Title: FUTURE SHOCK
Author: Elizabeth Briggs
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Pages: 272
Publisher: AW Teen
Formats: Hardcover,
eBook
Elena Martinez has hidden her eidetic memory
all her life--or so she thinks. When powerful tech giant Aether Corporation
selects her for a top-secret project, she can't say no. All she has to do is
participate in a trip to the future to bring back data, and she'll be set for
life.
Elena joins a team of four other teens with special skills, including Adam, a science prodigy with his own reason for being there. But when the time travelers arrive in the future, something goes wrong and they break the only rule they were given: do not look into their own fates.
Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a way to stop a seemingly inevitable future from unfolding. With time running out and deadly secrets uncovered, Elena must use her eidetic memory, street smarts, and a growing trust in Adam to save her new friends and herself.
Elena joins a team of four other teens with special skills, including Adam, a science prodigy with his own reason for being there. But when the time travelers arrive in the future, something goes wrong and they break the only rule they were given: do not look into their own fates.
Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a way to stop a seemingly inevitable future from unfolding. With time running out and deadly secrets uncovered, Elena must use her eidetic memory, street smarts, and a growing trust in Adam to save her new friends and herself.
Today I welcome Elizabeth for an interview!
1. Did you always know you wanted
to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
When I was younger I wanted to be
an FBI agent, but then I realized I can’t really handle blood, so now I write
about that stuff instead. I was always a big
reader and my grandfather was an author, so it seemed natural to become a
writer myself.
2. How long does it take you to
write a book from start to finish?
Each book is different. Some books
take two months, some take a year. Future Shock took about a year to write.
3. How do you come up with themes
for your stories?
My themes come from the characters
and how they grow throughout the book. Sometimes I’m not even sure what the
themes will be before I start writing the book, but the characters tell me
along the way.
4. Do you have a schedule of when
you write?
Yes, I work on business stuff in
the morning (answering emails, doing interviews, etc), and then write in the
afternoon and evening until dinner.
5. How are you able to balance
other aspects of your life with your writing?
It’s very difficult sometimes,
especially when I’m on deadline. I confess that I often neglect doing laundry,
making dinner, and cleaning the
house when I’m busy. Luckily I have a very supportive family who are willing to
chip in and help me out.
6. What elements do you think make
a great story line?
A plot that is never boring,
characters you want to get to know, a setting that takes you somewhere new but also
feels familiar, and a satisfying ending.
7. What was the hardest thing about
writing a book?
Every time I write a book I’m
convinced it is the worst thing ever written and want to give up, but I make
myself keep going anyway. No matter how many books I’ve written this never gets
easier.
8. How many books have you written
so far? Do you have a favorite?
I’ve just finished my tenth book
(the Future Shock sequel), although only seven of those are (or will be)
published. It’s hard to choose just one – I think Future Shock is my favorite
of my YA books and More Than Fashion is my favorite of my NA books.
9. Do you have a favorite
character?
Elena in Future Shock is my
favorite because she doesn’t take crap from anyone! She’s very determined and
resilient despite the struggles she’s faced in her past and throughout the
book.
10. Where do you write?
I write in bed on my laptop and I
revise at my desk on my other computer. This helps me see the book in a new way
when I revise.
11. When deciding on how to
publish, what directed you to the route you took?
I’m a hybrid
author, so I have both self published books (my NA romances) and traditionally
published books (my YA books). I decide which route would be best for each book
I write based on the audience, the market, and whether it would probably sell
better in print or ebook. For Future Shock, I knew I wanted it to be in
libraries so that it would reach teens like the ones in the book, who might not
have money to buy hardcovers or have easy access to ebooks, so I knew I wanted
to have my agent sell it to a publisher.
12. Have you gotten feedback from
family about your book(s)? What do they think?
My husband is the only one who has
read Future Shock so far and he loved it!
13. What kinds of things do you
like to do outside of writing?
I like to read, of course. I love
listening to music and going to concerts. I’m a huge geek and love any nerdy TV
show, movie, or comic book, and I go to a lot of comic conventions. My newest
hobby is adult coloring books!
14. What kinds of advice would you
give to someone who wants to start writing?
Write the book you want to read.
Accept that your first draft is going to suck, and that’s okay. You can’t
revise a blank page.
15. What is your favorite book?
favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to
write?
My favorite books are from the His
Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. The book that inspired me to be a
writer was Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.
16. Do you have any go to people
when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing,
beta reading and such?
Yes, I have some awesome writer
friends who help me brainstorm and read my early drafts, then tell me how to
make my books better.
17. Are you working on anything
now?
I just finished the Future Shock sequel,
which has a lot of the same characters from the first book, but has an all new
time travel mystery! Next up, I’m working on the final book in my New Adult
series, More Than Distance.
18. Tell us 5 things that make you
smile
1) Puppies
2) Free food
3) Movie trailers
4) Lightsabers
5) When readers tell me they loved my book
2) Free food
3) Movie trailers
4) Lightsabers
5) When readers tell me they loved my book
19. Tell us 5 things that make you
sad
1) Racism, sexism, homophobia, and
other forms of intolerance and hatred for people who seem “different”
2) Animals dying – I can’t handle it at all
3) When a good TV show gets cancelled too early
4) Reading the comments on any article online
5) Dropping my phone and getting yet another dent in it
2) Animals dying – I can’t handle it at all
3) When a good TV show gets cancelled too early
4) Reading the comments on any article online
5) Dropping my phone and getting yet another dent in it
20. If you could travel anywhere in
the world to visit a place so you could use it as a background for a book,
where would it be?
Venice, Italy
Thanks so much for being here today, Elizabether. It was great having you here!
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth Briggs is a full-time geek who writes books for teens and adults. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Sociology, currently mentors teens in writing, and volunteers with a dog rescue group. She's the author of the new adult Chasing The Dream series and the upcoming young adult novel Future Shock. Elizabeth lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a pack of fluffy dogs. You can connect with her online at:www.elizabethbriggs.net
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
3/21/2016- The Cover
Contessa- Interview
3/22/2016- U.S. -
Brazil Book Review- Review
3/23/2016- A Dream
Within A Dream- Guest
Post
3/24/2016- Andi's ABCs- Review
3/25/2016- Two Chicks
on Books- Interview
Week Two:
3/28/2016- Polished
Page-Turners- Review
3/29/2016- Addicted
Readers- Guest
Post
3/30/2016- 125Pages- Review
3/31/2016- Owl Always
Be Reading- Interview
4/1/2016- Rachel's
Book Reviews- Review
I love the premise. Future Shock looks great! Thanks for the post and the giveaway!
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