Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, Jill Murray is the author of two contemporary urban novels for young adults: Break On Through (2008), and Rhythm and Blues (2010), both published by Doubleday Canada.

A enthusiastic member of Canada’s Kid-lit community, Jill is also the brainchild behind Y-Eh.net…a blog tour circuit for Canadian YA authors. In honour of her visit to my blog, I thought I would ask her some questions that all relate to the themes of my newest YA novel - Girl on the Other Side.

So, Jill…

• What were you like in high school? Would you identify more with Tabby (rich, pretty and the most popular girl in her class) or Lora (smart, timid and target of bullies)?

  I was definitely more of a Lora. Head down, eyes on the prize of eventual freedom, my survival strategy for high school was to go to the library and wait it out. That or hang around the halls loudly singing showtunes with my merry band of misfit buds. I think we were so strange, we bonded permanently then— many of us (not that there were actually that many of us) are still friends today. And we can still sing the entire score of shows The Music Man, and The Phantom of the Opera from memory. (Though I try not to.)

• Two pairs of very different shoes are featured on the cover of GIRL ON THE OTHER SIDE. If you really think about it, shoes can say a lot about what’s going on in a person’s life. What is your favourite pair of shoes and what do they say about your life?

  For years now, every time I go to the store to buy a new pair of sneakers, no matter how many pairs I like or try on, the one pair that really fits and feels good is always some variation of a “lightweight approach runner.” Never mind that I live in the city, where there are few opportunities to spring from a kayak and sprint up a rock face, or that I’m mainly going to wear them on smooth sidewalks, or to dance class, I think these shoes speak to my off-road approach to life.

• In GIRL ON THE OTHER SIDE, the thing Lora treasures most in life is her collection of books. And for Tabby, it’s her dog, Sam. What is your treasure in life and why?

  My own brain. I think I can survive almost anything and make myself adjust to almost any environment. I’m adaptable, and I attribute this to the enormous flexibility, versatility, and self-rewiring powers of the grey matter we all get to carry around in our skulls. All my “favourite” things are tools— for building, cooking, writing, and all kinds of creating, but this also points back to the brain. I think this is one of the fun parts of being human.

• What is the biggest struggle you’ve faced? Did you feel you had to keep it a secret? How did/do you manage to cope with it?

  OMG my answer to this one is also “my own brain.” I get depressed sometimes, and I I have to work hard to get happy and stay that way. I don’t keep it a secret, but depression is insidious in that even if you talk about it, it’s always a little bit invisible or incomprehensible to others, and in those times when you feel things you barely understand yourself, it’s like being alone with an enormous mystery.

• If you could go back and give your high school self one piece of advice, what would it be?

  Everyone lacks confidence about something, and that’s what makes them act shy, stuck-up, belligerent, self-obsessed, bossy, flirty, friendly, clingy, silly, smiley, jokey, loud, quiet, nerdy, judgmental, cliquey, theatrical, serious, flaky, pushy, slackerly, nervous, and even over-confident. The moment when you look for the good in them may be the moment they start to see the good in you. True though, you might have to look REALLY hard.

For more information about Jill and her books, visit her website. And be sure to check out her brand new book, Rhythm and Blues!

It all started last Thursday when I wandered into my local library and was stunned to see a full wall devoted to moi and my upcoming NaNoWriMo teen workshop on Oct. 27th. I was so thrilled, I whipped out my camera and started snapping away. How ridiculous was it to be standing there taking a picture of my own picture? But I had to do it so I could have some evidence to show my mother. And you guys, of course. So here it is.

Then on Sunday, I took my 7 year old to see Patricia Storms present her adorable new picture book, The Pirate and The Penguin at the awesome McNally Robinson book store in Toronto. Patricia and her husband Guy acted out the story (costumes and all) to the hilarity of all the kids and parents who had crammed in to watch. It was such a great performance! Here are some cute pics of the Penguin trying to snarl like a Pirate.

And on my way out of the store, I spied a whole rack of shelves devoted to books that have been banned over the years (including To Kill a Mockingbird, which the Toronto District School Board is threatening to ban, yet again). My son was shocked to see one of his favourites (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) included with the others.

