Channeling Your Passion Into Writing with Annette Berkovits

Inspiration can come from anywhere, but for today’s guest, her family has been the biggest inspiration of all, creating opportunities to channel her passion into writing. Author Annette Berkovits does just that with each and every one of her books and today she shares her journey.

Annette Libeskind Berkovits was born in Kyrgyzstan and grew up in postwar Poland and the fledgling state of Israel before coming to the U.S. at age sixteen. Despite being uprooted from country to country, Berkovits has channeled her passions into language study and writing.

Her first memoir, In the Unlikeliest of Places: How Nachman Libeskind Survived the Nazis, Gulags and Soviet Communism, a story of her father’s remarkable survival, was published in 2014. She is also the author of a second memoir, Confessions of an Accidental Zoo Curator, a poetry book, Erythra Thalassa: Brain Disrupted, and a historical fiction novel, The Corset Maker. Aftermath: Coming of Age on Three Continents is her latest release and all have been inspired by the family that surrounds and supports her.

Today, Annette not only discusses her books, but along the way she shares what was surprising during her writing process, what it was like to dive into her family’s history, and even what books she likes to read herself. Her advice is so valuable to everyone.

Show Notes:

[2:29] – Annette’s father left her “buried treasure” which created a desire for her to share his story.
[4:02] – Her father wanted to share the stories even though they were hard. He was optimistic.
[5:29] – Through her writing, Annette was able to bring life to these stories.
[6:31] – Her father also painted and his work is on display in New York.
[8:15] – Annette tells the story of her father fleeing Nazi Germany during WWII.
[11:07] – Her first book, the memoir of her father, included years of research.
[12:05] – Annette shares about the types of writing she has done, including poetry.
[13:34] – Further inspired by her family’s history, Annette wrote a book called The Corset Maker.
[16:19] – You should write because you want to write, not just to be published.
[17:56] – Annette has also been inspired by the life of her son.
[20:32] – As a writer, you need to read, keep writing, and promote on social media. It takes time.
[21:37] – Annette shares some of her recent reads and why she reads across all genres.
[25:14] – Annette’s simple advice is, “It’s never too late.”