Janet Kravetz (also writing under the pen name Topaz Ruby) is an award-winning author, poet and artist. Janet was born in Ukraine in 1983 and grew up in Israel, where she had a career in legal research, joining the Israel Bar in 2009. Soon thereafter she immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada and continued working in the field of legal research and public policy, while volunteering with various local committees for the promotion of diversity and inclusion. She speaks Russian, Hebrew and English.
In 2014 her book of poetry and art “Reaching Beyond Ourselves – Leading a Spiritual, Peaceful and Diverse World” won the international Beverly Hills Book Awards under the Poetry category for content and presentation (Topaz Ruby, second edition 2020 on Amazon). In the following years Janet turned to writing more poetry and also a few unpublished manuscripts dealing with topics of spirituality, mental health, diversity and the environment.
Her upcoming sci-fi novel series “Sky Curse” tells the tale of Cecilia Miller, a coder of artificial dreams, who lives in the year 2045 when climate chaos has become the norm and the collective mental health of humanity has fallen to a grave state. It seems like only technology can help, and Cecilia is determined to be the one to bring that help. Sky Curse recently won the Literary Titan Silver Book Award!
You are an award-winning author, poet, and artist. Share your background.
I was born in Ukraine in 1983 and grew up in Israel, where I had a career in legal research, joining the Israel Bar in 2009. Soon thereafter I immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada and continued working in the field of legal research and public policy, while volunteering with various local committees for the promotion of diversity and inclusion. I sometimes write under the pen name Topaz Ruby and speak Russian, Hebrew and English.
In 2014 my book of poetry and art “Reaching Beyond Ourselves – Leading a Spiritual, Peaceful and Diverse World” won the international Beverly Hills Book Awards under the Poetry category for content and presentation (under my pen name Topaz Ruby, second edition 2020 on Amazon). In the following years I turned to writing more poetry and also a few unpublished manuscripts dealing with topics of spirituality, mental health, diversity and the environment.
Since I can remember myself, I wanted to pursue a career as an author. Writing is a journey in the desert, not a promised land. I’m grateful for every lesson, milestone and miracle on the way. Writing in my third language and constantly changing genres, I often feel like I’m walking the road less traveled by.
What sparked your creativity for your book, poetry and art, “Reaching Beyond Ourselves – Leading a Spiritual, Peaceful and Diverse World” that won the international Beverly Hills Book Awards under the Poetry category for content and presentation under your pen name Topaz Ruby?
In the 90’s Steven Spielberg established a non-profit foundation in California – USC Shoah Foundation – the institute for Visual History and Education. The foundation recorded testimonies from Holocaust survivors from around the world. The foundation sent a filming crew to my home in Israel to film my late grandmother’s Holocaust survival story. In 2012, long after her passing, I viewed her interview on video. She had told her story and ended her talk by saying that wars have catastrophic impact on humanity and that the world needs to finally learn how-to live in peace. I felt fortunate to hear that timeless message. To have a piece of my heritage on video. I decided to put this message of peace in writing. I started with writing a poem titled “Thank You Steven Spielberg,” then continued to write a few more poems about myself and my heritage until it grew from there into inspirational and motivational poems too.
On April 8, 2013, an overflowing crowd of over 200 people gathered at the Halifax Saint Mary’s University Scotiabank Theatre to solemnize Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day.) I was honored to read the poem “Thank You Steven Spielberg” on that occasion, while sharing my Jewish heritage with others. The positive feedback made me feel I was on the right track with the book.
There are recurring themes in your work including spirituality, mental health, diversity, and the environment. Tell us about your upcoming sci-fi novel series, “Sky Curse.”
The Sky Curse series follows Cecilia Miller, a coder of artificial dreams living in the year 2045. It’s a time when climate chaos has become the norm and the collective mental health of humanity has fallen to a grave state. The world’s population has grown to a horrific twenty-five billion people, maxing Earth to its limit. Most are planning to abandon Earth and leave it to its fate as they colonize a new world through Titan pioneering. However, there are those who still hold on to hope for Earth and a humanity untainted by AI. As humanity struggles to survive, it seems like only technology can help, and Cecilia is determined to be the one to bring it about. When planet Earth faces apocalyptic events, she must summon her resolve and resilience if she’s to have a chance to save this world. “Sky Curse” is available on Amazon.
Where did your inspiration for the main character Cecilia Miller come from?
Initially I wanted to develop a female protagonist that is a force of nature in a world where environmental degradation is getting out of control. I wanted Cecilia Miller to be strong. Fierce. Determined. A perfect role-model. I started drafting such a protagonist.