I thought it was a tres cool way to highlight the odious practice of book banning. What do you guys think?

But instead of tearing into the box, I showed remarkable self-restraint and waited for my kids and husband to be there so we could share the moment together. After all, it’s not every day that a new book is born, right?

My kids were thrilled to peek into the box and ‘be the first’ to touch the stack of smooth, fresh covers. My 7 year old son, a budding bookworm, hugged me and tearily exclaimed how proud he was that “Mummy is an author”. Those few little heartfelt words from my son were higher praise than any reviewer could ever write about my books!

Once we finished flipping through the pages…we moved to the kitchen to toast ‘Girl on the Other Side’ properly. After all, doesn’t every birthday girl deserve her own cake?

Well, before last Monday, I didn’t either. But it turns out, there are a whole bunch of us! I know this because Claudia Osmond (author of the newly released ‘Smudge’s Mark’) recently rounded us up for a night drinks, chit-chat, and shop-talk at a pub in Toronto.

Here are some pics from that night (sadly, my camera was low on batteries so there’s only 3). Lots of names you probably already know and others to watch for in the very near future.

Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Stacy King, Megan Crewe, Debbie Ohi, Helene Boudreau, Mahtab Narsimhan, Claudia Osmond, Marina Cohen, Cheryl Rainfield, Nelsa Roberto, and our lone guy - Andrew Tolson.

Oh, yeah…and me.

Here’s to Toronto Kid Lit authors!!!

Huge thanks to my writing peeps, Marina Cohen, Mahtab Narsimhan, and Helaine Becker for showing up to lend their support. As promised, here are some pics from the night.

“[B]y one measure we truly are a teenage species at this moment,” Andrew Revkin blogs for The New York Times. “There are currently about 1.2 billion humans between the ages of 10 and 19. Some demographers have recently concluded that this so-called ‘youth bulge’ could well constitute the largest single generation that will ever exist…”

Dude! No wonder YA is so hot right now!

Mackenzie CCBC Review.pdf

Here’s a pic of me and Silver Birch Winner, Mahtab Narsimhan at a recent school presentation for her award-winning book, The Third Eye.

And here’s one from a CANSCAIP mentor’s dinner. Left to right are authors Helene Boudreau, Marina Cohen, myself, and Helaine Becker. Standing behind us is Dundurn’s editor Michael Carroll.

And be sure to check out my latest interview at her blog, The Compulsive Reader

Remember? Here’s an excerpt to refresh your memory…

We spoke! Oh my God! We spoke!

I stumbled up the street towards my apartment, praying my legs wouldn’t give out on me. My head was spinning, my heart was racing, my lip was sweating and there was a hot prickly feeling making its way up the back of my neck. I felt like I was going to faint. I sat down on the curb outside my building and put my head between my knees, willing myself to calm down as my mind went over the details of what had just happened.

Relax, Mack … relax! Get a grip on yourself!

But I couldn’t relax. I was a mess. A quivering, sweating, hopelessly romantic mess. The Arab boy and I finally spoke. Actually, we did more than speak: we touched. Well, he touched me. Oh my God, just thinking about it was making my stomach do flip-flops! It all started out so normal. I walked in to his store, picked out my daily pack of gum, and took it up to the counter to pay. I could feel those brown eyes of his studying me as I fished around in my purse for some money. He glanced around to see if anyone was watching, then leaned over the counter towards me.

“I see you in here a lot. You buy a lot of gum.”

My heart skipped in my chest. His voice was deep and smooth and, although he spoke with an accent, his English was perfect. Just like I’d imagined it would be.

“Um, well — it’s sugar-free, so my dentist doesn’t mind,” I stammered stupidly.

Great, Mack! Why don’t you tell him about your last fluoride treatment while you’re at it?!

He didn’t say anything; he just stared at me. Damn it! He must think I’m an idiot.

“Um, my name’s Mackenzie,” I said to ease the silence.

“Mack-en-zie,” he repeated. The way he said it sounded more like “Muck and Zee,” but I didn’t dare correct him. It was kind of cute.

