Blog Tour: Seven Sins in Seven Days: Pride, with Gigi Levangie

Welcome to the Seven Sins in Seven days Blog Tour to introduce

Seven Deadlies by Gigi Levangie

This quirky, satirical tale takes the form of a college admission essay sharing fourteen year old Perry Gonzalez’s insights into the privileged lives of her peers.

A precocious Latina scholarship student living in a tiny apartment with her estimable mother, Perry tutors, or babysits, the progeny of the Hollywood neighbourhood to save for her future. In this manner she is exposed to the personification of the seven deadly sins and writes of the inevitable consequences of lust, wrath, gluttony, greed, sloth, envy and pride.

From the demanding diva whose lust for her every desire results in electrocution, to the gluttonous appetite of a young boy who mistakes his own flesh for a leg of ham, there is plenty of humour, if morbidly exaggerated, in the stories Perry has to share. However in each vignette there is also the dark, sad truth of children corrupted by excess, variously indulged or ignored by their parents, and who ultimately pay a high price for their sinful behaviour.

While I was a little puzzled by the ending and didn’t think the twist necessary, I found Seven Deadlies to be an entertaining novel with the potential to find an audience with both young adult readers and a more mature audience.

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Q & A With Gigi Levangie

I was invited to ask Gigi Levangie a few questions about Seven Deadlies and feature the sin of

*Pride*

Q: Tell us about Seven Deadlies…
A: The Seven Deadlies is about a scholarship student, Perry Gonzalez, who attends an exclusive private high school and finds herself tutoring teenagers who embody the Seven Deadly Sins. In a nutshell, it’s the Seven Deadly Sins in high school – and what better place to find them.

Q: What was the subject of your college admissions essay?
A: Good question! If I remember correctly, the subject of my college admissions essay was about the neighborhood I grew up in – the quintessential melting pot. There really were over 80 dialects spoken in my high school – Hollywood High.

Q: What or who  inspired the story of Pride?
A: Pride is the story of an athlete pushed to his limits – by himself and his father. I’m raising boys who are athletic – and I see this story played out over and over again on the field. (Hi, Baseball Dads – calm down! Little League isn’t the MLB!)  Then, there are the professional athletes – Lance Armstrong, whom I still admire for personal reasons, is obviously an example of Pride Gone Wild.

Q: What are you most proud of?
A: I’m most proud of my ability to bounce back. Knock me down 100 times, I’ll get back up on 101. Perseverance is key. I’m also really proud of the depth of my relationship with my children – all the kids in my family, in fact.

Q: Which sin are you most guilty of?
A: The sin I’m most guilty of? See above. Pride. My pride sometimes stands in the way of asking for help or appearing vulnerable. Just ask anyone I’ve ever dated!

Q: Who do you think will most enjoy Seven Deadlies?
A: I think the Seven Deadlies audience is pretty wide – starting with 12 or 13-year-olds – all the way to adult. I see it as a Tim Burton movie in book form. And Cecilia Ruiz’s illustrations alone are worth the price of admission!

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Blue Rider Press

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Entries Close November 3rd, 2013

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