Title: Remote
Author: Lisa Acerbo
Publisher: Etopia Press
Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance
Release Date: 20th November 2014
BLURB supplied by Bewitching Blog Tours
When technology fulfills every dream, reality becomes a nightmare.
Below the streets of New State, the undergrounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. Every night, Yara risks her life fighting New State’s deadliest weapons, the drones. Half human and half machine, their living half tortured until everything human is gone, the drones have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision.
Yara is good at her job and committed to her raids on New State. Until one of those raids brings her face-to-face with Joshua, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Yara feels for Joshua is very real. And it’s punishable by law.
As she and Joshua grow closer, she convinces him to leave New State for her underground cause. But as the unrest between New State and the underground escalates, and the drones move in to destroy her world, nothing goes as planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Yara’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever......
Below the streets of New State, the undergrounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. Every night, Yara risks her life fighting New State’s deadliest weapons, the drones. Half human and half machine, their living half tortured until everything human is gone, the drones have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision.
Yara is good at her job and committed to her raids on New State. Until one of those raids brings her face-to-face with Joshua, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Yara feels for Joshua is very real. And it’s punishable by law.
As she and Joshua grow closer, she convinces him to leave New State for her underground cause. But as the unrest between New State and the underground escalates, and the drones move in to destroy her world, nothing goes as planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Yara’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever......
PURCHASE LINKS
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What is your name, where were you born
and where do you live now?
What is your name, where were you born
and where do you live now?
Lisa Acerbo, born and raised in Connecticut.
Specifically, Trumbull, Connecticut. It’s not exotic, and in the winter it is
extremely cold. It is the definition of
suburbia.
Did you always want to be a writer? If
not what did you want to be?
I have always loved both reading and writing. I
still remember getting a good grade on a fiction short story assignment in high
school and being so overjoyed that the teacher liked it. When I took creative
writing in college, my professor wasn’t nearly as nurturing and I became a high
school teacher instead of a full-time writer.
Still, writing has always been an enjoyable pastime and part of my
life. Most days, writing is relaxing and
therapeutic. On rare occasions, it’s a
challenge to add any words to paper, but I still enjoy it more than most other
activities.
When did you first consider yourself as
a "writer"?
Before turning to fiction, my articles appeared in
the Connecticut Post, Trumbull Patch and Hollywood Scriptwriter, but I don’t think I truly felt like a
writer until I published my first novel Apocalipstick
in 2013. I still question that idea daily, especially when procrastination hits
and weeks go by without any writing.
Do you work another job as well as your
writing work?
I majored in English during college, thinking that I
wanted to become a journalist, but instead became an English teacher. Even
though I teach full time at the high school and college level, I continue to
write, mostly in the summer. Before turning to fiction, my articles appeared in
the local newspapers and online
magazines. I hope that my love of
reading and writing can help others to enjoy it.
What is the name of your latest book,
and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
My new book is Remote: When technology
fulfills every dream, reality becomes a nightmare.
It is a 71,000 word sci fi novel geared for young adult and college-aged
audiences. Yara, the main character,
lives as an undergrounder and specializes in nighttime raids against the New
State, where people are often more machine than human. Then she meets Joshua, a
New State citizen, who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. As they
become closer, Yara realizes how insidious the hold of New State is on the
citizens and how few freedoms they have, all replaced by technological
illusions. With the help of her father, an underground leader, Yara and Josh
join in the rebellion and the plan to take down New State, but nothing goes as
expected. The challenges Yara faces
throughout the book test her loyalties and ultimately challenge her
understanding of humanity.
Who is your publisher? or do you self
publish?
My publisher is Etopia Press. I loved working with them and my editor was
so helpful in refining the draft and making it into a publishable piece of
writing. Remote
came out on November 21, 2014. It can also be downloaded at Etopia Press,
Amazon, and Barnes and Noble for Kindle and Nook.
How long does it usually take you to
write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
Remote, my
science fiction novel, took three months to write while my other books took
much longer. Apocalipstick, my first book, took close to two years and the
sequel took nearly a year.
Which of your books were easier/harder
to write than the others?
In Remote the
main characters, Yara and Jason, came to life quickly. I knew their quirks and characteristics from
the start. The storyline was also well
formulated from the moment I began writing.
I like writing science fiction because it seems to click with my brain. With
other books, it’s often a struggle and I am figuring everything out as I
write.
What can we expect from you in the
future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
The follow-up to Apocalipstick
is with the publisher and I am trying my hand at a mystery novel based on an
old historic figure in Connecticut know as The Old Leatherman.
Do you have a favourite character from
your books? and why are they your favourite?
Characters form in my head before I start writing
the book. The main character of Remote, Yara, was well-defined before I
began chapter 1, and she became my favorite because of her inner strength and
strong moral code. During revisions with
my editor, I had the chance to go back and think about her in more depth and I
developed Yara’s motivations and relationships further. The same happened with Josh, another of the
main characters. During revisions, I was
able to add more of his perspective into the book. I love how the two of them
interact.
