12/1: Q & A with Rivka Levy

[Ingrid, Just another writer.]

(For more information on Secret Diary of a Jewish Housewife, click on the image above)


Meet Rivka Levy, a Jewish author who has been writing professionally for more than 20 years, started a PR company that lasted 4 years, and opened the JEMI Institute for God-based holistic healing based in part due to her desire for learning aromatherapy, energy psychology, and other energy medicine techniques, including acupressure.

Today, she teaches a number of courses on God-based holistic healing, and writes about it all the time.



*What was your inspiration for The Secret Diary of a Jewish Housewife?

I’m an orthodox Jew living in one of the most exciting, dramatic and most-watched neighborhoods in the world - downtown Jerusalem! There are a whole bunch of myths and misconceptions about orthodox Jews, and also about life in Israel generally, and circumstances in Jerusalem in particular, so I wanted to write a first-hand account of what it’s really like to live life here, to counter all the stuff that pops up on CNN.

*Why do you think people will enjoy The Secret Diary of a Jewish Housewife?

As well as providing a window into orthodox Jewish life, it also talks about a lot of the struggles that we all face today, regardless of where we live or our religious beliefs. Every parent is struggling to raise their children to be happy, sane human beings. Every wife is struggling with bizarre impulses to smash their husband over the head with a plate (at least, occasionally…). Every human being is struggling with the bigger questions of what life is really about, and how to deal with all the inner turmoil that is part and parcel of real, actual life.

*What tips do you have for authors that are new to the publishing process?

Write what you want to write about, even if it’s ‘too’ niche, or ‘not commercial enough’, and don’t waste too much time on all the social media marketing stuff - if people like your book they’ll tell other people about it naturally, without it costing you a fortune or stressing you out.

Far too many people sell their souls out to write books that they think will ‘sell’, and while I can appreciate there’s a mortgage to pay, writers have a duty to hold a mirror up to the world we live in, and encourage their readers to dig a little deeper.

*Did you self-publish your story, or was it professionally published?

Kind of both… This is my ninth book, so I’ve learnt a lot of the ropes at this stage, so I decided to ‘professionally publish’ it myself - by setting up my own publishing house, called The Matronita Press.

*What is some advice that you have for young, aspiring writers?

Don’t sell out! Keep writing from the heart, because those are the books that really touch other human beings, and make the world a better place.

*Did you ever picture yourself as a published author?

Always… That’s part of the reason I couldn’t really stick it out for long in my other jobs and careers, even though they paid a heck of a lot more than being an author.

*Was writing always your passion, or did you ever have a different career in mind?

Even though I always wanted to be a journalist, my practical parents wanted me to go into banking after university - which I did for six months, and then got so ill my doctor told me I had to leave or it was going to kill me. So then I went into financial journalism for year, as a kind of half-way house, before jumping straight into ‘normal’ journalism and then PR.

I did that soul-destroying corporate writing for 10 years, burned out, then decided it was time to write the books that I really wanted to write. And nine books later, I still have a whole bunch of ideas for more books to come!

*What author/story do you look up to and use for ideas/inspiration?

As a teen, I was swept away by the Bronte sisters’ books. They conveyed so much energy and passion in such a modest, Victorian way, and really touched the reader’s heart. I hope my books also ‘part the veil’ separating the author from the reader, at least a little.

*What do you find to be the most difficult part of the writing process?

Writing is easy. Selling and marketing is the most horrible, difficult and icky part of the process, for sure! And that’s coming from someone who used to be a PR expert for 10 years.

*Can we expect some new works from you in the future?

Definitely! The Secret Diary of a Jewish Housewife is the first of a series, and I’m also currently working on the authorised biography of a very well-known figure in the Jewish world, plus another book called ‘Animal or Angel?’ which explores the more spiritual dimension to mental and emotional illness.

Thank you, Rivka, for letting us interview you, and thank you everyone for reading! If you want to help out a fellow member, click on his book image for Secret Diary of a Jewish Housewife and check it out!

[Rivka]

Thanks so much for posting up the interview!