Deborah Vadas Levison's guest appearances

Deborah Vadas Levison

The Opperman Report

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

The Opperman Report'

Bruce Reinhart

Barack Obama

John Potash

Charles Ortel

John Brisson

PT2 Michael

Craig Reed

Daniel Sheehan

Steph Watts

Michael Grayson

Ed Pinkney

John Massaria

Lauren Boebert

Joyce Short

Susan Sparks

OwlTail

Mark interviews Deborah Levison, a multi award-winning author, freelance writer, publicist and the author of THE CRATE: A Story of War, a Murder, and Justice - a true crime story with echoes of the Holocaust. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and talks about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   During their conversation, Mark and Debbie talk about:  How much of a bookworm Debbie was from an early age, and that she'd always dreamed of being an author One of the earliest essays she had to write for school about her, her mother, and her grandmother going to visit the bears at dusk at the local garbage dump Debbie's lonely childhood growing up spending summers in the Muskoka region of Ontario, and how that helped fuel her imagination and love of fictional characters from books Her work as a professional writer (a journalist, publicist, etc) Debbie's true crime book, The Crate, which was about a very grizzly and gruesome crime that personally impacted her family Family history that includes paralleling evil from the past (Debbie's parents being Holocaust survivors) with evil in the present The surreal 2010 life-changing phone call Debbie received from her brother informing her about this crate he discovered hidden under the crawl space of their family cottage The challenge and experience of reaching out to the victim's mother and sister and learning about who she was -- which was the focus of the second half of the book How the media painted the situation in a very "blame the victim" manner The "memoir" elements in the structure of this book The process of pitching the book, and the first agent she'd reached out to who graciously spent time and energy helping Debbie make the book better for her pitch, and then recommended her to another agent How Canadian publishers are heavily subsidized by the Canadian government, which led to them passing on Debbie's book because she was no longer a Canadian resident (those publishers only get grant money when they publish books from Canadian authors) The third agent Debbie worked with who found a publisher in Colorado that worked quickly to get the book out The cover promotional blurbs Debbie got from Lee Child and James Rollins after connecting at ThrillerFest in New York Some of the logistics about the research and writing of this book The numerous live events she has done talking about The Crate, and what Debbie is working on now    Links of Interest:  Deborah Levison's Website Episode 206 - No One Will Believe In You More Than You, with Steena Holmes Episode 204 - Overcoming Self Doubt with Tessa Smith McGovern Episode 203 - A Rant on Unprofessional Author Behavior Episode 191 - Insights from the Immersive Media &amp; Books 2020 Consumer Survey The Relaxed Author Publishing Pitfalls for Authors Patreon for Stark Reflections An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries &amp; Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books  This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City      The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Deborah Levison, a multi award-winning author, freelance writer, publicist and the author of THE CRATE: A Story of War, a Murder, and Justice - a true crime story with echoes of the Holocaust. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and talks about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at <a href="http://starkreflections.ca/Findaway" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">starkreflections.ca/Findaway</a>. During their conversation, Mark and Debbie talk about: <ul> <li>How much of a bookworm Debbie was from an early age, and that she'd always dreamed of being an author</li> <li>One of the earliest essays she had to write for school about her, her mother, and her grandmother going to visit the bears at dusk at the local garbage dump</li> <li>Debbie's lonely childhood growing up spending summers in the Muskoka region of Ontario, and how that helped fuel her imagination and love of fictional characters from books</li> <li>Her work as a professional writer (a journalist, publicist, etc)</li> <li>Debbie's true crime book, The Crate, which was about a very grizzly and gruesome crime that personally impacted her family</li> <li>Family history that includes paralleling evil from the past (Debbie's parents being Holocaust survivors) with evil in the present</li> <li>The surreal 2010 life-changing phone call Debbie received from her brother informing her about this crate he discovered hidden under the crawl space of their family cottage</li> <li>The challenge and experience of reaching out to the victim's mother and sister and learning about who she was -- which was the focus of the second half of the book</li> <li>How the media painted the situation in a very "blame the victim" manner</li> <li>The "memoir" elements in the structure of this book</li> <li>The process of pitching the book, and the first agent she'd reached out to who graciously spent time and energy helping Debbie make the book better for her pitch, and then recommended her to another agent</li> <li>How Canadian publishers are heavily subsidized by the Canadian government, which led to them passing on Debbie's book because she was no longer a Canadian resident (those publishers only get grant money when they publish books from Canadian authors)</li> <li>The third agent Debbie worked with who found a publisher in Colorado that worked quickly to get the book out</li> <li>The cover promotional blurbs Debbie got from Lee Child and James Rollins after connecting at ThrillerFest in New York</li> <li>Some of the logistics about the research and writing of this book</li> <li>The numerous live events she has done talking about The Crate, and what Debbie is working on now</li> </ul> Links of Interest: <ul> <li><a href="https://debbielevison.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Deborah Levison's Website</a></li> <li>Episode 206 - <a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2021/08/17/episode-206-no-one-will-believe-in-you-more-than-you-a-wwc-keynote-from-steena-holmes/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">No One Will Believe In You More Than You, with Steena Holmes</a></li> <li>Episode 204 - <a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2021/08/06/episode-204-overcoming-self-doubt-with-tessa-smith-mcgovern/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Overcoming Self Doubt with Tessa Smith McGovern</a></li> <li>Episode 203 - <a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2021/07/30/episode-203-a-rant-on-unprofessional-author-behavior/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">A Rant on Unprofessional Author Behavior</a></li> <li>Episode 191 - <a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2021/05/14/episode-191-insights-from-the-immersive-media-books-2020-consumer-survey/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Insights from the Immersive Media &amp; Books 2020 Consumer Survey</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/relaxedauthor/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Relaxed Author</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/publishingpitfalls" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Publishing Pitfalls for Authors</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon for Stark Reflections</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/workingwithlibrariesandbookstores" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries &amp; Bookstores</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Wide for the Win</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">This Time Around (Short Story)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">A Canadian Werewolf in New York</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Stowe Away (Novella)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fear and Longing in Los Angeles</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fright Nights, Big City</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of <a href="https://incompetech.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.incompetech.com</a> and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution 3.0</a>

