Welcome Joanne Levy

Today I'm excited to host debut middle grade author, Joanne Levy, whose very funny (and cleverly titled) SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE just hit the shelves.

ABOUT JOANNE LEVY

 

Joanne Levy’s love of books began at a very early age.  Being the youngest and the only female among four children, she was often left to her own devices and could frequently be found sitting in a quiet corner with her nose in a book.  After much teenage misadventure, Joanne eventually graduated from university and now spends her weekdays as an executive assistant at one of Canada’s big banks planning meetings and thwarting coffee emergencies.  When Joanne isn’t working, she can usually be found at her computer, channeling her younger self into books. 

Joanne still lives in Ontario with her husband and kids of the furred and feathered variety.  You can follow Joanne on Twitter or find her on Facebook. 

ABOUT SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE 

After she’s hit by lightning at a wedding, twelve-year-old Lilah Bloom develops a new talent: she can hear dead people. Among them, there’s her overopinionated Bubby Dora; a prissy fashion designer; and an approval-seeking clown who livens up a séance. With Bubby Dora leading the way, these and other sweetly imperfect ghosts haunt Lilah through seventh grade, and help her face her one big fear: talking to—and possibly going to the seventh-grade dance with—her crush, Andrew Finkel.

“In a fresh, frank and funny first-person voice, Lilah tells of her ghostly encounters from the perspective of a normal Jewish girl coping with abnormal powers.” -Kirkus

 

GET TO KNOW JOANNE LEVY

 

MAUREEN: Where do you most like to read and how often? 

JOANNE: I read in bed every night—I can’t get the mental gears to stop turning without some reading time, no matter how tired I am. I usually get in at least a half-hour, but it could be  more, if I’m reading something really compelling.

MAUREEN: Where in the world would you most like to visit? 

JOANNE: I’ve always wanted to see the pyramids, and they’re definitely on my bucket list. Someday, I will get there, although if I’m going to sit on a plane for a long time, Tahiti definitely sounds appealing, too!

MAUREEN: Would you rather sky dive or scuba dive? 

JOANNE: Scuba Dive for sure. When I was a kid, I would lay in the bathtub, pretending I was a mermaid. I’ve always loved water and swimming and feel very at home in the water. I’ve done a lot of snorkeling, but have tried Scuba once and am eager to do it more. Not to mention, sky diving sounds really dangerous and downright terrifying.

MAUREEN: Both are fun. :) What’s your favorite kind of cheese? 

JOANNE: Brie. Creamy and smooth with a great mouth-feel. Also excellent melted. But please cut the rind off. Blech.

MAUREEN: What’s the most romantic thing anyone ever did for you? 

JOANNE: Married me and said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me (and my crazy). If that’s not romance, I don’t know what is.

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite dessert? 

JOANNE: Yes. Ha! Actually, I would have to say my mother’s signature chocolate cheesecake. I could eat that stuff every day and never tire of it.

MAUREEN: What do you like on your burger? (and do you take your burger veggie or beefy?). 

JOANNE: I’m an equal-opportunity burger-lover. I enjoy beef, turkey, bison or veggie – just depends on the mood and what’s available. As for toppings, ketchup is a given, but also cheese—goat cheese, cheddar or brie (depends on the burger). Something crunchy, too, like lettuce, sprouts or cucumber.

(Based on all these food questions, you might think I really like to eat. You’d be right.)

MAUREEN: Do you remember your grade one teacher’s name?   

JOANNE: Yes! Mrs. Campbell – she was really nice.

MAUREEN: Did you belong to a clique in high school? Which one of the standard high school stereotypes did you best fit in to? 

JOANNE: If you can call ‘smoker who hung outside the West doors’ a clique, then yes. I didn’t really fit into any specific group or stereotype, but I knew a lot of people from the different ones and got along well with most. I had a few close friends, but don’t think we had any particular clique association. But now that I think about it, perhaps we did get labelled, but no one told me what that label was. Huh.

MAUREEN: Salsa or guacamole? 

JOANNE: Guacamole, hands down (there we go with the food again).

GOTTA ASK -- GOTTA ANSWER  ☺

MAUREEN: Do you believe in ghosts? 

JOANNE: I do. Maybe not the same way as they’re portrayed in my book, as fully conversational spirits who are out for mischief, but yes, I believe there are some entities out there. I believe in the stories about our loved ones staying around and sending us signals through dreams and maybe turning electrical devices on and off. I also believe there is something to the more ominous stories about people who do a little haunting. Not to say I believe all the stories out there, but I do think there is something to the concept of spirits not dying with the body. And hey, they sure are fun to read and write about!

JOANNE ASKS READERS

I’d love to know if you all believe in ghosts—and to what degree? Do you think spirits surround us?

STAY IN TOUCH WITH JOANNE HERE:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11354687-small-medium-at-large

Web: http://joannelevy.com