By Tessa Levy, 88-year-old author of No One But You, a fictionalised memoir and family saga, described by some reviewers as a ‘coming of age’ social history novel.
Tessa Levy
No One But You by Tessa Levy (£14.99) is published by Filament Publishing and due for release on May 24th 2018. To pre-order please visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-But-You-Tessa-Levy/dp/1912256053
Tessa is on Twitter @tessalevyauthor @literallypr
I’ve always loved writing - mostly letters - in fact that’s a major thread in my story; the idea that writing one letter can have such life-changing consequences. My life has been incredible, I’m proud of all the ups and the downs, but now, as I approach my nineties, I’m determined to achieve another goal, to have my book published, to enjoy a wonderful book launch party surrounded by friends and family, and to read my first positive reviews of my story.
I always thought I would write fiction, but 32 years ago, as I sat with my daughter in Los Angeles and watched the sun setting, I realised that my life story, my actual experiences, needed to be part of that novel I would one day write. My beloved husband David had just passed away, our business empire had collapsed, and I had to find the resilience and motivation to keep going – for my children and for myself. I started to write some of my memories of childhood, growing up in the East End of London during World War Two, surrounded by bombings and terror. My brothers were away fighting in the War, our house was blown to pieces, and we experienced extreme hardship, but we were never unhappy, not until my mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Tragedy at such a young age, amidst World War, was difficult to comprehend. I turned to writing letters as a distraction. I discovered that I had a whole other family over in America, a land I had heard very little about at that young age. I began corresponding with the family over in the States in secret, they were my mother’s family and they’d all fallen out over money – as is often the case with families. Surviving the death of my mother, my father’s remarriage and growing up too fast, I was soon about to leave school and follow the path expected of me and every other young girl in the late 1940s; a job in a shop or office, and then marriage (to a lovely Jewish boy) and then to become a parent myself. I decided at that age that I was not ready to be told what to do; resilience and a determination to seek something ‘more’ won out, and I convinced my family that I should go to stay with my cousin in America.
Eighteen months later I returned to England, no longer a young girl with ‘puppy fat’, but a glamorous lady with an eye for antiques, an entrepreneurial spirit, and many experiences (not all good!) that had shaped me into the ambitious person I had become. My family in America opened my eyes to my first love, new ways of eating, dressing, living…and there were some other eye-opening moments when I realised one of my cousins was indeed in love with an actual gangster, a member of the mafia! He was a total gentleman and looked after me with protective zeal.
My life has been a series of ups and downs, I’ve always been aware that I need to ride out the bad times, not always an easy task. My daughters keep me young at heart, determined to achieve my goals even at my age, and I see other people my age almost giving up. I’m not going to let that happen to me. I have a lot more to do and plan to soon return to my beloved America, where I’ve spent almost half my life in the past few decades, and where my youngest daughter Shelley now lives. Shelley helped me write No One But You and we had a wonderful time together blending the fact with the fiction. I cannot wait to hear what people think of my book. I’m so proud to be an author. I encourage anyone to follow their dreams, regardless of their age.
