I’m here today, bringing two sets of two worlds together …

Adult non-fiction & middle-grade fiction

AND

The world we live in & the universe on the other side.

Let me make some sense of that.

Through a set of circumstances, I found myself in the audience where spiritualist Rebecca Rosen was promoting her new book. If you’ve never seen a psychic medium at work (think John Edward, Sylvia Brown, Long Island Medium), it’s sort of fascinating … however, it’s entirely mind-blowing when you witness this gift in person. During her sessions, Rosen mainly acts to help those who have passed away send messages to their still-living loved ones, usually for the purpose of giving them some closure or reassurance. (If you don’t believe in this, please just roll with me for a little bit longer.)

After seeing Rebecca Rosen in person, I picked up her first book, Spirited: Unlock Your Psychic Self and Change Your Life. Basically, she guides us through a series of exercises to tap into our intuitive gifts and get a positive hold on real-life issues. I am glad to report, that I, personally, don’t need this for the big picture of my life – I am fortunate to be very, very happy – but some of her exercises have been so useful in helping me relax, reduce stress, and more specifically, hone in on plot fixes.

Okay. Follow me while I jump.

I don’t often have the opportunity to sit in on Twitter chats, but one night I signed in to a discussion and chanced to connect with author Joanne Levy. It was all in the name of a potential project (which fizzled), but I was glad to get to know her. And I ended up buying her delightful middle-grade novel, Small Medium at Large which, like too many books I buy, sat on my shelf for a bit.

Fast forward several months, soon after I watched Rebecca Rosen in action. I was rushing off to an appointment and grabbed the first book I could, Joanne’s. Here’s how it sets up …

When Lilah Bloom gets struck by lightning at her mom’s wedding, she wakes to the reality that she can now hear voices of spirits who want to connect with the living. Among them is her grandmother who pushes Lilah to help her dad find a new wife of his own and also pushes Lilah closer to her crush. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s fast and fulfilling and, did I say, funny?

Having heard Rebecca Rosen explain both the cacophony of voices that can surround her at all times and the messages the spirits are sending to the people they’re trying to reach, one thing is certain, Joanne Levy definitely did her homework. Just as a real medium would, Lilah takes this gift very seriously and comes face to face with all its consequences.

I find it sort of funny that these two books and people touched my experience at nearly the same time. Is it coincidence? It doesn’t matter. I only know that both books, on very different levels and for very different reasons, have given me lots of smiles.

Thanks, as always to Barrie Summy for organizing her Book Review Club.