Author Interview: Lucie Novak: A Woman with no Strings Attached: Frank Dialogue

My name is Lucie Novak - a pen name and the name of the main character in my book.

My book is an “erotic memoir”, but is also about life in a communist country, emigration, marriage, divorce, love, voyeurism and other things. The book is autobiographical and covers one part of my life. My journey to sexual liberation and the re-discovery of my true personality after years of trying to be someone else for other people.

I was born in Prague. Prague is a nice place, it used to be a nice place even in the communist times. Not nice enough for me not to emigrate, though. I had enough of the lies, propaganda and censorship. So when my husband, daughters and I got a permission to go on holiday to the
West, we never came back. I live in England, working as a full time family doctor- a GP. I love England although I will always be an alien here. “Where is that lovely accent coming from?" people say.  I speak five languages, all of them with a strong Czech accent. Well, the accent is me, it probably shows even in my writing.  But I do not think I want to
change it.

I always liked to read, and I was toying with the idea of writing a book for a long time. But whatever I tried to write in the past was not good enough, so I stopped.

I did not write any more until my life changed. I divorced, fell in love again, and changed my life. I discovered the difference between love and lust, sex just for sex and sex as a sign of a deep loving relationship. I had fun on my way of discovery. And so I wrote a book about my private sexual revolution. It is a journey. Maybe my readers will enjoy making the journey with me.

I think the best memories of my childhood are the stories my father used to tell me. Some of them were made up, some of them were plots of books or films. I remember walking around Prague galleries with my father as a little girl, and he made up stories about the scenes in paintings. I later did the same for my children.

I went to medical school, partly because it was a family tradition, but mainly because it was not a political career. But I only really started liking my career when I became a GP. It is an ideal job for a curious woman, people tell me things. All those families, all those stories. I love my job as a family doctor in London.

I think the biggest inspiration for me was my maternal grandmother. I come from a very assimilated completely secular Prague Jewish family. My grandmother, a woman from a very privileged background had her life changed with the Nazi occupation, concentration camps where she lost
her mother, husband, son and many other relatives. She coped. After the war, after getting back to normal life, she was affected again by the communist regime. It was not easy- she was from a “bourgeois background”. Despite the hardship, she was a jolly, optimistic, happy woman. The tragedies in her life, instead of making her bitter or
depressed, made her stronger, optimistic and level headed. Her saying in any crisis was: “So what, I have been through worse things in life!”

That made a big impression on me. Of course, seeing your husband son, mother and brothers murdered by the Nazis probably was the worst possible thing that could happen to a woman.

 I always admired her cheerful resilience remember how she told me something funny.

 “You know, Lucie, before the war, I was supposed to behave like a lady, I had servants and a cook, now I can do my own grocery shopping and cook what I want. I do not have to wear a hat or gloves, and “keep appearances”, I feel free”

From a woman who had to stand in long queues for grocery shopping it sounded strange, but I understand what she meant. So in a way, maybe I have inherited this unconventional independent streak.

What hurts me you most in this world?

Silence, glass walls, the elephants in the room nobody talks about.

What is the biggest challenge I have faced?

I think the biggest challenge I faced was the emigration. Living in a foreign country, having to pass a lot of various exams while working full time as a doctor in hospital, including nights and weekends, juggling that and two children at home. It was not easy, but I am also proud of my achievements.

If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality? 

I think Ernest Hemingway had a pretty interesting life.

What is your favourite genre and why?

I like reading fiction, novels. Well written stories. I like books
where I feel I can look inside the character’s minds.

The reason why I wrote my book was that I wanted to tell my story. It is a story of a woman who is bold enough to break a lot of taboos and live her life in contrast to society expectations.

My first book “A Woman with (no) Strings Attached” will be published on 30th June 2014.

It is exciting.

Here is the book blurb:

Until recently, Lucie thought an orgasm was something other women fake. She never had one, and did not even fake it.

But after a lifetime of boring, conventional sex, treating it merely as a gift for her husband, Lucie embarks upon a journey of sexual discovery on which she finds another side to herself...58 year old divorced GP from Prague, Lucie (under the cover name Adrienne) joins an internet site for adults looking to meet for unencumbered sex. In the course of the next year she learns that sex without love can be liberating.

She discovers new things about herself and finds that knowing more about sex makes her a better doctor. The unusual part of it is the fact that her American partner Tom, who, most unusually, is not the sexually jealous type, not only allows her, but encourages her to have several lovers. Tom has voyeuristic tendencies and therefore enjoys her thorough reports about her alter ego Adrienne’s sexual encounters. Tom encourages Lucie to explore the outrageous, daring and unconventional part of her character. He is having fun, too.

On her journey Lucie meets various types of men. Lucie is having a ball, sometimes putting herself in danger. Some of those lovers become her friends. "A Woman with (No) Strings Attached" is a story of Lucie’s own private sexual revolution and her complicated relationship with her lover in America. It describes her development from a shy young person with no interest in sex to a sexually adventurous and confident mature woman. The book also offers a glimpse into Lucie's life in communist Czechoslovakia, before she emigrated. 

This is a story of love and lust, but also one of self-discovery and personal growth.If you want to know about those, read the book!

I am already writing the sequel,

What four top most things you take care of while writing a book?

It needs to tell the story and show true feelings of the characters.

Your dream destination on Earth? 

I’d like to go to India and Pakistan – I read so many novels about it and Japan.

Your favourite time of the day?  

Evening

Your zodiac/ sun sign? 

Scorpio

Your favourite colour and why? 

Red- it is a colour of life.

Your favourite book and why? 

I have many. My favourite contemporary English writing authors are Salman Rushdie, Margaret Attwood and Terry
Pratchett.

Your favourite celebrity and why? 

Rafael Nadal, very good tennis player and nice and modest guy

Your favourite food? 

Czech fried pork in breadcrumbs with potato salad,

Some quickies:

Sun or Moon Sun

Laughter or Smile Laughter

Morning or Evening Evening

Coffee or Tea Coffee

Mountain or Sea Mountain- I ski

Long Drive or Short Drive:  no drive at all

Silence or Conversation conversation

Water or Fire Water

Air or Earth Earth

Mars or Jupiter  could not care less , planets are boring

Tulip or Rose Tulip

Red or Blue Red

Left or Right I am left handed

Glance or Stare glance

The motto of my book:

Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is. –Margaret Mitchell novelist (1900-1949)

The last line of your autobiography would be…

Just managed to finish the last chapter.

Links:Twitter handle: @writingLucie

 Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucie-Nov%C3%A1k/421374924666243

Goodreads author page:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8190873.Lucie_Novak

Amazon link: not yet, book coming out on 30th June 2014

Web site with some sample chapters:http://www.lucienovak.com/