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| Do you remember when these were the 'BIG thing'? |
On Thursday, Jami Gold tagged me for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. And with this particular tagging adventure is all about your next big thing! As Jami so eloquently points out, we’re about to head into NaNoWriMo, which is all about writing…you guessed it, the next big thing! :)
I’m going to tackle the Next Big Thing questions based on the story I plan to complete during NaNo, then below that I’ve tagged five other writers so they can also share their Next Big Thing. After that, I’m excited to hear what your next big thing is. ;)
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book?
Retribution
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Hmmm…. out of thin air. Seriously! Out. Of. Thin. Air! I think I was actually editing at the time, and it was one of those moments where your mind wanders from the page at hand, and all of a sudden you find yourself envisioning an opening scene. You’re not sure what it’s for, or who the story’s going to be about, but the second the jab of sudden inspiration hits, you open a new word doc and type. And type. And type. When the scene – or scenes – were finally on paper, I had a nugget to work with.
What genre does your book fall under?
Paranormal Romance. I’m talking typical series where each book in this particular series is going to focus on two characters that in some, way, or form will change in order to find their HEA.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
*cracks knuckles* I’ve been waiting for this question. Usually when I’m envisioning a character, I attach the look of an actor or actress that fits the character I’ve already pictured in my head and fleshed out on paper. So here would be my cast of characters for this particular story (in order of importance):
Ali Larter: Anya Barrillo (Heroine)
Ryan Reynolds: Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Gelvira (Hero)
Kit Harington: Reinhardt (Antagonist)
Hayden Panettiere: Constance ‘Tuck’ Tucker (Heroine’s BFF)
Casey Affleck: Finn Ansila (Hero’s Friend)
Timothy Olyphant: Benjamin Barrillo (Heroine’s brother)
Emma Stone: Lola Gelvira (Hero’s sister)
Ron Perlman: Radar (Heroine’s vampyric mentor/sidekick/teammate and a chainsmoker)
Vinnie Jones: Sebastian ‘Bastian’ – aka: Bastard (Heroine’s other vampyric sidekick/teammate… and he’s an asshole)
Dougray Scott: Phillip Barrillo II (Heroine’s father)
Judi Dench: Gellar (Vampyre Clan’s elder vampyre)
Abigail Breslin: Rosie Turner (Antagonist’s ‘pet’ human – a child with heart disease)
A young Terminator 2-era Edward Furlong: Jared (A techie human teenager who desperately wants to play hunter with the adults)
**Note: Most of the pics on the IMDB links aren’t the actual ones I used for the characters. Either their hair color’s different, or the men have facial hair, or it’s a still from a movie they’ve done that spoke to the specific character’s essence in my head (though Vinnie Jones’ pic is really, really, really close to what I actually used).
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Yowsers… so not my thing, but here goes nothing (and no judgements please *smiles*):
In a world where most of the population was annihilated by a deadly virus, a young woman must choose between love and survival, her future or that of her race, as she prepares to face her vampyre coven leader – and fiance – after discovering the truth behind the virus’s creation.
Will you book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’ll have to answer that after I’m actually finished writing and editing the story.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’m actually still in the process. Back in June, I wrote the opening scene. Then towards the end of September, when the characters just wouldn’t shut the hell up until I got back to writing their story, I began writing through Act One. I’m inching towards the middle but I’ve had to stop myself from going any further to ensure that I finish it during NaNo this year. So that would bring the total time to about 2.5 months. *fingers crossed*
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’d compare it to J.R. Ward, Thea Harrison, and Nalini Singh. Both of these authors are favorites of mine, and both work with Alpha males and the badass women who love and challenge their men. But looking beyond that, I’d compare this story to these authors because of the action, humor, the worldbuilding, the cast of characters and how they relate to one another.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always loved stories that had a dystopian and/or otherwordly feel to them. And I most enjoy stories where preternatural creatures are involved, so I decided to create a bit of a mish-mash between those two loves: Vampyres in the future after the world’s basically been destroyed (or become inhabitable – aboveground, at least).
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
When the idea first crossed my path (after writing the opening scene that floated through my mind), I wrote down what two movies I envisioned the feel of this particular story to be: Contagion meets Underworld meets I Am Legend. The description alone piqued my interest and instantly bumped it to the top of my ‘Story Idea’ listing. Well, truth be told, it was both that and the fact that I’m kinda doing a role reversal of the male/female romance story. The books in the series will bring the focus mainly from the females’ POV (whereas The Black Dagger Brotherhood mainly brings the focus from the males’ POV).
The five Writing/Blogging pals I’m tagging today are:
Tina Moss is one the first writers I met upon entering the blogging world and Twitterverse. She’s always there to lend an ear whether I needed advice on how fix the first 75 pages of another WIP, or whenever things got a bit rocky in my personal life. She’s a wonderful person and a great friend, and I’m excited to read her answers to these ten questions.
Yelena Casale is another one of those writers who I met shortly after venturing into the blogging world – she’s also one-half of the super-writing duo that includes Ms. Tina Moss (as mentioned above). Just like Tina, Yelena is supportive and always ready to lend an ear. Every Friday she posts an Art History Feature on her blog. I don’t always get the chance to comment since Fridays are even more hectic than Mondays around here, but it’s definitely a highlight I look forward to at the end of every week.
Annie Neugebauer is an author, a poet, a blogger, and just an all-around creative and wonderful person. I first met Annie on Twitter, then of course I hopped over to her blog and a lovely little pool of writerly advice and inspiration. She has many WIPs going on right now, but that doesn’t stop her from popping on Twitter and supporting her fellow writers.
Ava Jae is who I might look to whenever I need a #1k1hr writing sprint to get the words flowing during NaNoWriMo. But she’s more than that. She’s also another supportive writer – one whose presence I don’t think Twitter ever lacks. Every morning, like clock work, you’ll always see a ‘Good Morning’ from Ava. Her blog, Writability, is one I’ve been following for quite a while now, and her posts on what not to do always end up being in my weekly writing link mash-up post.
Daniel Swensen is yet another great author, who like the ladies above, I definitely have a world of respect for. He’s knowledgeable and funny, and I always look forward to reading what he has to say on his blog, Surly Muse. And I just recently read that he’s knee-deep in a WIP. Hmmm….. wonder if he may be willing to share? ;)
Rules for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop:
***Use this format for your post
***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.
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Your Turn: What is your next big thing? If you’d like to answer any of the questions above, go for it! Or if you just want to share what you’re working on right now, be it drafting, revising, or what not, go for it! Whatever project you’re excited about, I’d love for you to share!
