Blog Tour! Shades Of The Future by Suzanne Lilly - Review and Interview

Shades Of The Future by Suzanne Lilly

First Edition, 155 pages

Published July 15th 2012 by Turquoise Morning Press

Summary:

What would you do if you could see your future? Would you try to change it? What if you couldn’t? Sometimes this thing we call “the gift” is really a curse.
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.

BLURB:

What would you do if you could see your future? Would you accept it or would you change it?

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.

Excerpt:

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.

My Review:

This book has everything I'd like for a good summer read. It's short and you can read it quick! I really liked the overall plot.

At first, I thought Mariah was super lucky! She found 400 dollar designer sunglasses! I would die if that happened to me. She even has a cute boyfriend and a cool best friend. But she finds out that the sunglasses let her see the future! But the future isn't always nice. The sunglasses cause her to end up in a wheelchair, break up with the boyfriend she loves and lose her only chance of getting into college.

At some point, I thought that she might get some feelings for Carter since he was always nice and kind to her and then at another point I thought he might be with Hayley, her best friend, but then I found out he was 25. They're still teens. Oh well, I still love Kevin though. He is the perfect boyfriend. He still loved her even when she was pushing him away. He even said it too more than once.

Overall, this story has a great plot and I loved that epilogue-ish ending! Looks like those sunglasses will be causing more trouble! 4 Stars!

Author Interview

Thanks for having me on your blog today! 

Q. What inspired you to write a book like this?

A. I’ve always had small premonitions of things, and when I was younger, they used to really bother me. For example, I’d have a dream and then it would happen, or I’d have a feeling about something that would come true. Nothing as major as what my main character Mariah experiences, however. I always wondered what would happen if a person could change the future. Those questions in my mind morphed into this book.

Q. Which character are you most like?

A. That’s hard to say. I don’t think I’m like any of them. Mariah love running. I’ve never found any allure in running. Get me a taxi. Hayley is skinny and can eat anything. I’ve been on a diet my entire life. Eulalie loves gardening. I kill anything that grows and is green. My characters are very different than me.

Q. Did you actually put in mind who the glasses belonged to before Mariah?

A. Not in a concrete sense, but I did think they belonged to someone who had recently come into money, someone who drives a Porsche and wants to be very showy.

Q. How did you come up with the title of your book?

A. I went around and around for a few weeks trying to decide on a title. I came up with several, but when I would do an Internet search, I’d see the titles were already being used. No one had the title Shades of the Future, and it fit the story, so I took it. Now that Fifty Shades of Gray is out, when you do a search for my book, Fifty Shades comes up first! Haha!

Q. When did you decide that you wanted to write?

A. As soon as I could hold a pen in my chubby little fingers.

Q. Are you working on other books right now?Absolutely! I always have one or two projects going. I’m working on one story right now, and I’m mapping out a series in my head even as I write this book.

Q. Where do you sit down and write your books?

A. I do much of my writing in my office. I feel so lucky to have the space for an office. I also do a great deal of writing in bed. In the winter, when it’s chilly, I stay under the covers, put a lapboard under my laptop, and type away.

Q. What's your writing space like?

A. It’s very cluttered! I have a glass desk, which is my attempt at making it look more open and airy, but it’s always covered in books and papers. I have a window to my left which lets in the afternoon sunshine. I have collages of my characters and their stomping grounds on the wall above my desk.

Q. Do you have any advice for people who are writing their own books?

A. Just write. Make time for writing first, and do everything else second. I try very hard to take my own advice. 

Thanks for having me on your blog today and asking such thoughtful questions!

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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.

Author website: http://www.suzannelilly.comTeacherWriter blog: http://www.teacherwriter.netFridays at Honey Creek blog: http://www.honeycreekbooks.comSuzanne Lilly at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5258804.Suzanne_LillyFollow @SuzanneLilly on Twitter: http://twitter.com/suzannelillyAvailable at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-Lilly/e/B006HY79IY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_2 and most online book retailers in digital or paperback.

Book Video:  http://youtu.be/a6fdKtwZWK8

And plus, you guys will have a chance to win some designer shades!

Suzanne will be awarding pair of designer sunglasses to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US/Canada only), and a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.