Interview & Giveaway: Living Backwards by Tracy Sweeney

Living Backwards

Living Backwards
Tracy Sweeney

Genre: Women's Fiction

Date of Publication: January 23, 2013

Number of pages: 368

Cover Artist: Elizabeth Jaeger

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon     BN     Kobo     ARe

Twenty-nine-year-old Jillian Cross refuses to believe that a pair of skinny jeans has led to her untimely demise. Life just isn't that cruel. But when an overly-enthusiastic attempt at squeezing herself into them leads her to fall and lose consciousness, she is faced with just that possibility. When she awakens with both a bruised ego and a bump on her head, she's not in her tiny apartment but her childhood bedroom circa 1999-the spring of her senior year in high school. Jillian knows that time travel isn't logical. But then again, neither was her decision to wear skinny jeans. As she attempts to navigate her way through the halls of Reynolds High, walking the same path and making the same choices she made years before, she knows that any change she makes can have a catastrophic effect on her future. But when she strikes up an unexpected friendship with motorcycle-riding, cigarette-smoking Luke Chambers, can she pretend to be the same shy girl she once was? At least she has her pink sparkly flask to take the edge off. One little change won't hurt, right?

Excerpt: 

My mind suddenly flashed back to the prom posters littering the walls of Reynolds High. The prom committee chose Mariah Carey’s I Still Believe for a prom song which I felt was pretty cheesy especially since Brenda K. Starr sang it better. But the prom song didn’t really concern me. On prom night, I was not at the “I Still Believe” prom. I was at the dentist. Unfortunately, when you spend your entire high school career in the library or at home with your nose in a book, you don’t meet many members of the opposite sex. So instead of sitting at home sulking because I was missing my prom, I decided to try and distract myself….by getting my teeth cleaned. My prom date gave me a spit bib instead of a corsage. Thank you, Dr. Grayson, D.D.S. It was a magical evening.

Interview: 
Today, we welcome Tracy Sweeney to Musings and Ramblings. Let's all give her a big Geeky welcome!

I have some questions for you that are writer specific as well as some fun stuff so that we can really get to know the real you. *grin* Plus we will finish things off with round of Think Fast. Ready to begin?

Writing Specific
1. Tell us something about yourself that's not in your bio.

Sit me in a sports bar with the cheesiest plate of nachos and the Patriots on a big screen and I’m the happiest girl in the world. Unless we’re playing Denver. I’m sorry, Denver.

2. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

When I’m not writing and I’m not moming, I’m running. I love making a good playlist on iTunes, driving to the beach and just going. Let’s be clear. I’m not a good runner. But I run. My favorite part is being done. Best.

3. How did you choose the genres you write in?

I’m snarky in life. You’ll be hard pressed to get me to act seriously for any long stretch of time. I’ve tried to write without the snark and I can but I find myself heckling my characters in my head. Might as well put it on the page.

4. Is there any particular author or book that has influenced you or your writing?

I can’t say that there was ever a particular writer who influenced me. I think as an avid reader, I’ve learned so much from so many different writers. I want my readers to feel like they could crawl inside my story. I want them to have a book hangover when they’re done. When I feel that way, I know I’ve read something great. I felt like I needed therapy once I finished The Hunger Games triology. I never wanted it to end.

5. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Any criticism is tough! Of course you want everyone to think that you’re the most amazing writer since forever. But not everyone is going to be a fan of your work. I had someone tell me that they heard LIVING BACKWARDS was good but it wasn’t Steinbeck. I’m glad that was cleared up because I hate when we get confused.

On the flip side, I had someone tell me that they read the story while they were going through chemotherapy and it made the time fly. I couldn’t stop crying.

Fun Stuff
6. If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, fictional or real, who would it be and why?

Edward Cullen, obviously. Oh, crap. He doesn’t eat. 

7. You are going to be stranded on a deserted island and bring 3 luxury items. What would they be?

This is supposed to be fun! If I have to imagine life without my iPhone, I might cry. Can it be a generator? Or like a giant hamster wheel to create a power supply? That would require a lot of hamsters. Ok. Focusing. 1. An elastic for my hair because—no lie—humid weather does bad things to it. (Think Rosanna Rosanna Danna.) 2. A water purifier because I have a bottle of water in my hands all the time. 3. And a Wilson volleyball to be my best friend.

8. Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who are they and why?

While I think the obvious answer is Angelina and Brad because they’re just better at life than any of us, Angie scares me so I’ll pass. Prince William and Kate Middleton are a good choice because I bet Pippa would be the kind of aunt who’d sneak you into a pub when you’re underage. But I think I’m more along the lines of Tina Fey and Conan O’Brien’s lovechild.

9. What would we find in your refrigerator right now?

Watermelon. Because my youngest, who is four, really wanted the Pop Chef kit. Have you seen this thing? You make centerpieces out of fruit. This is what the kid asks for. I, personally, don’t eat fruit unless it’s infused with vodka. But that’s a different story.

10. If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

Message in a Wine Bottle

Think Fast
Summer or Winter? Summer
Coffee or Tea? Iced Tea (I cheat)
Cake or Pie? Who picks pie? Like really?
Car or Truck? Truck
Print or Electronic? Electronic

Thanks for coming by and spending some time with us. Any final words of wisdom to pass along?

Thank you for having me! Follow me on Twitter @pink_flask. We can discuss cheeseburgers. Or my mom, Tina Fey.

Giveaway: 

Tracy will be awarding a key chain that looks like the flask on the cover to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour (US ONLY).

So follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

Book Tour Info: 
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Book Tour:

July 29:
Reviews by Crystal

August 5:
Donna's Blog Home

August 12:
Nana Prah's Blog

August 19:
Musings and Ramblings

August 26:
Welcome to My World of Dreams

September 2:
Smoldering Romance

September 9:
Read Your Writes Book Reviews

September 16:
Storm Goddess Book Reviews and More

Author Bio:

Tracy Sweeney graduated with a degree in Management and Finance but prefers writing ridiculous things to crunching ridiculous numbers. She lives north of Boston, Massachusetts with her two young boys. Her short stories have appeared in Literary Juice, Solecisms and Slice of Life Magazines. Her debut novel, LIVING BACKWARDS, was published in January 2013. She is currently working on her second novel which will be equally as ridiculous.

To connect with the author online:

Website | Tumblr | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads