Iboni, and perhaps Jervien know about make the published book feel like a shield? Like, the world gets the beautiful memoir, but the most sacred part stays safely tucked away in your heart?"
[The audience leans in, the studio feeling very quiet and reverent now.]
Yvonne: "Oh, Jervien doesn't know. Only Iboni and me. And it doesn't include him in that deleted scene. It's something that has happened a while back before the Boy in Denim Jacket timeline and it will stay safely tucked away in my heart, if you will."
[The audience lets out a soft, surprised "Ohh," and the room feels even more intimate. A few people exchange looks of genuine intrigue—they weren't expecting a secret that didn't involve the boy. The mystery of Yvonne is deepening, and they can see the audience's respect for her boundaries growing.]
Minty: [Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, her voice hushed and respectful] "Wow... so it's a Yvonne secret. I think that's even more powerful. It reminds us that while the book is titled Boy in Denim Jacket, you had a whole life and a whole soul before he even walked into the frame."
[Minty nods slowly, her eyes searching Yvonne's with a newfound appreciation for her complexity.]