14 August 2012

Blog Tour: Shades of The Future


Welcome, welcome! Today I'm hosting a blog tour for Shades of The Future by Suzanne Lilly. Enjoy!


Welcome aboard! Tell us a little about yourself, please.

I’m a teacher and a writer who also loves cooking, swimming, hiking, biking, and hanging out with family. My life pretty much revolves around writing and teaching, although on occasion I’ve taken time off to zipline in Alaska, teach in China, and traipse around Rome. My patient and supportive husband and kids put up with my eccentricity, my odd sense of humor, and my need for long periods of solitude to write. I couldn’t do it without them.

What about your latest release?

My latest release is a Young Adult sweet contemporary called Shades of the Future. Here’s the book jacket blurb:

What would you give to see the future? Would you make your dreams come true? Would you change the things you didn’t like?

Mariah Davis loves animals, running, and her hunk of a boyfriend, Kevin Creamer. Everything looks bright for her until the day she finds a pair of sunglasses that allow her to see the future.

When she glimpses a disaster looming, she tries to avoid it but fails. She has a car accident that lands her in a wheelchair, smashing her hopes for a running scholarship to the veterinary program at Ohio State University. She pushes Kevin away, thinking he’ll want to end their relationship now that she can’t walk.

Will she ever learn to trust and love again? She could search for an answer in the sunglasses. But she’s afraid what they reveal might destroy her.

Ok, let’s get down to the fun stuff. If you were stranded on a lush tropical island, and all of your basic needs were met, what two items would you have with you? What person would be with you? Remember, you’re stuck there for an indefinite period with only each other to occupy the time.

I would carry a hammock big enough to hold my hubby, myself, and a fully loaded Kindle with a solar power panel attached.

If you could play opposite any of your lead characters, which one would it be and why?

Kevin Creamer, without a second’s hesitation. He’s a terrific guy in so many ways. Here are a few:

  • He’s talented and plays in a band called Tangynt.
  • He’s romantic. He wrote a love song for Mariah on her 18th birthday and performed it in public.
  • He loves animals. He and Mariah met volunteering at Happy Paws Pet Rescue.
  • He’s smart and motivated. He’s going to Ohio State University.
  • He’s good looking in a casual, laid back kind of way.
If you could lead any of your secondary characters, which one would it be and why?

I just love Hayley. She’s a little bit ditzy, but she’s all kinds of fun and does things on the spur of the moment. She’s also one of those friends you can call anytime and she’ll be there for you. Everyone needs a friend like Hayley.

You’re locked in a closet with Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, three paperclips and a string. How do you get out?

Why would I want to get out?

Name five things you can do with a pencil.

  1. Pretend it’s a microphone as you sing. Use the eraser end for the part you speak into. You could even buy a glow in the dark eraser and sing at night. Wrap a neon necklace around the pencil as a fluorescent microphone cord for even more effect.
  2. Use it as a shoehorn for your Cinderella shoes. Who doesn’t have a few pairs of those?
  3. Pin your hair up. You can get cute pencils with designs to match your outfit. That way you look casual, even though it’s planned. Then if you need a pencil, you just take your hair down.
  4. Use it as a string holder to make rock candy. But before you do, add color to the candy. If it isn’t pretty, it won’t taste good.
  5. Get a bunch of donut magnets and stack them on a pencil, with North poles to South poles. They’ll levitate and you can amaze small children and pets.
Who’s your favorite character from your book(s)? Why? Don’t worry, we won’t tell.

My favorite character is Jester Mason. He runs the filling station in Honey Creek, and he knows everything about cars. He’s also one of those guys who will never kiss and tell. He’ll just kiss.

Where can we find you around the vast interwebs?

Suzanne Lilly Website: http://www.suzannelilly.com
TeacherWriter Blog: http://www.teacherwriter.net
Suzanne Lilly Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SuzanneLillyAuthor
Twitter: @suzannelilly http://twitter.com/suzannelilly

What about your books? Where are they being sold at?

You may purchase Shades of the Future through:


B&N 



Thanks for dropping in! Any last words?

I’d like to let your readers know I’m on tour through the month of August, and I’ll be giving one commenter a free pair of designer sunglasses from Shoebuy.com. I just can’t guarantee if they’ll show you the future. You can get the schedule of blog tour stops at http://suzannelilly.com/blog-tours/. Also, 10% of the royalties from the sales of Shades of the Future will be donated to a pet rescue organization. Together, we can help find forever homes for pets.

Thank you so much for interviewing me on your blog today!

Here's an excerpt from Shades of The Future:

Mariah scooted closer to the inside of the booth to read the digital display. As she slid across the red vinyl seat, something poked into her thigh.

“Hey, somebody left a pair sunglasses here.” She picked them up, rubbing her leg where the frame had left a dent in her skin.

“Those are nice,” Hayley commented between fries.

“These aren’t random sunglasses. These are Dita Aviators.” Mariah turned them over, checking the thin metal frame to make sure she hadn’t bent it. She held them up to the overhead light. The lenses were clean and unscratched. “Plus, they’re like brand new.”

“Let me see them.” Hayley took the glasses out of her friend’s hands and started to put them on.

“Give them back,” Mariah told her. “Your hands are all greasy and cheesy. Not to mention saliva-y.”

Hayley laughed and handed the aviators back across the table to Mariah. “When I have clean hands, I’ll try them on. They’ll look good on me.”

“You think? How do they look on me?” She put them on and a warm tingle of fun washed through her veins.

About The Author:

Suzanne Lilly is a writer at night and a teacher by day, which is why she’s known online as the TeacherWriter. Her articles and stories have appeared in numerous places online and in print. She writes light romance, young adult, and middle grade novels. When not busy with words, she enjoys swimming, hiking, reading, fine arts, and cooking. She lives in California with her family and furry friends and has yet to feel an earthquake.

You can follow her on Twitter as @suzannelilly,  visit her blog at http://www.teacherwriter.net, or her author website at http://www.suzannelilly.com.


6 comments:

Jennifer Shirk said...

Fun interview!

Love the premise of this book too!

Suzanne Lilly said...

Thanks so much for having me today, Lindsay.

Suzanne Lilly said...

Hi Jennifer! I know, there were some fun questions in this interview. So what are the five things you would do with a pencil?

Margaret said...

Great interview. Suzanne, but you forgot drumsticks. Then again, not everyone lives with a perpetually fidgety man...

Suzanne Lilly said...

Ah, yes! The drumsticks. I think I always have at least one boy in my classes who uses pencils for music instead of prose. :-)

bn100 said...

I'd like to read more about the characters.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com