“Nice to meet you, Muck-and-zee,” he said, flashing a smile of beautiful white teeth. “I’m Nasir. Nasir Hadad.”

“Hi,” I said shyly, willing my face not to blush a second time.

Nasir leaned forward a little more until we stood so close, I could hear his breathing over the hum of the ceiling fan. He smelled nice — like fresh laundry and toothpaste. For a split second I thought for sure he was going to kiss me. I hesitated while my brain toyed with the possibility.

Is this too early for kissing? Should I let him or should I push him away? What would Hailey Winthrop do in this situation?

I knew the answer even before I finished forming the thought. She’d kiss him. I closed my eyes, opened my lips, and waited. But then he spoke instead.

“Is your skin real?” he whispered. “Can I touch it?”

My eyes flew open. Was he joking? I was used to people teasing me about my skin, not asking to touch it. I smiled and waited another second for him to laugh — but he didn’t. He was serious.

“Um, okay.” I nodded slightly and held out my arm. But instead, he reached for my cheek. I gasped softly as his fingertips connected with my skin. I know it sounds totally cheesy, but the best word I can use to describe how it felt is electric.

His hand lingered there. I could feel his fingers trembling as they rested on my face. I wanted to tell him that it was all right. That he didn’t have to be nervous. That he could keep them there for as long as he wanted. But I’d lost my voice. And I’d lost my senses, too.

Suddenly, the door opened and a customer walked into the store. Nasir tore his hand away, scooped up the shekels on the counter, and practically hurled them into the cash register. He looked so guilty, like a kid caught sneaking cookies before dinner.

“You’d better go!” he whispered, pushing the package of gum towards me.

I felt guilty, too, even though I wasn’t exactly sure why. I nodded, turned on my heels, and fled out the door, up the street, and to the steps of my apartment. My cheek was still tingling on the spot where he’d touched me. I couldn’t get his face out of my head.

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!

Slowly, I lifted my head up from my knees and took a long, deep breath. I thought about the return ticket I still had tucked away in my room upstairs. The three-month mark of our move to Israel was just two days away.

And then I thought about those incredible brown eyes. And the feel of his fingers on my face.

Okay … so maybe I’ll hang around this country a little bit longer.”

Phew! Even though I wrote it, this scene still gives me goose bumps everytime I read it.

So now it’s your turn…let’s hear about your most thrilling literary love scene.

“Striking…powerful…hypnotic…completely made of awesome.”

These are just a few of the words that have been used to describe the photo of those two faces gazing out so intently from the cover of my book.

And then inevitably, the question comes: “Who are those kids?” Well, the short answer is…I have no idea. But here’s the scoop on how they got there.

Last spring, my editor asked me to send him any ideas I had for the cover of the book. I suggested a few images…a desert scene, a grouping of broken pottery shards, a shot of the Arab Market in Jerusalem. I even sent along a cover mock-up I’d created from an istock photo. Here is what it looked like:

In the end, a young designer at Dundurn named Courtney Horner found a photo from istock featuring two kids who looked remarkably like my characters and used it for the cover.

Were they models hired for a photo shoot? Or just two ordinary kids captured in a candid moment? I don’t know. Will they ever know that their faces graced the cover of my book? Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing’s for sure….their faces make a much more dramatic cover than the desert picture I suggested.
And these two kids, whoever they are, are captivating readers around the world with their haunting stares.

please take me…please take me…

And then, when your friend decides not to attend the event and instead, offers the tickets to another friend as a gift? You collapse on your office floor in a teary heap of self-pity.

After a minute of crying, a light bulb went off in this writer’s head and I peeled myself off the floor. Hey, Oprah loves reading…right? And I’m an author…right? Even though I’ve missed my chance to meet her, maybe my book still could…

I called up my fortunate friend and, after congratulating her on her brilliant stroke of luck, made my request. She eagerly agreed. Today, I’m happy to report that Mackenzie, Lost and Found will be hand delivered to the Mighty Oprah Winfrey herself this coming Wednesday. Will she read it? Will she like it? Consider it for her coveted ‘book list’? Or cast it aside without so much as a glance? Your guess is as good as mine.

Stay tuned…