Monday, October 8, 2012
Today I have invited the fantastic Joanne Levy to visit the blog and she has offered to tell her story about writing SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE and how bullying plays into the book.
"Usually, when I start a book, it begins
with a ‘what if?’ question or maybe even a plot point or two. Ideas are
nebulous and can fly into my head at weird (and often inconvenient) moments and
sometimes the greatest joy of being a writer is capturing those little bits and
pieces and putting them together into a something that ends up being a book.
But SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE began as a title, fully formed in my head as I woke
up one morning. I wish I could say the rest of the book was as easy, but it
went through many rounds of edits, most notably, one taking it from a young
adult novel to one for a middle grade audience. This wasn't my brilliant idea, but the vision of a
very smart editor, who felt my voice was better suited for a tween book. A lot
of great feedback from the book centers around how I nailed the tween voice, so
it seems that editor was right.
Although much of the book changed (a lot
of the themes and content were too mature for middle graders), one of the
components that didn't was the main character, Lilah, having to deal with mean
girls and one exceptionally mean girl in particular: Dolly. Dealing with
bullies is something I think a lot of us dealt with in school and although my
book is overall a lighthearted and often funny look at middle school, (with a
few ghosts thrown in) I wanted to capture the day-to-day stuff that makes
middle school such a crazy and emotionally packed time for kids (even without
the ghosts).
So Lilah has to deal with an older girl
who chips away at her self-esteem and makes fun of her for her clothes and not
having boobs and really, just for being who she is. I definitely know how that
feels. Although I wasn't horribly bullied the way some kids are, I had a few
run-ins with mean girls when I was growing up. Girls who made fun of my clothes
or my weight or even my taste in music. And what’s weird is that I had been
okay with who I was until other people pointed out my failings. That sucked.
And living up to someone else’s expectations, (borne, I’m sure, out of their
own insecurities) meant I wasn't being true to myself and was acting a part to
avoid censure. That makes me sad. And I hate thinking that this kind of thing
happens even today, though I know it does.
So I very consciously made Lilah strong
(though not infallible or perfect) and although she’s scared of Dolly, she
stands up to her and in the end, helps her, even when she would rather turn the
other way. In the end, the girls become friends thanks to Lilah’s ability to
forgive and willingness to help out. I realize that doesn't happen all the
time, but I like to think that sometimes bullies can be reformed by kindness.
And maybe a kid reading my book will see
a bit of a message between the funny things that happen to Lilah. Maybe kids
will see that Dolly didn't gain anything by being mean. But she did gain
something when she stopped tormenting Lilah and let her help out even though
she’d treated her badly—she gained a friend. And really, isn't getting more
friends what everyone really wants in
middle school? Well, not just
friends, but it’s high up on the list of middle grade wants. Right before
boobs."
--Joanne Levy
Author Bio:
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.
The Giveaway:
Joanne has been very generous and donated a hardcover copy of her novel SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE. This giveaway is open to everyone and will last until 10/14/12. The winner must respond in 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. To enter the giveaway go ------> HERE!
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21 comments:
A Christmas Carol is my all time favorite.
Thanks for the chance!
sqwalker2@hotmail.com
My favorite book is Angelfall by Susan Ee.
Harry Potter
Little Women & Jane Eyre are tied for my all-time favorite. :)
Persuasion by Jane Austen.
Thank you for the giveaway :)
Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas.
Thank you so much for the giveaway! :D
Thanks so much for having me here to talk about my book and the important issue of bullying!
I wanted to add MY favorite book of all time is Anne of Green Gables - what can I say, I'm a redheaded Canadian!
This book sounds really interesting. I dont have one all-time favorite, but i could mention Harry Potter, Song of Ice and Fire, a few of Agatha Christie and one or two by Jane Austen.
Thank you for the giveaway :)
Little Women is my all time favorite - still have my broken spine copy from when I was a
Oops - little girl!
My favorite book of all-time is Where the Red Fern Grows!
I have too many to pick just one.
It is very hard to choose, but I suppose I would have to pick The Lord of the Rings
Wow, it was turned to middle grade then?
I kind of want to give it a go! :D
Thanks so much Joanne...
I was specially touched at THIS-> "And living up to someone else’s expectations, (borne, I’m sure, out of their own insecurities) meant I wasn't being true to myself and was acting a part to avoid censure." PART.
Even now that I'm a somewhat older young adult... From time to time I get bullied...and have to sometimes be someone I'm really not.
<3
Thanks for donating.
And Amy <3
As for my favorite book?
I'll go with one of my favorite contemporary books...
The first is
-If I Stay by Gayle Forman... and this book along with the other I'll mention were the ones that saved my life, literally. #YASaves
The other is
-Dark Song by Gail Giles, this book was the one that got to me the most... I felt like I was Ames... I've only ever read it once... BUT that's because the first time was enough to stick in my mind forever... I know dialogue, excerpts... you name it... from one reading alone...
<33
Hi Amy, thanks for your comment and it sucks to grow up and find that some bullies don't grow out of their ways.
To your question, yes, SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE was completely re-written from a YA to a middle grade book. A lot of the mature content had to go (including some racy jokes that I rather liked) but I don't think the end result suffers from it.
My favorite book of all-time is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Thank you for the giveaway!
Artemis
All time favorite book at the moment is Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (if you couldn't tell from my last blog post, haha)
-K8
http://froze8.blogspot.com/
Pride and prejudice
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
My all-time favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird. Thanks!
HArry potter, because it made me fall in love with English and I've been reading in this language ever since. And pride and prejudice
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