Q&A with Carol Matas

 

 

 

Carol Matas is the author of the new middle grade novel Zevi Takes the Spotlight. Her many other books include Who's Looking?. She lives in Winnipeg.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Zevi Takes the Spotlight, and how did you create your character Zevi?

 

A: The inspiration for Zevi Takes the Spotlight came from a crazy experience early in my career.

 

My cousin, Manny, a psychiatrist, was interested in the paranormal and recommended I see a psychic he thought was very good. I went to the psychic and asked him whether I would ever be published again because I could not find a publisher after my first book was published. He told me that I would have three books published within a year and by a publisher in Saskatoon!

 

It’s too long a story for here but, in fact, within a year all three books were published by a Saskatoon publisher - and no, I didn’t contact them because of that reading! It really was a true psychic prediction.

 

From that time on I became interested in psychic phenomena, near death experiences, etc. But when I wrote my first book about a young Jewish girl who suddenly becomes psychic after a near death experience, I used the construct to explore the idea that our lives can change in a second, and how do we react to that?

 

I was also interested in the push and pull between fate and free will and that series, Tales of a Reluctant Psychic, explores that.

 

Zevi Takes the Spotlight focuses on a teen who has been “burdened,” from his point of view, with this gift from a young age and that has naturally had a big effect on his character. He just wants to be a normal kid.

 

He is part of a close loving Jewish family, has close friends, and has managed to separate his psychic abilities from his everyday life. He loves acting and wants to be a famous actor. Is that so bad?

 

But instead, in this story, he suddenly becomes famous as a psychic (he saves a young child who was lost) and he fears that is going to ruin his life. Now, only he can save a famous actor from harm but by doing so he could derail all his own dreams.

 

Still, with his values and the support of his friends and family he chooses to put the life of another ahead of his own ambitions.

Q: The Association of Jewish Libraries said of the book, “Prolific Canadian author Carol Matas has another winner with this fun middle-grade novel that seamlessly blends elements of mystery, Jewishness, friendship, and the extraordinary...” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love that description!

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The publisher didn’t like the original title, Fame, so we started to throw around some ideas one Friday night at Shabbat dinner. My whole family comes every Shabbat, which is a great delight to me.

 

Earlier that year my eldest grandchild, Zevi, joked that no one would ever use his name in a book because it’s too hard to pronounce. “Challenge accepted!” I replied. When I submitted the manuscript, I asked the editor if we could change the lead character’s name to Zevi and she thought it was a great idea!

 

And at that Shabbat, it was Zevi’s sister, Naomi, who suddenly said, “How about Zevi Takes the Spotlight.” I loved it immediately and then so did the publisher!

 

And, speaking of grandchildren, all my grandchildren have parts in this book. Most of the characters are named after them, although to be clear, including Zevi, they are not based on them!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I hope they have fun following the mystery of who is out to get Robert Lemon, the famous actor. I hope they enjoy all the bits about acting and film production. (I was an actor before I became a writer, so I was able to draw on that experience.)

 

Also, I wanted to write a fun book but a book that would get kids thinking about what fame really is. I started noticing that young people have gone from wanting to become scientists, or vets, or firefighters, to YouTube influencers. It seemed to me that fame had become the goal, not the result of hard work or inspiration. So, something to mull over.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now, I’m working on a number of things. I have two books coming out in 2025. 

 

The first is a picture book with Kar-Ben publishers, called Kai and the Golem. It’s a story about a young boy and nothing is working out for him so he decides that some entity is wrecking his life on purpose. Since he happens to be reading a book about Golems he names the thing “Golem” although it actually isn’t a Golem at all.

 

And by the way, the name Kai…another of my grandchildren! That work is pretty much done.

 

The second project is a Holocaust novel set in Berlin, 1933 to 1935. It has a working title of Mia and Max but I think that will be changed. Scholastic Canada is publishing it.

 

It focuses from when Hitler came to power, until after the Nuremberg Laws were passed and how quickly life changed for the Jews of Germany. In fact, how everything changed  for all Germans. Almost overnight. I am still deep into revisions.

 

I am also working on numerous picture books, many out for submission, and just hoping some get taken.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Yes, Zevi Takes the Spotlight is my first Hi/Lo book, for reluctant readers. Wow - what a challenge that was! It is aimed at all middle grade readers but those who are reading at a grade two to three level will be able to read it. High interest but low vocabulary.

 

I was determined to make the book as much fun as possible for all reading levels. When I had to change words that were too long, I made sure they were still interesting, and the same goes for sentence structure, and even the plot. Those had to be simple, but I tried to make sure they were varied and never boring.

 

I’m hoping to write a sequel.

 

Thank you Deborah, for hosting me and Zevi on your blog. We very much appreciate it!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Carol Matas.