Meet Alina Adams

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alina Adams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alina, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I was born in the former Soviet Union. The first 7 years of my life were spent living in a single room with my parents in a communal apartment in Odesa, Ukraine. We then spent four months in a series of trains, hotels, and rented apartments across Vienna, Austria and Rome, Italy while we immigrated. When we came to America, my father worked three jobs and I went to school where I didn’t speak English. Anything that happens in my life now is such a step up, how can I not be optimistic? When my oldest son was concerned about a six week summer program, I told him, “You can survive anything for six weeks. People survived Auschwitz for an average of six weeks.” My son said, “Perhaps you need a different frame of reference.” But, why, when it’s at the root of my optimism?

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

After a 30 year career of writing romance novels, figure skating mysteries, and soap opera tie-ins, I began writing about issues closer to my heart. My Soviet-Jewish historical fiction includes “The Nesting Dolls,” “My Mother’s Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region” and “Go On Pretending.” Because I am married to an African-American man, I may have snuck that element in, as well. You can read all about what I do and why I do it at www.AlinaAdams.com

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1) Try to do something that scares you every day. At the beginning of my career, in the dark ages before email, I was terrified of making phone calls. Not just cold calls, even pre-planned calls. I would script out the entire conversation. But I would force myself to dial the number, anyway. If I was afraid to do it, I would make myself do it.

2) Say “yes.” Especially when the first instinct is to say “no.” You can always turn a “yes” into a “no,” once you’ve thought it over. It’s much harder to change your mind from “no” to “yes,” as the asker has likely moved on.

3) I am going to be exhausted whether I do something or do nothing. So I might as well do something. Especially if it scares me. Afterwards, you won’t remember how exhausted you were. You’ll remember what you learned and, hopefully, the fun you had.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I live a lot of lives. Yes, I’m a Soviet-Jewish historical fiction novelist. But I also write about education in New York City. I produce videos and podcasts about it. You can learn about my other life at: www.NYCSchoolSecrets.com.

I would like to take my work to the next level by producing a weekly, local TV show about the state of NYC education. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! There is never a week when I don’t have a scandal to discuss.

I have the show planned out. I know how it would run. I know how to write a TV show and I know how to produce a TV show, but I don’t know how to pitch and sell a TV show. Anyone who’d like to offer a helping hand and get in on the action – reach out!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AlinaAdams.com
• Instagram: @IamAlinaAdams
• Facebook: Alina Sivorinovsky Wickham
• Linkedin: Alina Sivorinovsky Wickham
• Twitter: Iamalinaadams
• Youtube: Alina Adams

Image Credits

Photo by: Roberto Falck