Heather Levy is the Anthony award-nominated author of Walking Through Needles, Hurt for Me and This Violent Heart. We spoke with her about her journey and experience as an author in modern times, from the art of the trade to the nature of the writing community.
Congratulations on the release of The Violent Heart last February.
Tell us how the reader response has been so far.
Firstly, thank you! The reader response has been so positive, and it’s wonderful to see Devon’s story connecting with people beyond the US. I’ve received some lovely messages from readers, many of whom share similar experiences with Devon in growing up queer in a conservative, unaccepting environment, which was also my own experience as a bisexual woman in Oklahoma.
Has the experience of both writing it and interacting with readers
after its release been any different from your previous books? In what
ways if yes.
In many ways, this is the most personal book I’ve written, so there was a lot of pressure to capture those emotions I lived as a queer teen while also keeping the story broad enough to where others could live in my character’s skin. With my prior book Hurt for Me, it was personal in that it involved the kink community, which I’m a part of, but I could easily separate myself from my dominatrix character. With This Violent Heart, I tapped into those difficult memories of my teen years, and I believe readers felt that connection and authenticity while reading Devon’s story. On the flip side, because the story is so personal, it’s harder to read any reviews that aren’t as positive. Luckily, I typically avoid reading reviews of my work!
What has been the toughest challenge you have had to deal with in
your years as a writer and how have you managed to handle them?
I think most writers deal with imposter syndrome and comparing themselves to other writers, and it’s a challenge to avoid that debilitating headspace. Publishing is a crazy world, and so much of it is luck and good timing. There are so many ups and downs as an author, but for me, my fellow writer friends have been some of my biggest cheerleaders. I’m happy when they succeed just as they are for me. We’re all on our own writing journeys, and I try to remember that mine will never look like someone else’s.
In your journey as a writer and author, what or who has been your
most reliable support system that has kept you going?
Besides the writing community and many amazing readers and the Bookstagram community, my husband is my most reliable support system. He was there taking care of our kids so I could get in a couple of hours of writing each day and when I was in the query trenches trying to find an agent. He’s been there through every disappointment and success, and he’s never once discouraged me from pursuing my dream. You can’t ask for more than that in a partner, no matter what your passion is in life.
When writing characters like Devon that draws parallels with your
personal experiences, how challenging can that be for a writer? Does it
provide any fork of healing or does it force an uneasy confrontation
with your past?
When I’m writing about issues that draw upon my personal experiences, I believe there’s a little bit of both a confrontation with the past and the opportunity to find healing through the writing process. It’s always a challenge when you’re writing about a topic that holds a lot of emotional baggage, but I feel that diving into those difficult topics also allows for a different level of authenticity to the work.
What is the singular toughest decision you have had to make for your
career and how did it pan out?
The hardest decision was realizing I needed some kind of structured learning to get better at novel writing, which meant applying for a low-residency master’s program that would take time away from my family. It was a long two years, working full-time and juggling family and school, but it’s brought me so many opportunities which led to where I am now.
In recent years since social media and the Internet became such a
competition for the attention of especially young readers, would you say
there has been any shift in the way writers tell stories to hook readers
better in general? And on a personal level, have you bothered about this
when writing such that it influences how you plot or write your books?
I think Tik Tok, for good or bad, has influenced books the most in recent years. In thrillers especially, I’ve seen the trend to have outlandish twists that sometimes make no sense to the rest of the story. I can’t say for sure if this is to get more attention with younger readers, but it’s something I’ve noticed. For my own work, I do find myself writing for the ear more. Before, I never thought about how my work would be in audiobook form, but most books are available as audiobooks, so it’s something I think writers have to at least consider while writing.
What experiences or character traits would you consider to have best
prepared you for the life of a writer or played a major role in defining
the kind of writer you are today?
In my day job, I have to be extremely organized and constantly multitask, and I believe that’s helped me the most as a writer. Although when I write, I’m more of a panster than plotter, I have to stay organized in how I approach a chapter to stay on task and meet my daily writing goals, much in the same way I handle my caseload at my day job.
It is so inspiring to learn that you did go back to school for the
sake of becoming a better Novelist. That is a level of dedication to the
craft that we need you see more of. Do you have any avenue through which
you pass along your wealth of knowledge and experience to other writers
maybe in form of workshops or in any form? If not, is it something you
are open to exploring at some point?
I strongly believe in lifting up new writers within the writing community. I’ve benefited so much from the help of other writers, and I always want to pay it forward. Over the years, I’ve done free writing workshops and have worked with writers on their drafts, query letters, or just general writing questions. The publishing world can be difficult and having support in the community can make all the difference.
If your books were to be adapted for cinema or TV, which actors
would you rather play Devon and your other main characters?
Oh, that’s tough! For This Violent Heart, I think I could picture Angourie Rice as Devon, and I’ve always seen Sophie Thatcher as Summer. For Keaton, I really don’t know. For Hurt for Me, Florence Pugh is my Rae Dixon.
Have you ever read or thought about any of your already published
books and think there’s something you would have written differently
than you did? If so, what are they?
I don’t know a single writer who hasn’t thought of a million changes after their book is published. That’s the nature of being a writer, always wanting to perfect every line. At a certain point, though, either by necessity to meet a deadline or otherwise, you have to accept that a book is as good as it’s going to be and let it go into the world. And then it’s no longer yours; it belongs to the reader.
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