Synopses & Reviews
Grew up in? Smithers, BC, Canada.
Childhood ambition? My big ambition was to survive high school, which I did. Barely.
Favorite sports team? I m not a fan of teams. I prefer individual sports and solo athletes. Unless you count a horse and rider as a team. If you do, my favorite team is Leslie Reid and either Gokker Z or Hallmark. Leslie Reid is a Canadian dressage champion and Gokker and Hallmark are two horses she s riding right now.
Book to take on a deserted island? "Lord of the Rings, including" The Hobbit
Favorite city? Edinburgh, Scotland
Favorite CD? "Exit in Guyville, Liz Phair
Where do you write? I write at my incredibly messy desk in my incredibly messy writing room.
Qualities you most admire? I admire courage and integrity combined with the ability to laugh at oneself. Because if all you have is courage and integrity, then you might be sort of a drag to be around.
What do you do to relax? I knit and sew and make hideous crafts that I inflict on my long-suffering friends and family.
What classic/contemporary author would you most like to have dinner with? Hmmm, I wish the question was what contemporary filmmaker would I like to have dinner with, because I d pick Sophia Coppola. She s amazingly talented. But if I had to pick two writers, I d choose Stella Gibbons, author of "Cold Comfort Farm, because I bet she was terrifically funny. I d also like to have dinner with Mark Salzman, because he s an excellent and versatile writer and seems like an interesting person with a good sense of humor. Plus, he s expert in about 14 martial arts, so if we ran out of things to talk about, hecould do some kung fu. He s also an accomplished musician, so if he got tired of doing martial arts for my entertainment, he could play his cello. It s always good to have a backup plan for when you re having dinner with someone you don t know that well.
What classic/contemporary fictional character would you most like to date? I m married, but if I were still dating I d like to date Holden Caulfield, age 32, or perhaps Will Lightman from Nick Hornby s "About a Boy. You know, once he grew up a bit. In the movie version he had a fantastic fish tank in his cool London flat, which makes him extremely dateable. Also, he was quite lazy. I like that.
Place where you were/are happiest? I am most happy puttering around the house with my husband and our dog. I also tend to be happy in large grotto-like mineral baths.
Most embarrassing moment? I ve had so many embarrassing moments, it s hard to choose just one. But one incident that comes to mind happened when I was about 22. I was working as a bus girl in a restaurant and several friends from my old high school came in for dinner. I was the only one of us who chose to go to university and was completely broke all the time and slaving away at some wretched part-time job. My friends had all gone to work after high school and begun to make decent money. Unfortunately, the night my friends came in was the night the manager chose to send me out to pick butts from the sidewalk "right in front of the window where my friends were sitting. It was then that I began to question my decision to go to school. On the plus side, my friends felt so bad that they left me a HUGE tip.
Whatadjectives would you use to describe your latest book? I hope it's funny. It's certainly "supposed to be funny. Other adjectives I d like to see applied to my book are: "groundbreaking," "superb," "heartbreakingly good," "achingly lyrical yet stupendously humorous," "masterful," "classic," "uproarious," or you know, just plain "entertaining and funny."
Life motto? I ve been meaning to get one in an attempt to gain some control of my life.
Synopsis
In spite of the premature publication of my 'zine and resulting renewed social ostracism, things are happening for me! I've been stood up by the coolest girl in school, I have a Jesus bracelet, I ate dinner at a steak restaurant and lived to tell, I may be a virgin until I marry, I'm a Miss Smithers candidate, and I HAVE LEATHER PANTS! I even feel ready for the first official event of the pageant, the Etiquette Workshop.
No longer homeschooled and socially isolated, Alice McLeod has: 1. a female friend, George; 2. a male friend, Goose; 3. a $400 clothing allowance to dress herself for the Miss Smithers pageant.
Following on the debut of Alice, I Think, Susan Juby's delightful second novel is about finding the perfect outfit and finding oneself, about winning a pageant and winning at love.
About the Author
Susan Juby dropped out of fashion design college at a young age and it shows. She lives on an island with her husband, James, and their dog, who prefers to remain anonymous. Alice, I Think is Susan Juby's first novel. She hopes there will be many more, as a career in fashion does not, at this point, seem likely.