When I first heard about Matzah Ball Surprise, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy and also feature it at CLC. Not only does it have a Jewish holiday storyline, but it also features a character with hearing loss, which I have a connection to within my family. I reached out to Laura and she seems incredibly nice. I'm pleased to have her at CLC today for an interview.
Laura has one e-book to share with a lucky reader!
Laura Brown lives in Massachusetts with her quirky abnormal family. Her husband’s put up with her since high school, her young son keeps her on her toes, and her two cats think they deserve more scratches. She is also the author of A Perfect Mistake and Signs of Attraction. (Bio adapted from Laura's website.)
Visit Laura online:
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This Passover is starting to feel like the ten plagues might be coming back to haunt them before the weekend is over...one hilarious misstep after the next.
Gaby Fineberg just wants to get through Passover Seder without her “well meaning” family playing matchmaker. She needs a date, just for one simple meal—that includes singing, the history of her forefathers, and not one bit of yeast. The hot guy at her gym would be perfect. He probably hates bread, anyway, with a body like that. But when she finally works up the nerve to ask him...he doesn’t hear a word she said.
Levi Miller is deaf and happily single. Initially, he doesn’t know why this beautiful woman is talking to him, but it’s clear she needs help—and suddenly so does he. In a very complicated situation, Levi finds a simple solution. Gaby will pretend to be his new girlfriend to bail him out, and he’ll return the favor. But he didn’t bargain for a family dinner quite like this one... (Courtesy of Amazon.)
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
I truly appreciate anytime someone enjoys my words, but my favorite is always when I make a difference for a reader with hearing loss. That means the world to me, as part of the reason I write what I do is to spread awareness and show that people with a hearing loss can be happy and healthy adults, and they can find love. I grew up isolated without any real role models, so to be that person to someone else is amazing.
How are you similar to or different from Gaby?
Like Gaby, I love my family but they can also get on my nerves at times! I don’t share Gaby’s fear of change, though I do admit I like my schedules!
If Matzah Ball Surprise were to be made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
This is always a tough question for me, because when I write my stories I rarely use celebrities for inspiration. Beyond that, I would want my characters with a hearing loss portrayed by actors with hearing loss, and due to limited options for Deaf actors, the best actor might not be on my radar. Going with the ones I know, I’d go with Daniel Durant for Levi. Gaby, being hearing, should be a bit easier to cast, especially as she doesn’t know ASL, but I actually spent more time hemming and hawing over who to choose! In the end, I think Nina Dobrev would be great for the part.
What is your connection to hearing loss, given you feature a character who is deaf?
I’m Hard of Hearing. I’ve had my hearing loss my entire life, though it wasn’t discovered until I was five. It wasn’t until college that I starting learning ASL, and that changed my life. I went from someone who was uncomfortable with her hearing loss, to it being a positive part of my identity. I went on to graduate with a degree in Deaf studies, then worked in the Deaf Community as a social worker for ten years before burning out. So hearing loss is a part of who I am and I love showing that to my readers.
What are your favorite and least favorite things about Passover?
I’m going to start with the least: as an April baby, Passover sometimes falls on my birthday, like this year. Which means no cake, and I love cake (yes, there are kosher for Passover cakes, but no, I don’t accept that for a birthday cake). Whenever I get a new calendar the first thing I check is whether it’s going to be a “good birthday” or a “bad birthday.”
As for the favorite: I love the little jelly wedges that come out for Passover. Growing up they were my favorite Passover snack, and I get them more for nostalgia than anything else as an adult.
What is something funny that happened to you recently?
My husband recently celebrated an important birthday, and I knew I wanted to do something special. For months I planned a surprise trip to an amazing themed hotel we’ve been wanting to go to for years. I didn’t even tell our son, keeping them both in the dark. The day of I handed my husband a list of instructions, never telling him where we were going. He actually guessed at one point, total look of shock on his face, but I have such a poker face that he quickly came up with reasons why it wouldn’t happen! I got us all the way up to the hotel before the big reveal, without my husband or son completely figuring it out. Point for me!
Thanks to Laura for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.
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I love the Seder they tradition family gathering little children asking the questions.
ReplyDeleteOne of our friends had us over for their Passover Seder. It was really interesting and we enjoyed learning about the Jewish Passover holiday.
ReplyDeleteI know they hold it once a year, and that it's a major jewish holiday.
ReplyDeleteA major jewish holiday.
ReplyDeleteA major jewish holiday.
ReplyDelete