Pump Up Chats with Jeanne Bannon – Author of YA ‘Invisible’

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As a special part of Jeanne’s tour, Invisible is available for $0.99 at Amazon.com and Smashwords from December 5th to 16th!

Jeanne Bannon has worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years. She began her career as a freelance journalist, then worked as an in-house editor for LexisNexis Canada and currently works as a freelance editor and writer. Jeanne’s had several short stories published and won first place in the Writes of Caledon Short Story Contest. Invisible, Jeanne’s debut novel, is about a teenage girl who isn’t happy with herself and wishes she could disappear. And one day she does. Invisible is available on Amazon, Smashwords, and the Solstice Publishing website.

Thank you for this interview, Ms. Bannon. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?

A: I’ve always loved to read and to write. My first published work was a book of poetry that I wrote in grade 4. The teacher made photocopies and bound it, then put copies in our classroom library. I suppose you could call that being published. But my first ‘real’ published piece was a short story I wrote when I was nineteen. Unfortunately I can’t remember the title of the story or the anthology it was published in.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

A: The most frustrating was trying to find an agent. I had requests for fulls and partials that never amounted to anything. I did come close to landing an agent but received a contract from a publisher and decided to go with the sure thing. Publishers, however, can be frustrating as well!

The most rewarding part of being a published author is when a reader tells me they loved my book. Getting a great review is awesome too!

Can you tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it?

A: Invisible is a young adult novel about a 17-year-old girl named Lola. Lola isn’t pretty. She’s not popular. She wishes she could just disappear … then one day she does.

Can you share a short excerpt?

A: Sure, here’s the first chapter. It’s pretty short.

“Lola, get your suit on and help supervise the pool. The more eyes the better,” Justine, the athletic, sun-kissed, twenty-one-year-old camp director orders once we’re off the bus.

Immediately my heart takes off in a sprint. “What? Why?” I try to hide the wobble in my voice.

Curious, expectant gazes turn to me as my fellow counselors wait with evil half-smiles for my reaction. Although I haven’t told a soul, except my best friend Charlie how I feel about wearing a bathing suit, they know my private horror. It’s the horror of every fat girl.

Justine flips through the sheets on her clip board, running a finger down the column of names. “No campers will be sitting out today.”

The impossible has just happened. Not one kid is sick, or has left their bathing suit at home. In my three summers as a counselor, not once has this happened.

For a long, awkward moment, I stand frozen in place wondering how to get out of this. A sudden migraine? My period? My mouth opens, but no words come. Justine leaves and with her, my chance for escape. I’m left teary-eyed, searching through my bag for my black one-piece. Stuffing away the panic, I march past the onlookers, who I’d never consider my friends despite working with them the entire summer. In the change room, I find an empty stall and with great reluctance, pull on my suit.

It’s my last day of work as a camp counselor at Inglewood Day Camp. My group of kids consists of eight six-year olds — four boys and four girls. On Thursdays we take the campers to the local outdoor swimming pool. It’s a short ride, only five minutes on the creaky old school bus and my job is to watch the kids who won’t be swimming, either because they don’t feel well, or they’ve forgotten their swimsuits. Believe me, this job suits me just fine, as a matter of fact, I volunteered for it.

Not only am I fat, I’m freakishly tall. God only knows why, since Mom’s petite and Dad’s on the short side. My older sister Eva is the spitting image of Mom, fair and fine boned. I take after Dad’s side, bulky, dark and thick. Dad says I must have gotten some of Uncle Sammy’s genes, the giant of the family, who tops out at 6’ 4”. Anyway, I’m sure you’re getting a good mental picture right about now.

My insides drop as if I’d placed a foot on a step that wasn’t there when I peer down at the coarse dark hair creeping from my calves to just past my knees, where it gradually peters out. Then I run a hand across the tops of my thighs. The triple bulge of my belly prevents me from a good look at my sorely neglected bikini area. Even in the blazing August sun I wear baggy cotton Capri pants, never exposing more than an ankle. There’s never been a reason to shave. My eyes mist with tears, but I pinch them away. It’ll be hard enough to go out in public like this, but I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I lift my chin in resolve and open the door.