Do you choose a title first, or write
the book then choose the title?
The title is the last thing I think about. I have a friend, also an author, who told me
I had to have the title before stating the project, but that never worked for
me and stressed me out. Instead, I wait
until the book is done and then think about the symbols and themes that
evolved. The title of my first book Apocalipstick came from my daughter and
so did Remote. For Apocalipstick,
I was telling her about a scene in the book where the main character, Jenna,
puts on her mother’s lipstick for the first time after the zombie
apocalypse. She is finally out of harm's
way and has the luxury of remembering the past and looking forward to a possible
future. My daughter joked, you should
call the book Apocalipstick and the
title stuck.
Is there a certain Author that
influenced you in writing?
After reading “The
Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury with my high school Science Fiction class, I began
to think about the consequences of technology in our lives. I love science
fiction and hoped Remote
would open a discussion on the topic of overuse of
technology today. Many of my
high school students are glued to their cell phones and other
devices in and out of class. While the
students acknowledge that this isn’t good, they no longer know how to function
without a phone in hand.
Which format of book do you prefer,
ebook,hardback, or paperback?
While I appreciate the ease of access that eBooks
offer, I am personally a fan of paperbacks. There is something about flipping
through pages and seeing your progression through a book that cannot be
replaced. I love the feel of a paperback book in my hands. I dog ear the pages,
take notes in the margin. There is nothing like having a paperback novel at the
beach or while relaxing and reading on the couch. I think e-books are great, especially when
travelling, and I download many of them, but I hope they never replace having
an actual paperback book with you.
Do you think books transfer to movies
well? Which is you favourite/worst book
to movie transfer?
I think books can transfer to movies well when the
producers and directors stay close to the story line. My favorite movie
transfer The Last Man on Earth with
Vincent Price which was modeled after I
am Legend. I enjoyed this adaptation because it really highlighted what it
was like to be alone and faced with an impossible situation. My least favorite
transfer was the Divergent movie. It
lost many of the elements that I enjoyed about the book. Some of the relationships between the
characters and plot points were underdeveloped.
What are you currently reading? Are you
enjoying it? What format is it? (ebook, hardback or paperback)
The Book of Life by Deborah
Harkness. When I read A Discovery of Witches I was drawn into
the story and depth of research the author did to complete it. I’ve just
started her new book in hardback and can’t wait for a few hours to sit and
enjoy it.
What piece of advice would you give to a
new writer?
If you want to be an author, don’t give up. Writing
takes time, patience, dedication, and passion. Maybe a little bit of crazy too.
Most people who attempt to write books do not create a masterpiece the first
time or gain immediate success. As I have learned from my years teaching and
attempting to write something decent, a writer must set small goals and eventually
he or she will reach the larger goal.
For me, it was getting my book published. Once you reach one goal, you
create others and keep moving forward and don’t stop. As a writer, your goals
are endless.
AUTHOR LINKS
Twitter
@Apocalipstick_
EXCERPT
“Hi,”
he called out.
Yara’s
heart hammered, and adrenaline coursed through her limbs. She turned to run.
“Wait,”
the stranger whispered. “I won’t turn you in. I’m out here too.” He obviously
didn’t realize that Yara was a rebel. He might not know it yet, but he would
soon. Still, he didn’t sound dangerous. Maybe Yara could take care of him. She
had never had to kill anyone totally human, but she had trained to do so. At
this point, she didn’t think she would need to. The skinny boy didn’t look like
a real threat, either.
She
turned back toward him and attempted what she hoped was a look of death and
destruction.
Instead
of being scared, he smiled at her and brushed the hair out of his eyes. Even in
the shadowy street, Yara could see the color was a beautiful emerald green. She
had a hard time looking away, until his voice jarred her back to reality.
“I’m
Joshua15111,” he said robotically. “What are you doing out here?”
“I
could ask you the same thing.”
“Enjoying
the night sky,” he replied, each word clipped and succinct. Unable to make
prolonged eye contact, he looked toward the stars.
“Aren’t
you supposed to be hooked up to an alternate universe, enjoying battle, boobs,
or whatever perverted fantasy you want to conquer tonight?” Yara asked, and
then instantly regretted her words.
“Hey,
it’s not like that. You know how it is.” For the first time, his voice took on
a more humanistic quality. He sounded peeved.
She
grunted in response. She didn’t know anything of the sort.
Joshua15111
looked at her briefly, quizzically. “Wait, do you know that? Are you one of
them? The rebels?”
Oh
no. “What rebels?”
“Are
you for real? Everyone knows about the rebels. You must be one. Are you a
rebel? That’s so cool.”
Me
and my big mouth. Fear finally overtook her. Vague ideas about running away
from or fighting the stranger flitted by, but Yara’s feet felt like concrete
blocks. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to form a coherent sentence if he
asked her something about the underground.
***GIVEAWAY***
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Thank you so much for being a stop along my book tour.
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