Interviews

Query

January 20, 2012
For those of you that know me, I'm also featured on Twitter as @charmedchickJG

I'm often asked curious questions, requested to post a guest blog, and interviewed by people all over the world.

Today is a special Q&A for Twitter fans!

Q1: How did you lose your hearing? A1: I was born this way - my Mom had Ruebella when she was pregnant.

Q2: Do you wear hearing aids? A2: Yes! I wear super power Oticon Safari's in Plum purple with pink earmolds!

Q3: Did you go to a Deaf school? A3: No, I went to a regular school - I was the only hearing impaired kid!

Q4: Why don't you hide your hearing aids? A4: It's better for everyone to see & know I can't hear.

Q5: What happens if you don't wear your hearing aids? A5: I hear absolutely nothing! My world is silent.

Q6: Who is the character Jessie from Sway based on? A6: She's me as a young teen!

Q7: Did you really meet Michael Buble? A7: Yes! He inspired me to write my books!

Q8: How long does it take to write a book? A8: An average of 8 months.

Q9: Is it true that you write out the chapters by hand? A9: Yes! I go through a lot of pens!!

Q10: Jessie takes martial arts, did you? A10: Yes! I have two Black Belts!

Q11: Jessie plays a lot of sports, were you an athlete? A11: Yes! I played Ice Hockey for many years!

Q12: Jessie has two cats, how many do you have? A12: I have four adorable kitties!

Q13: Is Ethan's estate real? Does it exist? A13: Yes, it's where I used to live in Southern Ontario.

Q14: Is Ethan a real person? A14: Sadly, no. His good looks are based on a young version of Jude law.

Q15: Jessie has an older brother, do you? A15: I have a younger brother who is a paramedic.

Q16: Jessie's parents are a caterer & professor, are yours? A16: No, Mom is a psychologist, Dad is a doctor.

Q17: Jessie has a boyfriend, Ethan, do you? A17: Sadly, no. If you see someone like him, send him my way!

Q18: Jessie likes dark chocolate, do you? A18: Yes! I love organic, free trade dark chocolate!

Q19: On Jessie's birthday, no one showed up, did that really happen? A19: Yes! When I was 12!

Q20: Best Valentine's Day date? A20: I've never had one!

Q21: Favorite moment in Sway? A21: When Ethan spells out "I LOVE YOU" on the Scrabble board.

Q22: Who designed the covers for Sway & Compass? A22: I did! They feature my photographs!

Q23: The kids on the bus are mean to Jessie, did that really happen? A23: Yes! They were awful!

Q24: What's Jessie's favorite flower? A24: Sunflowers! Just like me!

Q25: Jessie loves wearing bright colours, do you? A25: Yes! I adore pink, purple and green!

Q26: Jessie loves Smallville, what's your favorite TV show? A26: Fringe, Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, Merlin

Q27: Jessie loves stars & bluebirds, why? A27: They signify hope and good luck.

Q28: Jessie's family knows sign language, does yours? A28: Some do ASL, others do ESL, it's not pretty.

Q29: Jessie & Ethan like to play Scrabble, what's your favorite game? A29: Clue!

Q30: Jessie loves the beach, can she wearing hearing aids in the water? A30: No, they're not waterproof.

Q31: Does Jessie wear hearing aids when she plays sports? A31: Yes! She can't hear anything without them!

Q32: Jessie is a teen in your books, how old are you? A32: Old enough to be Jessie's Mom! ;)


Got any more questions? Want to do an interview? Drop a note via Twitter or contact us by email! We would love to hear from you!




 

Q & A

January 16, 2012

I'm often asked "What inspired you to write about a hearing impaired teenager?". Well, It's true what they say about writing from true life, if it feels real then the reader will say "Wow!" and immediately connect to it.  I wanted to offer something new for young readers, I wanted them to experience life from a different perspective.  Quite often, when people meet me, they always ask a ton of questions of what's like to be severely hard of hearing.  It just made sense to write it all d...


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Harry Potter, books & movies...

January 14, 2012
Just did some "light reading" this morning as I perused through the massively thick volume of Harry Potter Page to Screen: The complete film making journey. Sharp eyed fans will recognize my tongue in cheek humour here (Hint: Hermione said this phrase in the library while doing research on Nicholas Flammel.)  It really is a heavy tome.

It was an astounding read and I'm only halfway through it.  It's filled with fascinating tidbits from the directors and producers,  personal insights from the a...
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Teen years...

January 13, 2012
If you ever want a glimpse into my life as a teen, Billy Idol speaks volumes in terms of what my attitude towards life was like at that time.  He's a good reflection of me...ironically.  Keep in mind that the book version of me (Jessie) is nowhere near like this - I have a much darker soul.

Yes, sometimes I was out of control as a young adult, in many ways I was very wild and moody.  Having a hearing loss compounded on that, making it much harder and much worse to deal with.  You are probably...
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Accessibility

January 12, 2012
I've been involved with various organizations and committees for many years.  I'm currently on the local Accessibility Committee, part of an amazing team of people, able and disabled, who are dedicated to finding solutions and breaking down barriers in our community.  We are constantly coming up with potential ideas, some of which are long term, to educate the public and increase the awareness of disabilities that exist in our town.  Not only do many businesses, stores and medical buildings a...
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Nominations

January 11, 2012
Did you know that www.trenthills.ca is now accepting nominations for the Civic Awards?

Know the perfect person to vote for? Go nominate them! >> http://trenthills.ca/en/services/civicawards.asp

Don't wait too long, the Nomination deadline is January 30, 2012 at 2:00pm!

I've already submitted a nomination for someone today - I'm crossing my fingers that they win, they deserve it!

These are the categories:

Agricultural Leadership Award - For the leadership efforts of an individual o...

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Food for thought Part 2

January 11, 2012
Now, I can only imagine how perplexed some of you may be from my insight regarding the person who just lost their hearing and that I wasn't exactly very sympathetic of their situation.  You may be familiar with the phrase "Walk a mile in their shoes."  That's exactly where that person is right now, they've only gone a mile whereas I've gone thousands and thousands to miles.  They still have thousands of miles to go and I want them to learn to live with it on their own to gain experience and i...
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Food for thought...

January 11, 2012
As someone who is severely hard of hearing, I have found that the best form of communication is via email or texting.  It's easy and accessible a part of today's society, everyone does this which is very cool.  Who would've thought that someone like me would be mainstream, become a part of the hip crowd?

Growing up was an isolating experience, particularly since I was the only kid in school with a disability.  At that time, my hearing loss was glaringly obvious.  I wore a body aid which meant...
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My Life

January 9, 2012
If you are already a big fan of my books, Sway and Compass, you are probably asking the question "How?!  How the heck did you survive?!"

To tell you the truth, I'm still asking myself the same question.  Honestly, I really don't know how in the world I didn't lose my mind a long time ago.  If anyone else had been in my shoes, they would've most likely be left quaking in them.  I know it's unbelievably cliche but what you experience in life, especially the good, bad and downright ugly, it can m...
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Happy New Year!

January 9, 2012
Can you believe it's already 2012?! Wow, time goes by really quickly!

For those of you following me, I'm currently working on my third novel - a continuation of Jessie's journey.  This came as a complete surprise, I never expected to write past the first book, Sway.  So, to be writing a third one is simply mind blowing!

There are lots of new twists, deeper revelations, and surprising changes in this one.  It's a real page turner.  And it's based on my life as a hard of hearing teenager - meanin...
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