The whistle blows, signaling the beginning of the session. Screams of delight fill the air, as the kids begin jumping into the pool to find relief from the 90-degree heat.

I fasten a towel around my waist as best I can. Towels never seem large enough to wrap completely and comfortably around the bulge of my belly. To the pool I go, treading silently so as not to draw attention.

“Where’s Lola?” Sonia, a fellow counselor, asks.

At first I think she’s joking because I’m right in front of her. I toss her an annoyed look and don’t bother to answer as I trudge past to the edge of the pool, where I pull off my towel and slip into the cool water.

“She’s probably taken off,” Jerod replies. He’s a year younger than I am, but looks older with his muscular build and chiseled jaw line. The girls love him. “I hope she doesn’t show,” he continues, “who wants to see a hippo in a bathing suit anyway?”

Sonia laughs, a little too hard and places a hand on Jerod’s shoulder.

Puzzlement and anger compete on my face. I’m standing not more than three feet away from them. I’m used to rude comments and know what everyone thinks of me, but this is way beyond mean. The tears standing in my eyes spill down my cheeks and I slip under the water, hoping to wash away the evidence of my pain. Not that anyone would care, but crying could give them more ammunition; just another reason to taunt me.

Kids bounce around me, laughing and playing. Justine stands like a sentinel, looking like a Bay Watch babe in her red suit, one hand gripping an emergency flotation device. Her steel blue eyes are focused on the activity in the pool.

Jerod jumps in, nearly landing on my back. I barely have time to leap out of the way. My anger boils; blood rushes to my temples and pounds there, giving me an instant headache. I hurl myself at him, pushing with all my might, elbows aimed at his chest. I hit nothing but air and fly into the rough concrete wall of the pool, scraping a hole in my one-piece and rubbing raw a patch of skin. Blood pin-pricks to the surface.

“Hey,” I scream, bewildered about how he’d maneuvred out of the way so fast.

Jerod slips under the water and emerges at the other end of the pool in one long, slick glide.

The steel in me comes up, anger replacing humiliation. I pull my bulk out of the water and march over to Justine.

“Did you see what that asshole just did?” I bellow.

Justine brings the whistle that hangs from her neck to her lips and blows two sharp blasts, making my ears ring. “Stop horsing around,” she calls to a group of boys, who offer sheepish grins and stop instantly.

I step forward so she can see me. “Justine?” I reach to touch her shoulder but impossibly, my hand falls through her.

“Justine?” I call again, louder, my voice panic-laced. With both hands, I grab her, or try to. Again, it’s as if she’s not there. My mind is swept along in a current of anxiety. What’s happening?

Then it hits me . . . it’s me who’s not there.

What inspired you to write Lola’s story?

A: I wrote Invisible while on a break from writing my paranormal thriller, Dark Angel. It only took four months! Invisible was like a gift, it was as if someone whispered it in my ear. I have to admit that parts of the story came from a bullying experience I had while growing up. In that sense, I felt Lola’s pain and knew firsthand how horrible it felt to be treated so badly. Conversely I knew how wonderful it would be to seek revenge.

If Lola were to describe herself, what would she say? How does that change through the course of the book?

A: In the beginning, Lola is an introverted loner who wants to blend into the background. She has no self-confidence and she’s more than a little angry at the world. As she matures and gains insight into herself and her family, Lola allows herself to feel emotions other than anger and hatred. She learns there are people in her life who love her. As a result, she learns to love herself and this turns out to be the most important lesson of all and the key to her ‘super power.’

What’s next for you?

A: I’m finishing up my paranormal thriller, Dark Angel. I’ve been working on it for almost three years, but I’m taking my time, making sure it’s as perfect as I can make it.

Thank you for this interview, Ms. Bannon. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

A: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure to be interviewed on your blog.

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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