Cover Reveal: Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson

Happy Monday, everyone! I can think of no better way to kick off a brand new week than by welcoming my dear friend and regular Pop! Goes The Reader contributor, Lily Anderson, to the blog once again! Today, I have the immense pleasure of hosting the exclusive cover reveal for Lily’s forthcoming sophomore young adult release, Not Now, Not Ever. Coming to a bookstore and library near you November 21st, 2017 from Wednesday Books (a new imprint of St. Martin’s Griffin), Not Now, Not Ever is a story inspired by The Importance Of Being Earnest that follows the life of Elliot, a teenage girl who will use every ounce of her wit, determination and courage to realize her dream of attending the only college in the country with a Science Fiction Literature program – even if it means running away from home in order to compete in an academic decathlon. Being entrusted with an author’s cover reveal is always a humbling and very special experience for me, and it’s a particularly exceptional one when I’m able to help someone whose friendship and voice I admire and appreciate as much as I do Lily’s. Her newest cover is every bit as vibrant, beautiful and fun as she is and I absolutely can’t wait to explore the story held within its pages in November. Please read on to learn more about this exciting 2017 release, including an exclusive cover reveal and a personal note from the author about the novel’s origins and inspiration.

The start of my new book Not Now, Not Ever is The Importance Of Being Earnest. Oscar Wilde’s iconic play is literally the spark of inspiration that puts my main character, Elliot, in motion to run away from home for the summer. Earnest represents everything Elliot doesn’t want – family hijinks, mistaken identities, love that changes your plans. Earnest is farce. Elliot wants surety. She wants to win a scholarship to the college her parents won’t pay for her to attend. She wants a reason not to join the Air Force. She wants to set the future in stone. And life thwarts her at every turn. Life gives her farce.

My first book The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You (in stores now!) is also about super smart kids in Oregon dealing with uncertainty. But where the Messina Academy students of TOTWTMIY struggle with relationships (romantic and platonic), their futures are never in question. They are going to get into college and, not just that, they’re going to get into great colleges. So, in starting to write a book that takes place in the same world (same town, same academic environment), I wanted to focus on a different set of issues.

The characters in Not Now, Not Ever are competing for a full ride scholarship to the prestigious (and fictitious) Rayevich College (which is across town from the also fictional Messina Academy). Some are competing to appease their parents or as the culmination of a lifetime of racking up achievements. Some were tricked and some are engaged in their own trickery. But all of them are looking at this as one route, not the only route. You could go to college. You could join the army. You could live at home and get a job. You can meet your potential or you won’t.

Not Now, Not Ever is about finding out what your potential means to you through family hijinks, mistaken identities, and love that changes your plans. And, oh yeah, Elliot Gabaroche meeting a boy named Brandon Calistero, a boy with floppy hair and strange college friends (named Trixie, Ben, Meg, Harper, Cornell, and Peter…).

About Lily Anderson

Lily Anderson is a school librarian and Melvil Dewey fangirl with an ever-growing collection of musical theater tattoos and Harry Potter ephemera. She lives in Northern California, far from her mortal enemy: the snow.

Author Links: Website ● Twitter ● Facebook ● Goodreads

Title Not Now, Not Ever
Author Lily Anderson
Pages N/A
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
To Be Published November 21st, 2017 by Wednesday Books (New imprint of St. Martin’s Griffin)
Find It On Goodreads

A teenage girl, inspired by Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest, runs away under an assumed name to compete in an off-brand academic decathlon for a chance to win a full scholarship to the only college in the country with a Science Fiction Literature program.