FFBC: Welcome to the club, Unplugged (The Wired #1) by Donna Freitas

Unplugged (The Wired #1)

by Donna Freitas
Publisher: Harper Children's
Release Date: June 21st 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Synopsis:

The first book in a provocative new series from acclaimed author Donna Freitas—Feed for a new generation.

Humanity is split into the App World and the Real World—an extravagant virtual world for the wealthy and a dying physical world for the poor. Years ago, Skylar Cruz’s family sent her to the App World for a chance at a better life.

Now Skye is a nobody, a virtual sixteen-year-old girl without any glamorous effects or expensive downloads to make her stand out in the App World. Yet none of that matters to Skye. All she wants is a chance to unplug and see her mother and sister again.

But when the borders between worlds suddenly close, Skye loses that chance. Desperate to reach her family, Skye risks everything to get back to the physical world. Once she arrives, however, she discovers a much larger, darker reality than the one she remembers.

In the tradition of M. T. Anderson’s Feed and Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, Unplugged kicks off a thrilling and timely sci-fi series for teens from an award-winning writer.

Hello Donna! We are super excited to have you in our FFBC tours.

I’m excited to be here!

BTW: These are hard questions! Actually, they are nearly impossible. I have so many favorites.

Favorite Book?

At the moment: Mary Pearson’s The Remnant Chronicles books. And also at the moment, The Odds of Lightning by Jocelyn Davies. But I have so many other favorite books over the years! 

Favorite TV show?

At the moment: The Good Wife. And, I have to admit: I am a tad obsessed with Outlander. (I am, I am!)

Media Medusa

Favorite movie?

One of them, for sure, is Strictly Ballroom.

QuotesGram

Your Favorite Song?

At the moment: I keep listening to “Ink” by Coldplay.

Favorite Food?

That is truly an impossible question. I don’t even know how to begin. I love eating. Let’s just say my favorite activity might be eating.

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

Lyra’s Oxford in His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. 

I’d like to visit Hogwarts. I mean, who wouldn’t?

I’d also like to visit a kingdom where people have Graces, as in the world of Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

Who is your perfect fictional boyfriend?

Eugenides in Megan Whalen Turner’s books. Also, maybe Po from Graceling.

Favorite Quote?

Don’t know. There are so many thinkers that I love! (I was a philosophy major and well, I have a Ph.D. So I feel like I can’t commit to just on quotation.)

What do you find yourself “Fangirling” over?

Lately, Mary Pearson because I love her new series so much. Though I always fangirl over Philip Pullman. And I just fangirled Jocelyn Davies actually, through her website. 

If you could meet one author, dead or alive, who would it be?

I think Julian of Norwich, which may sound weird. But she was a 14th century anchoress, which means she lived in the walls of a church. And I’d love to have a conversation with her! (I’ve already met Philip Pullman, otherwise I’d say him.)

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about Unplugged?

Unplugged takes place in the near future, where the world has split in two: There is the App World, where people plug in their bodies, often from birth, and grow up virtually in a city where you can download apps to your brain and body. Apps can change how you look, your personality, your abilities—all for a price, and only for a short time. Then you revert back to your basic self, until you download again. Then there is the Real World, which has nearly been deserted for the App World, where there live the Keepers, charged with taking care of and maintaining the plugged-in bodies.

My protagonist, Skylar (Skye), grew up plugged in as a Single—which is basically a ward of the state—since she plugged in without her family. Her family could only afford to send one child to the App World and her mother chose her. This means that she hasn’t seen her family for over a decade. She likes the App World, but she longs to unplug and see her mother and sister again. 

So Unplugged is about Skye’s decision to unplug illegally, and all that happens as a result of her choice to do this. The Real World, as she will find, can be a sinister place.

Can you tell us a bit more about the world in Unplugged? If you could choose between the App World and the Real World, which one would you choose and why?

In Unplugged, the world has split in two worlds—one real, one virtual. The Real World is nearly uninhabited in the time of the story, with almost all citizens consolidating into a single city, New Port City (yes, based on Newport in RI, where I’m from), where they are tasked with taking care of all the plugged in bodies. The virtual world—the App World—is a rather magical virtual city, where people live wholly virtually, and Apps (what really drives this world) can be downloaded to the body to change your looks, your personality, your abilities. Most App World citizens plug in at birth at the time of the story, and grow up virtually, so they don’t even know what it’s like to be in their bodies.

As for me? I’d love to try living virtually for a while! And see what it’s like to download Apps to myself—I think it would be so much fun. But I’m a Real World girl all the way. No doubt about it!

Also, can you tell us a bit more about Skye and her personality? 

Skye is an orphan of sorts—called a Single in the book—at least in the App World she is. Her mother plugged her in when she was little, as a way of offering her daughter a promising future, but this also meant allowing her daughter to grow up without her family. Skye knows she should be grateful her mother did this, but she’s always had a bit of a trauma around it too—she wonders if her mother abandoned her. And she longs to go home.

