Blog Tour: Six Strings by Jen Sanya Williamson

Riley Witt is running out of time. 

Battling Alzheimer’s disease, Riley’s grandmother Mary suffers from memory loss, mood swings, and a tendency to wander off. 

As senior year approaches, Riley has to face the reality that the one person she depends on most is slowly fading. Making matters 
worse, when Mary does remember the past, she tells tales of time travel and visions. As Mary’s version of the past gets more confused, Riley knows they are running out of time together. 
But when Riley discovers a guitar belonging to a famous rock star at Mary’s house, the truth behind the crazy tales finally comes out. 

SIX STRINGS tells the story of Riley’s journey back to 1973 where she enters a world of music, long-lost family, and first love. Her adventure is all about discovering her past, understanding her present, and figuring out how to step into her future

I am running out of time. That thought tugs at the corner of my mind a lot these days, but right now, as I speed somewhat erratically toward downtown Tucson, I am definitely running out of time. If I don’t make it back home before my mother, I’m dead.

I’d partially woken up a few minutes ago from an unplanned afternoon nap, sprawled out on my bed, the foreboding copy of Invisible Man, my AP English summer reading, opened up beside me. I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep. I was daytime dreaming, my eyes closed and my body heavy, but still taking in the small things happening around me: the indie-rock song playing from the iPod, the whir of the ceiling fan, the air-conditioning kicking on with a groan. Yet when Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture sprang from my cell phone, the ring tone jolted me awake.

“Riley, get to Congress now.”

It took me a moment to recognize the voice as Nathan’s, one of my best friends.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“You need to get in the car and drive to Hotel Congress, okay?” He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if that would help me understand.

“What? Why?”

“Because your grandma is down here in her muumuu, chatting up the bartender in the lobby. She’s discussing the art of making a Pink Squirrel.”

Usually I am an ardent rule follower, but now I race at least ten over the limit toward the hotel. I glance down at the car’s clock. I think of my mother’s work schedule: did she say she had a meeting with the Tucson Association of Realtors that would make her late for dinner? Or did she say she would be home for dinner because the meeting was cancelled? I slam my open palm on the steering wheel, annoyed with myself for tuning her out. At least, in this case.

Okay. Fifty/fifty chance I’ll make it home first. It’s worth a try.

~~I received this in exchange for an honest review~~ 

I read this book thinking that this is about music. And in some aspect, I guess that it is. However, it isn't all about music. We meet Riley during the summer vacation before her senior year in high school. She has been put in charge if taking care of her grandmother who has dementia. Mary (her grandmother) starts telling Riley about her visions, and time travel. But Riley just thinks they are stories that Mary is telling her, for example, she met Mark Twain, years AFTER Mark Twain had passed away. 
Riley knows that she is different that her family, for one, she loves music. She doesn't want to do cheer leading, or sports, she just wants to play her piano. When Mary tells her that she is a time traveler, and she has a guitar and a metal lock box to prove it, Riley has a huge decision to make. Will she travel back in time to find out what this is all about and believe Mary, or will she just continue to ignore Mary? 

I so can't wait for Volume 2 for this series. I loved this book. It is light hearted and fun. You can take a trip down memory lane if you will. You will not be disappointed in this book at all! 

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Jen Sanya Williamson is a graduate of the University of Arizona where she received a BA in creative writing. She spends most of her time with her junior high students, teaching and talking books. When not in a classroom, Jen is writing, watching TV shows from the ‘90s, or cheering on the Wildcats with her husband and children in her adopted hometown of Tucson, Arizona.

                                           

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