Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My Name is Vered Neta. Since the 16th century, my family has lived in what today is Israel, but for the last 28 years, I’ve been living all over the world.
Today, I live with my husband in Tenerife in the Canary Islands on an off-the-grid farm, creating a sustainable life through permaculture agriculture and a food forest that we tend on our farm.
We live in the middle of a pine forest, and the nearest village to us is 3.5 miles up the mountain, so it’s basically me, my husband and our chickens, dogs and birds here. We also have a grown-up daughter who lives in London.
I’ve been an archaeologist, a top manager in high-tech companies and health institutions and, for nearly 30 years, a personal coach, trainer, and motivational speaker while owning and running the fastest-growing training centre for entrepreneurs in The Netherlands.
But after doing all that, I came to realise that I’m not growing anymore. I still had more things I wanted to learn and develop, which is how I came to challenge myself with a new career as a writer. Being heavily dyslexic, as a non-native English speaker, writing novels or scripts seemed like a Mission Impossible for me. Add to it years of non-supportive beliefs that I’m bad at writing and that I am not creative enough, and that sounded like a good challenge to tackle and grow through.
Since I started on this journey in 2017, I’ve written 4 movies and TV scripts, 2 novels, and I am now developing a TV series and writing my 3rd novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The book is called “Full Circle”. It started as a movie script I wrote during the 2020 lockdowns and the George Floyd riots. I wanted to write a script about a friendship between white and black women who are fighting against racism and the connection with freedom.
However, I kept getting feedback that it had too much of a “White Saviour” element to it, and a friend recommended that I should focus on the secondary story of the white woman in Prague during the Prague Spring of 1968.
That’s how I started writing the novel. When I finished the first draft, I wasn’t sure about it. And then, Russia invaded Ukraine, and it all became so real and relevant as it resembled what had been done to the Czech Republic, which wished for more freedom from Moscow during the period of Dunbcek in 1968 and ended up being invaded by the Soviets. Ana’s story became so relevant, and I wanted to remind us all about a period that somehow is between history and current events and tends to be forgotten. It was a period when the word freedom had consequences. We got used to taking our freedoms for granted.
“Full Circle” explores an age-old dilemma: the struggle between unwavering principles and the harsh embrace of survival. In the face of imminent peril, it challenges the core of our beliefs, prompting us to redefine freedom, bravery, and strength.
In the blaze of revolution, Ana’s dreams ignited her defiance – and sealed her fate.
1968, student protests are everywhere. But in Prague, behind the Iron Curtain, Ana dreams of becoming a doctor. Nothing would distract her from that path until she reconnects with her childhood friend, Jan, who gets her involved in the demand for freedom that sweeps the country.
Helen, Ana’s mother, haunted by the Holocaust, knows the dreadful cost of subjugation and tries to persuade her not to get involved, but Ana is determined to fight for her beliefs in freedom.
As Soviet tanks invade Prague, Ana and Jan find themselves at the frontline of a protest that will forever change their fates. Amidst the chaos, a single act seals Ana’s fate, and her own government is now hunting her. She knows that her only chance to fulfil her dream is to find a way to escape beyond the Iron Curtain.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
In the battle between “Plotters” and “Pantsers”, I am definitely on the side of the “Plotters”. I can’t think of starting to write without a structure or a goal for that specific writing period.
The thought of staring at the blank page is so scary for me. I have to start by having a clear idea, structure, and goal in front of me before even sitting down to write the poetic part of the writing.
I start with a huge Whiteboard that I have on my wall in my office, and from there, I use the Beat sheet option in Final Draft Software, whether it would be for scripts of novels, I MUST have a beat sheet before I start writing.
As part of my “Plotter”, I create what is called “Bible”, where I describe the characters in general, but not to too many details as otherwise I will get lost. That way, I know where I am going, but I leave space for the creative part to appear once I start writing and the characters take off the page and lead me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is an unfair question. I have so many of them. I used to be a lonely child, and books were my haven. I used to say that people can disappoint and betray you, but books are always there for you, so I surrounded myself with books.
I would go through periods of reading the Classics like Dickens and Jane Austin and the Bronte Sisters, and then expand to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy and Kafka and, on the other side of the world, authors like Gabriel García Márquez and Paulo Coelho.
Today, my favourite genres are historical fiction, fantasy and women’s literature, but I also read many non-fiction books about philosophy, personal development, spirituality and, of course, the craft of writing.
So, as you can see, I have an eclectic influence. What they all inspired me to write about was human nature and human relationships. They inspired me to write stories that would bring light into the world, even during hard and dark times, stories of hope, kindness and love.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am finishing writing a novel and a pilot for a TV series about a group of elderly women who are forced to work for a criminal organisation as crime scene cleaners.
When a woman kills her abusive husband, her sixty-something mother and her friends help her hide the body and clean up. Unfortunately, they are so successful a local Crime Boss forces them to clean his own murder scenes.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a devoted mailing list that I write to, and it helps me spread the word. And I found that the community of Bang2Write are also fantastic in supporting. ChickLitCafe were also great in promotions of my previous book “Things We Do For Love”
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think my best advice would be – NEVER GIVE UP. This one goes together with keeping learning, experimenting, and, most of all, making sure you learn and grow through writing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I got, which was good for me, was to remember that writing is not a “sprint”; it is a Marathon. That meant I should take a long breath before seeing the “finish line” or seeing results, which was perfect for me as I’m not known for my patience (understatement of the century…)
What are you reading now?
I read several books at the same time. So, right now, I finally got around to reading “All The Light We Cannot See” and on Book #5 of The Wheel Of Time series called “The Fires of Heaven” and “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine”
What’s next for you as a writer?
As I said I’m finishing writing my next novel and TV Pilot, but my next adventure is writing another Historical Romance Novel on a subject that is close to my heart about a Jewish Spy Ring during World War One in Palestine that was led by a woman called Sara Ahransohn and helped the British to win the war on that front and the love story she had.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Ohhhh, don’t do this to me; it’s like asking a kid who you love most – daddy or mummy…
Author Websites and Profiles
Vered Neta Website
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