At the beginning of the story, Skye is pretty normal—she follows the rules and keeps her head down—but then she decided to unplug illegally in an effort to reconnect with her family and this is when Skye begins to discover all sorts of interesting things about herself that she never knew, and also about her family. She is a bit of a reluctant heroine, I suppose you could say! But she definitely also likes to have a good time. J

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

I came up with the story because I was fantasizing with friends one day about what it would be like to be able to give ourselves “updates” like we do on our laptops and phones—like, what would Donna 4.0 be like? The entire story of Unplugged flowed from that moment!

Tell us your favorite quote from Unplugged.

Gosh. I don’t know. I’m bad at quotes in general, but especially quoting myself!

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

I think the scene when Skye is waking up at her Keeper’s house in the Real World, so (nearly) her first time of being in her real body as a 17 year old. She can’t figure out how to talk or sit up or walk or really do anything. She can barely even see. All because her body is no longer accustomed to being used in the Real World, and she has to relearn how to do these most basic things to function.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for Unplugged – Which one would you pick? 

I think “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay. Yes, because of my protagonist’s name. But I think that song captures the wonder and joy Skylar eventually feels about being in the Real World.

Then I’d pick “Ink” also by Coldplay for the sequel which is called The Body Market, partly because of a new central character, a boy, who has a lot of tattoos. And is quite dreamy, I think!

Imagine that we get to see your book on the big screen (how awesome would that be?). Who would you pick to play your characters?

OMG! That would be the best ever. I don’t even know how I’d begin casting. Skylar is Latina, so I’d want to find a fantastic young Latina actress to play her. And maybe for Lacy, the villainess—I love, love, love Hannah from Pretty Little Liars. I think she could make a great Lacy!

Is there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read Unplugged (specific music, snacks…)? 

Well, Coldplay obviously, if you like them! And lots of deliciousness in terms of food—eating real food is one of the great joys for Skylar when she gets to the Real World. Strawberries especially. She thinks they’re magical.

What’s next for you? 

Two more books in the series! The Body Market which comes out soon—this winter! And The Mind Virus which will soon follow that, in the fall of 2017. I’ve loved working on this series and I hope you and your readers enjoy it too!

Something to say to our Book Addicts?

Thank you for having me! I hope I can consider myself an honorary Book Addict. I certainly feel like I am addicted to books. And I hope you like my new series!

Thank you so much for everything, Donna!

Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it! xoxo

Follow the Unplugged by Donna Freitas Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Donna Freitas is an author of fiction, nonfiction, and articles that appear in newspapers, magazines, and on blogs. Born in Rhode Island, Donna now splits her time between New York City and Barcelona.

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Book Blitz + Giveaway: Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat

Between the Notes
by Sharon Huss Roat
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: 06/16/15

Synopsis:

When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life.

And it isn’t pretty.

Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them.

As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were . . . including herself.

Debut author Sharon Huss Roat crafts a charming and timely story of what happens when life as you know it flips completely upside down.

by Sharon Huss Roat

I learned recently that R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps books, starts writing ONLY after he is inspired by a great title. As someone who always struggles to find the perfect title, I’m more than a little jealous. Here’s a look at some of the titles I threw out there in the process of naming BETWEEN THE NOTES. Thankfully, none of them stuck.

1) IVY’S TOWER – This was original title, which I thought was a clever play on the term “Ivory Tower”—a nod to Ivy’s fall from affluence that also referred to the very skinny, tall, apartment house where her family moves. Alas, my publisher thought it sounded too young. I was asked to submit other ideas. Hence:

2) A GIRL, HER BEST FRIEND, TWO BOYS, AND A SONG - A longer version of this title might’ve included “A PIANO, HER DISABLED LITTLE BROTHER, A GIRL WITH A CLARINET, THAT DUSTY UKELELE, HER PARENTS, A BICYCLE…” Yeah. Listing everything and everyone in the book does not a title make.

3) IVY DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE - Nope. She moved. And the story is about what happens in the new place, not in the place she doesn’t live anymore. So, never mind. 

4) HOW TO RUIN PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING - This is the title you come up when you’re pulling out your hair out trying to capture in a few words what the book is about and… you fail.

5) PULLING SECRETS FROM A SHELF - When you’re thinking about the part of the story where someone is leaving secret notes for Ivy on a shelf, and then the song “Pulling Mussels from a Shell” gets in your head, and isn’t this the most brilliant title ever? No? FINE.

6) MUCH ADO ABOUT GATSBY AND PONY BOY - There’s some Shakespeare in the story, and The Great Gatsby makes an appearance, as well as The Outsiders. So, OF COURSE the perfect title would somehow combine all of that. Right? WRONG.

