Thank you to my bestie Stacey for tagging me in the Next Big Thing meme, allowing me to officially announce that I’m self-publishing my novel! I’m two shakes from finishing the formatting, then I’m shipping it off to my awesome partner Natasha at eBook Artisans, then it will hit the virtual bookshelves!
(I also have an author page on Facebook. Please click the link, Like it, and tell your friends!)
What is the working title of your book?
Flicker
Where did the idea come from for the book?
You know how when you’re driving down a road with a lot of trees and the sun filters through, causing a strobe-like effect? Well it really messes with my head, to the point that I need to shield my eyes so I don’t completely wig out. Towards the end of 2009 I was driving to visit my grandmother in the hospital and the light — to steal a line from my book — “did its thing”, and the idea struck for a character who is affected by the flickering light and it makes her travel back to yesterday.
I’ve since learned that my gramma is affected the same way I am, so that makes it doubly cool that she was part of the inspiration.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young adult. Technically it’s paranormal because of the time-travel element, but aside from that everything in the book is “normal.”
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh my gosh, this is the most impossible question for me. I try really hard not to describe my characters’ physically because I want readers to form their own opinion. Putting an actor to them would totally undo that.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Seventeen-year old Biz uses sunlight to flicker back to yesterday.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I am self-publishing. I have a business designing covers for writers who self-publish, so it’s been fun sitting on the client-side of the computer. Which is still the same side, but you know what I mean…
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Two months. I wrote it for NaNo 2010, but because I was working full time knew I probably wouldn’t complete it in 30 days. I finished the first draft on January 1st, 2011. Since then I’ve spent a lot of time editing with the help of NUMEROUS beta readers.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Lisa McMann’s WAKE trilogy has a lot of similarities. I’d never heard of them until I told a fellow writer my idea (prior to writing) and she said it sounded similar to McMann’s. I’ve since devoured the series and worked very hard to make sure there aren’t too many similarities. In plotting out the trilogy (that’s right, there will be more) I had to decide what Biz will do in the next books, and the first thing I did was eliminate the idea of using her ability to work with the police, since that’s what happens in WAKE.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
See the question about where I got the idea. I will say I had a lot of inspiration to make this book better from my fellow writers, especially Erica Chapman. She pushed and pushed and pushed me not to settle with an okay story.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
A side effect of flickering is excruciating migraines. As a sufferer myself, I was able to include a lot of details that fellow migrainees will recognize. That may not seem interesting to everyone, but I enjoyed hiding details throughout the story that only some people may catch.
Oh, and there’s a really hot boy.
*****
Now I’m supposed to tag five writers, but I’m so pitifully out of touch with my blogging buddies that I feel bad adding work to anyone’s schedule. Instead, please answer the Next Big Thing questions if you are so inclined and please share the link in the comments.
Rules of The Next Big Thing
***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 the 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?
