Noemi Eva

The author NOEMI EVA was born in Budapest, Hungary, raised and educated in São Paulo, Brazil. Twice married, she resides in Toronto close to her three grown children. She is an industrial chemist and an electron microscopist, and has several medical research articles published. As a volunteer she helped develop and acted as a group leader/facilitator in New Directions, a support service program for women to make successful transitions - following separation, divorce or widowhood - to rebuild their lives

Visit Noemi Eva at www.outofedenbooks.com.

 

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up, and have reading and writing always been a part of your life?

Noemi Eva: I read a lot during my childhood in Hungarian and in Portuguese, then in English when I moved to Canada. In my late teens I wrote my first book in Portuguese but unfortunately the manuscript was lost when I came to this country and got married here. Busy raising a family, as a single parent of three and a career, I didn't have time to write again until now since my children grew up and moved on with their own partners.

 

PageOneLit.com: Who and/or what have been your biggest influences with regard to your writing and why?

Noemi Eva: My father, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, was a great reader and encouraged both my brothers and I to read. He also wrote a book later in his life, he got an advance for it, but he passed away before its completion so it was never published. I guess writing is in my genes.

 

PageOneLit.com: Please tell us a little about your novel, "Out of Eden: Eve and the Opposite Sex." And what compelled you to write it?

Noemi Eva: I must say that although I wrote it as a novel, OUT OF EDEN. EVE AND THE OPPOSITE SEX is a true life story. The story of my life! It tells how I was beaten up and raped by my authoritarian first husband, the father of my three children, because I refused to have sex with him and subsequently by court order he was escorted away by the police.

It tells about my second marriage to a man who prefers the company of men and when discovering this I attempted suicide. It is about falling in love, out of love, ambition, deception, desire, betrayal, passion, hope, despair, the seemingly endless, simultaneous hardships and joys - that come with parenthood and/or achievement/success in our goals. Having triumphed at the end, I was compelled to tell how, to help others perhaps, to avoid making some of the mistakes I made.

 

PageOneLit.com: This book tells the story of a woman's rapturous relationships with men, her struggles and triumphs as a single parent and her ultimate achievement of financial freedom. Was this story based on your own life experiences?

Noemi Eva: Yes indeed! It is entirely based on my life.

 

PageOneLit.com: You take the reader through Brazil, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Toronto, and it feels as if you are really there. What type of research did you do to give your settings authenticity?

Noemi Eva: I love to travel, discover new places and meet people of different cultures. I have been to all the locations mentioned and wrote about them as I saw and felt. The places, its natives and the bit of history are all real. Writing is my way of sharing what I learned, some of the beauty I've seen and the fascinating experiences I've had.

 

PageOneLit.com: Generally what process did you go through in coming up with your characters? (i.e., what they look like, their background, mannerisms, etc.)

Noemi Eva: I'm a raconteur not a creative writer! Just as the locations I wrote about are real places, the characters/mannerisms of the people are all based on real individuals, only the names have been changed to protect the persons involved.

 

PageOneLit.com: How did you choose the title "Out of Eden," and what does it mean to you?

Noemi Eva: I thought of Eve, as from Adam and Eve, out of Paradise. In OUT OF EDEN. EVE AND THE OPPOSITE SEX, Eve finds that life without a man is without essence, and so she searches the earth for that "heavenly" mate, only to find men with ordinary failings. The story is that of an achiever woman in our still mostly male run present society. It means to me, the difficulty as a woman living during the transition period: from the traditional patriarchal upbringing I had, to the ways of the post-women's liberation movement in North America.

 

PageOneLit.com: Which part of the writing process do you have the most difficulty with?

Noemi Eva: Painful episodes in my life, such as when I was raped and when I attempted suicide.

 

PageOneLit.com: How did you juggle your career as an industrial chemist and electron microscopist with writing a book?

