Yours Truly, 2095 (+$25 Amazon GC Giveaway!)

Title: Yours Truly, 2095

Author: Brian Paone

Series: N/A

Pages: 350

Date Published: 2015

Publisher: Scout Media

Format: Kindle

Genre: Time Travel (Romance)

Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tours

Synopsis:

Jeff Blue—the victim of a time-travel conspiracy—wakes up trapped in the year 2095. The only familiar face is J0; a robotic copy of the wife he left behind in 1981. But can she be trusted?

J0 could be the only key to unlock Jeff’s journey home, but it will require her to do something against her programming—something human.During Jeff’s perilous journey through the future, he will have to discover the truth about J0’s origins, and solve the mystery behind how he wound up in 2095, in order to uncover the reality of his own destiny.

Armed with a one-way ticket to the moon, Jeff must race against the clock to seize what might be his last chance to return home to his time. A time without hover cars, Justice Computers, or TeleSkins—a time over one hundred years ago.

~On Accidentally Writing a Romance~

Every day of the three years it took to me to write my new novel, “Yours Truly, 2095,” I believed that I was writing a time-travel conspiracy mystery story. Never once did the word romance ever cross my mind. Sure, I had a strong female protagonist that seemed to dictate the mood of every scene. Sure she was struggling with her blossoming love for the time-traveling hero of the story. Sure, he was even wrestling with his feelings toward her at well. But, nope. I was writing a time travel story, straight up.

About six weeks before the book was published, I started advertising heavily. This was my time travel masterpiece. That was the only genre I could even think of. The book came out, and the reviews started pouring in… for my time travel romance novel!

What??

I laughed at the first review that specifically described the book as a romance novel. Then I chuckled at the second review that viewed the book as a romance novel. Then I lightly snickered at the third reviewer that dissected the book as a romance novel. Then I was looking blankly at my laptop screen when the fourth positive review was posted… for my new romance time travel novel.

I still wouldn’t conform to using the term “romance”. Or even admit that I had, in essence, written a romance novel that just happened to have some time travel as a subplot.

“Hey Brian, I see your new novel came out. What is it about?”

“It’s a time travel mystery story.” (Queue sounds of sipping on a Starbucks coffee cup here.)

Check some more reviews. More reviews actually using the word romance.

It was time to get a professional opinion. I went to see my friend, published romance author Kim Loraine, who had helped proofread the final draft of my book. I had to pick up my lower lip and jaw from the floor when she said, “Oh yeah. You wrote a romance novel.”

After I paperclipped my bottom lip back to my face, I started thinking about the central core conflict of the novel. Was it time travel, or was it the pursuit of happiness between the three main characters? A man, his wife, and a possible lover. My knee jerked as I yelled, “But he travels in time between 1981 and 2095! It’s a time travel novel! There is daily commuting to a big city on the moon, there are hovercars, there are…”

She interrupted me by saying, “And would you NOT call The Time Traveler’s Wife a romance novel?”

I slowly walked away. I had to rethink everything I thought about a book I had written myself. It seemed that my own perception of my own novel was completely skewed. I thought checking some more reviews online would make me feel better. “Great romance novel with twists at every turn…”

Grrrrrr.

I needed a drink. I didn’t know if I was ready to commit to the idea that I had really written a romance novel.

The music in the bar was loud. He had to yell to talk to me.

“Hey Brian!! Good to see you!!! I see your new novel came out! What is it about?!”

“It’s a time travel romance book!” (Queue sounds of sipping on an adult beverage.)

And that’s how I wrote my first romance novel.

~Try an Excerpt!~

The Xanadu moonliner taxied to the launch pad. I didn’t realize how terrified I was until that moment. This was really happening. I was gripping the arm-rests so tightly that my knuckles had gone ghost-white. I tried to loosen my grip, but my palms would not let go.

“How long is takeoff?” I asked in a whisper.

“About eight minutes.”

“All right. I think I can handle eight minutes.”

The Xanadu moonliner propelled us heavenward toward a frontier I could have never, in my wildest dreams, imagined I would be visiting. Takeoff was smooth and effortless. I had experienced worse turbulence when I would let Julie drive the Thunderbird back in 1981 than I did from blasting through the Earth’s atmosphere in the moonliner. During the time it took for us to get from the ground to outer space, passengers were going about their normal business just like any other commute. I slowly allowed my knuckles to regain some of their natural color.

As smooth as liftoff was, I could still tell when we broke through the exosphere. Outer space! Even though I was strapped in by my five-point harness, I immediately felt the weightlessness of my body hover slightly in my seat. Bruce made eye contact with me just long enough for him to smile. This was it. We were really going to the moon.

~Meet Brian!~ 

Brian Paone was born and raised in the Salem, Massachusetts area. An award winning author, his love of writing began through the medium of short stories at the young age of twelve. After almost 20 years of consistently writing short stories for only his friends and family to read, Brian’s first full-length novel, a personal memoir about his friendship with a rock-star drug addict entitled, “Dreams Are Unfinished Thoughts,” was published in 2007. Brian’s second novel, “Welcome to Parkview,” was published in 2010 and is a macabre journey through a cerebral-horror landscape. Brian’s latest novel, “Yours Truly, 2095,” was published in 2015 and follows a man who wakes up one morning, trapped in the future, to discover he’s been the victim of a time-travel conspiracy. Brian is married and has 3 children. Brian’s wife is an Officer in the US Navy. He is also a self-proclaimed roller coaster junkie, and his favorite color is burnt-orange.

 Brian will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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