The Author:Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world’s goofiest greyhound.
Jeri's plans to save the earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a “problem maker” than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her Drama Drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that.
You can read more about Jeri on her website, her blog, on facebook, or follow her on Twitter.
The Book:Love ties them together.
Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
NYT best-selling author PC Cast calls SHADE "hauntingly good." Lisa Schroeder says "SHADE left me breathless." And Publisher's Weekly (in a starred review!) says "Smith-Ready changes the world completely by simply changing our ability to see."
The Interview:
What songs would make the playlist for SHADE?
Funny you should ask. I just put the entire SHADE soundtrack on my website, at http://www.jerismithready.com/
What's one thing most people don't know about you?
One of my high school boyfriends was a follower of political weirdo Lyndon Larouche. He was pretty normal otherwise (my boyfriend, not Larouche).
What's your favorite quote?
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller
What are you working on now?
I’m writing the sequel to SHADE, called SHIFT, which will be out in May 2011. I also just finished page proofs on the third book in my adult vampire series, BRING ON THE NIGHT, which comes out in August. I can’t wait to see what fans of the series think of this installment!
What is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
I’m a bracket fiend. When I’m on a roll, I don’t like to stop to look something up, or even to sit there and think of the perfect word or transition. So my rough drafts are full of things like “[need scene ending]”, “[chk dates]” and “[this conversation is going nowhere what was I thinking I don’t even know why I thought this scene would be important should I cut it off and come back or just keep pushing through??????]”
If SHADE were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Aura? What about Logan and Zachary?
I’d go with Selena Gomez for Aura and Zac Efron for Logan. Zachary is a little tougher, since I don’t know any Scottish actors that age. But there’s a British actor named Tom Sturridge who would be totally yum.
What kind of chocolate best describes you?
Wow, I just spent twenty minutes staring off into space thinking of different kinds of chocolate. Not kidding. Anyway, I’m back! My answer would be a truffle made of both white and dark chocolate, because I can be very sweet (and pale) but also bitter (when I haven’t had enough sleep or food).
The Freebie:
To be entered to win a signed copy of SHADE, leave a comment below, telling us - who is your favorite ghost ever? (And are they purple-hued?) This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, May 12. Because this is a hardcover and rather expensive to send overseas, this drawing will be limited to the continental US. Thanks for understanding.