Noemi Eva: Writing my book came after, as a sort of retrospective... What I had to juggle was single parenthood, working in a medical research laboratory, relationships with men, adventures in foreign lands and buying ever more valuable rundown homes which I face lifted then sold, ending up with a multimillion dollar income property in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Toronto.

 

PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers walk away with after reading "Out of Eden: Eve and the Opposite Sex?"

Noemi Eva: Learn that the end of a relationship/marriage is not the end of the world! Learn that children grasp example, that if you aim to achieve, they will too! Learn that any employed single parent can gain financial freedom! Learn that a better lifestyle can be achieved on any budget! Learn about other countries, their inhabitants and history!

 

PageOneLit.com: "Out of Eden" addresses surviving separation, divorce, and economic hardship. What tips can you provide on surviving and moving on after separation and divorce?

Noemi Eva: Do not blame yourself or your partner, it resolves absolutely nothing, but can cause life-long antagonism, and if you have children it only makes it harder on everyone.

Forgive yourself as well as your partner. You had expectations, your partner had expectations. It turned out that your expectations were poles apart, it is no ones fault, it happens. Give each other permission to move on with your separate lives, and make yourselves happy, as you see fit!

Every time whenever you find yourself dwelling in the past, placing blames, feel depressed, frustrated, angry, vengeful... Stop! Make constant, conscious effort to free your mind from these energy drainers, the stressful, unproductive, negative state of mind. Instead, use the freed up energy for positive life building activity. You are now free to do as you like, go for it!

Think of it daily, that your separation/divorce is not a failure, it is a second chance to fulfill your life dreams exactly as you want it, no one can stop you or make you feel guilty. Don't stop yourself!

 

PageOneLit.com: What's next? Any plans for another book?

Noemi Eva: First I'd like to have OUT OF EDEN made into a film. I think it is a perfect Hollywood movie material, with romance, adventures, intriguing characters and fascinating locations. Meanwhile, I'm working on a self-help book I was encouraged to write, tentatively titled: "Top Ten Tips to Surviving and Thriving After Separation and Divorce". Then I want to write OUT OF EDEN sequels of Eve's worldwide amorous escapades in short novel formats, each a little romance in a different country. The next two titles I have in mind are "Loving in Iberia" and "Romancing Eastern Europe", naturally I'm planning trips to those regions.

 

PageOneLit.com: Who are your favorite authors, and why do they inspire you?

Noemi Eva: I read all Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir books in my teens. They influenced the rebel in me. Dostoyevsky's Crime & Punishment was the first novel I remember that really took a hold on me. Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim impressed me much the same way, the extensive deliberations on the works of the mind, often tormented as mine is. I liked as well Conrad's descriptions of exotic lands and felt reassured that English was not his first language either. I love D. H. Lawrence's elegant style and try to emulate it. Finally, James A. Michener's historical novels inspired me to write more OUT OF EDEN travel novels, with real locations and history for background.

 

PageOneLit.com: Please tell us about New Directions, a support service program you helped develop.

Noemi Eva: New Directions was developed by the "Junior League" a young women's volunteer organization. It was created as a support service program for women to make successful transitions - following separation, divorce or widowhood - to rebuild their lives. Once established, I was trained and acted as a group leader and facilitator. Unfortunately this program closed last year due to lack of funds. I hope to revive it however. For help, in-put or questions, please write to me by e-mail: noemieva@outofedenbooks.com.

 

PageOneLit.com: When you're not working, what are your favorite ways to relax?

Noemi Eva: I like to listen to classical music, reading, watching movies and when weather permits, basking in the sun.

 

PageOneLit.com: Do you have any final thoughts to share with us?

Noemi Eva: NOEMI EVA are my first and middle names. Just me, without my father's, my 1st or 2nd husband's surnames.

I apologize for any incorrect grammar in my answers. English is the 4th of the 5 languages I speak. My book OUT OF EDEN was corrected/edited by a professional, this questionnaire is not.

For chapter samples of OUT OF EDEN. EVE AND THE OPPOSITE SEX, media coverage, other events and more, please go to my website: www.outofedenbooks.com.