7) DISCOMPOSING IVY - Work with me, here. Ivy composes music to calm herself, but has to leave her piano behind and she’s kind of falling apart. She’s… discomposing? Ew, that sounds like DECOMPOSING, doesn’t it? And this is not a zombie story. Nobody’s earlobes are rotting off.

8) OPUS DISASTEROUS - Music theme? Search musical terms and try to rhyme them with words that vaguely describe what your main character is facing, and… TA DA! *Slinks back into cave where horrible title-writers live.

9) UNTANGLING IVY - One of many titles I came up with that tried to capture Ivy’s struggle as if Ivy, the plant, was actually strangling her. (TWISTING IVY, TURNING IVY, THROWING IVY, anyone?)

10) BAD BOY NEXT DOOR - Refer to rejected title Number 2, except pick just one character. The hottest one, preferably. But, what about that other hot boy? BAD BOY NEXT DOOR AND THAT TOTALLY SWOONY OTHER GUY. Too long? Dang.

In the end, my friend and fellow HarperCollins author Hilary T. Smith (WILD AWAKE, A SENSE OF THE INFINITE) suggested “In Between the Notes.” I added it to the list, my editor shortened it to BETWEEN THE NOTES, and a title was born. (And lived!)

Sharon Huss Roat lives in Delaware with her husband and two kids. When not writing books for young adults, you might find her reading (YA of course), planting vegetables in her backyard garden, or sewing costumes for a school musical. BETWEEN THE NOTES is her first novel.

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Book Blitz + Giveaway: Love Bites by Rachel K. Burke

Love Bites
by Rachel K. Burke
Publisher: Harper Impulse
Release Date: 12/29/15

Genre: New Adult

Synopsis:

What do you do when you fall in love with your best friend’s boyfriend?

That is the question that twenty-six year-old Justine Sterling has been asking herself ever since the day she met David Whitman, her best friend Renee’s boyfriend. Justine is determined to ignore her growing feelings for the irresistibly charming David, until one night, when she finds herself in the bed of the one person she should stay away from.

When Justine and David’s affair ends in heartbreak, Justine is forced to repair the damaged friendship with her best friend. In doing so, she learns that right and wrong decisions aren’t always black and white, and sometimes you have to follow your heart to see where it leads.

I didn’t sleep with David that night. I mean, sure, I slept with him, but not in the sexual sense. Only in the nocturnal sense.

After changing out of our soaking wet swimsuits, David and I somehow ended up in my bed. I’m not really sure how it happened. One minute, I was curled up under my covers, trying to warm up because my hair was soaking wet. The next minute, David was sitting on the edge of my bed, attempting to continue our conversation. Eventually, we both fell asleep without leaving that general proximity.

By the time I woke up the next morning, David was no longer in my bed, so it sort of felt like it never happened. Instead, he was now in the kitchen, making coffee and eggs and toast. God, he was so damn perfect. Even in his gym shorts with messy bedhead. I remember, at that distinct moment, thinking about how much I wished I could find someone like him. And hating Renee for not realizing how lucky she was.

“So, little lady,” David said, placing two plates of food down on the kitchen table. “What are your plans for this evening?”

I sat down at the table and rubbed my throbbing temples. “Well, I can tell you what I won’t be doing.”

“Hmm… breaking up more families?”

I glared at him. He grinned.

“Too soon?”

I picked a piece of crust off my toast and threw it at him. “Funny,” I retorted. “I think I’m just going to stay in tonight.”

He took a bite of scrambled eggs and nodded. “Well, if you’re here later, maybe I’ll swing by. I don’t really feel like going out either.”

There was a part of me that felt like I should say no, because it felt wrong to be spending time with Renee’s boyfriend when she wasn’t there. But there was also a part of me that thought I was overreacting. I mean, what was the big deal? We hadn’t done anything wrong. We had a drink, went swimming and fell asleep. That was it.

So why did I feel guilty?

Deep down, I knew why. It was because of the way I felt about him. The way I’d felt about him since the moment I met him. But of course, I couldn’t tell him that.

“That’s fine,” I said. “As long as it’s cool with Renee.”

“I’m sure she’d be happy that I was here to cheer you up. Since she couldn’t be.”

It was then that I saw something in his eyes. That look. It was the same look I always fought to ignore, but it seemed more intense now, more dangerous. Maybe because we were alone. Or maybe because my feelings for him weren’t entirely one-sided. But I could’ve sworn, at that moment, that I felt something between us change.

Rachel discovered she wanted to be a writer at the age of ten, when her love of R.L. Stine murder mystery novels inspired her to start writing her own.

In 2008, Rachel combined her love of writing and music and began freelancing for a music column in Worcester Magazine. She also worked as a music journalist for Starpulse News Entertainment and Jamsbio Magazine, as well as a fitness journalist for Prevention Magazine.

Rachel graduated from Bridgewater University in 2011 with a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies.

She currently resides in Santa Monica, CA.

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