However, in Spring 2016 a group of four high school students from the 2015 Asper Human Rights and Holocaust Studies program all chose individually to present my poetry from “Reaching Beyond Ourselves” at the official Nova Scotia Holocaust memorial ceremony in Halifax. I was humbled. I knew my book was making the intended impact, because their teacher let me know that the students had been moved and inspired by the book. I realized during the conversation with that teacher that I wanted my next writing to appeal to youth too. I wanted to develop a realistic sci-fi-novel protagonist they could easily relate to. I wanted to write something entertaining but also educational to guide them on their path to making the world a better place in times of environmental crisis. Subsequently I didn’t want a protagonist that was perfect, because no one is perfect. Sometimes we are heroes, fixing the world. Sometimes we are heroes, fixing our own worlds, trying to find balance in life. I wanted my readers to know that we all struggle at times. We are all rushing to get somewhere in life and sometimes are shocked to find out we’re simply “running on thin air.” The more ambitious and successful we are the more likely it is that we’re spreading ourselves too thin. What matters eventually is what we do after we come to terms with our own vulnerabilities. Do we become kinder to ourselves? Do we take the time to stop everything and rest? Can we still hope to make a positive impact on the world?
I then came to the final realization that the protagonist had to be someone who is painfully aware of her vulnerabilities and yet still makes a difference in the world. So, I rewrote the protagonist’s character arc. Thus, Cecilia Miller came to be, and my upcoming debut sci-fi novel series “Sky Curse” started writing itself. I gave Cecilia a few realistic life struggles, but also some assistance from mysterious crystals to balance things out. Cecilia suffers from social anxiety and alcoholism, among other things, yet she embarks on a profound awakening journey in her attempts to save Planet Earth.
I then put down my final thoughts on this in a form of a poem. My poem New Bridges (below) served as inspiration for Cecilia’s new character arc in the series.
New Bridges by Janet Kravetz
All senses awake
While humanity sleeps,
The dials in the clock
Cannot catch up to her.
She’s looking forward,
And never looking down,
But she’s always mere steps
Above hungry lava.
Her body strung and alert,
running on the edge of earth,
In the fields of rolling silence,
Just before the wrath of thunder.
She feels much more alive
Than ever before,
More real than reality itself,
Sharper than the racing wind.
Her relentless leaps of faith
Between the tops of mountains,
Between the past and the future
Move tectonic plates closer together.
Her mind challenges the world
To speed up and catch up to her.
Her spirit builds new bridges
For humanity to safely cross.
When she feels down, she climbs upward,
She runs forward in the speed of light,
But her untamed mind races faster,
So much faster than the speed of light,
Until one day she finally looks down,
Her eyes widen,
She runs on thin air,
…Runs on thin air.
…On thin air.
…Thin air.
Sky Curse has received rave reviews. Early Testimonials for book 1 “Sky Curse: The Chosen Five:”
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This enticing novel warrants action against climate change by showing us a glimpse of a frightening society that has neglected our planet and is reaping the dangerous consequences. An excellent, thought-provoking read for Youth and adults alike. (N K-B)
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I love the premise, the amazing plot twists and that it reads like a realistic, probable and alarming near-future dystopian novel – I could be alive to see that future. The intricacies of new technology, human happiness and fulfillment, and even religion are all complicated subjects that were blended together well for this story. (G.M)
What is your mission for Sky Curse?
Somewhere in 2014 I had a profound realization. It all started when my book Reaching Beyond Ourselves had just won an international book award. I realized that the world cannot be spiritual, peaceful and diverse as long as climate change and the ever-growing scarcity of natural resources is threatening our near future. We live in unprecedented times when our sustainability efforts as well as our technological advances and failures will one day define humanity.
I believe that authors and poets have the power to change the course of history through their writing by captivating minds with their words. Writers who are determined to promote peace, diversity and sustainability should be heard the loudest. Their words must be amplified and their urgent messages should be reaching wide audiences on multiple medias. At that point, making a real impact through my near-future sci-fi writing seemed to take precedence over anything else. To start conversations on this, I knew I wanted to write a mind-provoking sci-fi novel series on this topic.
Therefore, my mission for the Sky Curse series is to educate readers and start a public discussion about the interconnected topics of environmental sustainability, technological advancements and mental resilience. As a sci-fi author I think that the future facing humanity is both exciting and very unpredictable. Sky Curse series is a highly entertaining educational piece as well as a call for action. I would like Sky Curse readers to be debating the following questions, as those questions are not reserved for science fiction fans anymore. These are the most pressing questions of the next decades: Would people live, work, compete, collaborate and integrate with machines? Would humans become interplanetary species? Will people face climate chaos and severe climate anxiety? Will there be new world wars over natural resources? Will the collective mental health of humanity only deteriorate with time?
Are you working on your second book? Can you share a glimpse?
The Second book in the series “Sky Curse” is already half written and will be called “Trial by Fire.” It will shed light on some of the unresolved mysteries of book 1, while presenting new mysteries and adventures.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers who want to delve into sci-fi?
I feel that there’s a great opportunity when writing sci-fi to address challenges humanity might face in the near future, while focusing on promoting hope and resilience in readers. Sci-fi Authors can help facilitate discussions about sustainability and the future of technology. For example, in the sci fi novel The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, the author comes up with many fictional new policies and innovations, all of which work together in his novel to avert a climate disaster. These mind provoking ideas artfully weaved into his stories include the fictional concept of a global Ministry for the Future that works on behalf of future generations. I really enjoy reading books like that, which educate me on many subjects and make me think more creatively and optimistically about the future.
Any movie deals in the works?
No movie deals in the works at the moment, but I’m open to such an option, because ideally, I want to reach as wide an audience as possible.
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