EP 208 - Writing & Living a True Crime with Deborah Vadas Levison

"Evocative, and inspiring ... So much more than a true crime." - Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of NO STONE UNTURNEDAfter surviving the horrors of the Holocaust – in ghettos, on death marches, and in concentration camps – a young couple seeks refuge in Canada. They settle into a new life, certain that the terrors of their past are behind them. They build themselves a cozy little cottage on a lake in Muskoka, a cottage that becomes emblematic of their victory over the Nazis. The charming retreat is a safe haven, a refuge from haunted memories.That is, until a single act of unspeakable violence defiles their sanctuary. Poking around the dark crawl space beneath their cottage, they discover a wooden crate, nailed tightly shut and almost hidden from view. Nothing could have prepared them for the horror of the crate’s contents – or how the peace and tranquility of their lives would be shattered.Now, their daughter, Deborah Vadas Levison, an award-winning journalist, tells the extraordinary account of her parents' ordeals, both in one of the darkest times in world history and their present-day lives. Written in searing, lyrical prose, THE CRATE: A Story Of War, A Murder, And Justice examines man’s seemingly limitless capacity for evil... but also, his capacity for good.

"Evocative, and inspiring ... So much more than a true crime." - Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of NO STONE UNTURNED After surviving the horrors of the Holocaust – in ghettos, on death marches, and in concentration camps – a young couple seeks refuge in Canada. They settle into a new life, certain that the terrors of their past are behind them. They build themselves a cozy little cottage on a lake in Muskoka, a cottage that becomes emblematic of their victory over the Nazis. The charming retreat is a safe haven, a refuge from haunted memories. That is, until a single act of unspeakable violence defiles their sanctuary. Poking around the dark crawl space beneath their cottage, they discover a wooden crate, nailed tightly shut and almost hidden from view. Nothing could have prepared them for the horror of the crate’s contents – or how the peace and tranquility of their lives would be shattered. Now, their daughter, Deborah Vadas Levison, an award-winning journalist, tells the extraordinary account of her parents' ordeals, both in one of the darkest times in world history and their present-day lives. Written in searing, lyrical prose, THE CRATE: A Story Of War, A Murder, And Justice examines man’s seemingly limitless capacity for evil... but also, his capacity for good.

Deborah Vadas Levison  The Crate: A Story Of War, A Murder, And Justice

"Evocative, and inspiring ... So much more than a true crime." - Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of NO STONE UNTURNED After surviving the horrors of the Holocaust – in ghettos, on death marches, and in concentration camps – a young couple seeks refuge in Canada. They settle into a new life, certain that the terrors of their past are behind them. They build themselves a cozy little cottage on a lake in Muskoka, a cottage that becomes emblematic of their victory over the Nazis. The charming retreat is a safe haven, a refuge from haunted memories. That is, until a single act of unspeakable violence defiles their sanctuary. Poking around the dark crawl space beneath their cottage, they discover a wooden crate, nailed tightly shut and almost hidden from view. Nothing could have prepared them for the horror of the crate’s contents – or how the peace and tranquility of their lives would be shattered. Now, their daughter, Deborah Vadas Levison, an award-winning journalist, tells the extraordinary account of her parents' ordeals, both in one of the darkest times in world history and their present-day lives. Written in searing, lyrical prose, THE CRATE: A Story Of War, A Murder, And Justice examines man’s seemingly limitless capacity for evil... but also, his capacity for good.