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Deborah Blumenthal on MAFIA GIRL + Giveaway

A couple years ago I interviewed Deborah Blumenthal, author of over fifteen titles, on the release of her young adult book THE LIFEGUARD. This year she's out with a new YA called MAFIA GIRL and she's one-upped me - by interviewing herself! Enjoy.

You have a new book out and somebody wants to write it up.  You’re excited, but you’re also a little curious. What will they ask me? What do I want to tell them about the book?

Deborah Blumenthal interviews Deborah Blumenthal, author of MAFIA GIRL, just published by Albert Whitman & Co..

Deborah, after six seasons of The Sopranos, really, what more is there to say about the Mafia?

MAFIA GIRL takes a different perspective.

Remember Meadow Soprano, Tony’s daughter? MAFIA GIRL is the story of the daughter of New York’s most powerful crime boss.  Gia lives a protected and privileged life. She gets driven to school by an armed bodyguard. She attends one of Manhattan’s most elite private schools. And she wears $2,000 sweaters and $1,000 designer shoes. That’s symbolic of the problem.  She’s so much a part of that culture that she can’t breathe, she doesn’t know who she is.  She lives under the thumb of her dad, and that’s the basis for the story.

I noticed that the style of the book is a lot different from the style of other books for
young adults. There are lots of run on sentences, giving it a breathless quality.  Some readers say that drove them crazy. Tell us why you did that?

Gia is a high-energy girl with a fast brain and an even faster mouth.  She has an opinion on everything.  And she’s got a high libido.  When she’s excited, she can’t stop talking.  And when she meets a hot, green-eyed cop, never mind that he’s the one who takes her in for under-age drinking and DUI, she can’t stop obsessing about him. So I started the book that way, but as it  progresses, you’ll see that the style changes in keeping with Gia’s personality and growth as a character.

Last question, writers are almost always asked how much of themselves they put into their characters.  Do you see a lot of yourself in Gia?

For better or worse, I’m fast to evaluate situations, and sometimes lack subtlety, and I certainly get the part about insta-love.  But I definitely don’t walk around in Louboutins, and even if I could handle the heels, I couldn’t afford them – unless they fell off a truck.

Love the sound of this book! Deborah has generously offered to give away a hardcover copy of MAFIA GIRL to one lucky commenter. US only. To enter, please be a follower and leave a comment by Friday, March 28th. The winner will be announced the following Monday. If your e-mail is not easily found online, please leave it with your comment. 

You can find Deborah at her website, Twitter @deborahblu, and Goodreads.


29 comments:

  1. I'm not American, so don't enter me in the draw. But congratulations to Deborah on the book (and the interview!).

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  2. Sounds very intriguing. Congrats on the new release!

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  3. Loved this! Congrats on the book! In Canada so don't enter me in the giveaway. Thanks and sorry for commenting even though I can't win, eh? Yep, livin' the stereotype. Congrats again!

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  4. Deborah's book sounds catchy - Mafia Girl. Great title. Congrats!

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  5. Nice interview and I liked her explanation about Gia. Would love to win and read it! Thanks!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. Sounds like an intriguing book - love how the sentence structure echoes the MC's voice! Good luck with the book!
    (I'm not in the US so don't enter me in the draw :))

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  7. You had me at Louboutins! And insta-love! Anyone who has this way word words deserves a purchase. Done.

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  8. This book is going on my To Read list. Thanks.

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  9. That was funny. I've met a few non-stop talkers like that.

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  10. I loved that interview C: Will definitely add this to my TBR Pile!!!

    Enter me in the giveaway!

    Email: mikaella08 AT hotmail DOT com

    I follow your blog via Email (same email I mentioned above C:

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  11. Great interview, Deborah! Sounds like such an exciting book...would love to read it! Sure to be a success!

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  12. My interest is piqued.

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  13. I love the concept of this book, especially Gia's character traits. It seems more like an NA than YA but my interest is definitely piqued. In a sea of YA books, this stands out.

    Sdebear1@aol.com

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  14. Thank you for the interview and incite into your characters. I am interested in reading your style of writing as it seems unique. I hope to win your book. It's going on my to read list now!

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  15. I love it when authors play with their prose to produce an effect. Breathy prose! That's interesting.

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  16. Sounds interesting - and tells a totally different side of life. That interests me. Congrats on so much publishing success!

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  17. It's nice Deborah let you go on vacation, Natalie, while she interviewed herself. She's funny and I bet her book's a great read. :)

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  18. Isn't there always a different spin people can put on stories. Love this. Congrats.

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  19. This sounds like a really fun book. I loved the interview. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  20. I was hooked on the Sopranos and I always wondered about the kids. Yay, now I can peek into that perspective. Congrats, Deborah.

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  21. Sounds like a great read!!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  22. read the interview - $2,000 sweaters and $1,000 designer shoes wow!

    tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

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  23. If the grammar is odd in a book, my mind adjusts after a few pages, so I don't mind run-on sentences.

    This looks like a great read and I love that cover.
    sharif(at)sharifwrites(dot)com

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