For this week's post I have been asked to take part in The Next Big Thing. Upcoming authors are asked to answer ten questions about a work in progress and then link to others who have done the same. So here are my ten answers and at the end are links to some of my favourite up and comings, do check them out, they are all fab ...
What is the working title of your book?
I always struggle to title my works in progress. For ages, they are just called by the name of
the main character until I bite the bullet and give them a title that sums up
the spirit and hopefully raises a question. At the moment, this story has just graduated
from 'The Maxwell Story' to the extremely unsatisfying 'A Forest Full of Aliens', (partly because
Maxwell has just been rewritten as a female called Redd). There will be more changes!
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was trying to reimagine an old idea I've had for a
while about a whole world within a gearbox in a scrap yard, changing it from a
fantasy epic to an ultra-violent sci-fi thriller.
What genre does your book fall under?
I'm aiming for Young Adult Science Fiction Thriller as
long as I can keep the cuteness and wise-cracking at bay that tend to drag my
stories towards 12+.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I'd love Redd to be played by Paloma Faith. She had a small part in The Imaginarium of
Doctor Parnassus which really stood out for me, and she's great at 'fabulously
bonkers'. I think she'd give a brilliant
take on the concept of a heroic main character.
And to counter Paloma, the scientist character would have to be played
straight and by-the-book. Perhaps Helen
Mirren.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The Borrowers meets Platoon and then the solder hits the
cooling fan.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'm currently working on another couple of things with my
agent, but when this one gets into a shape where I'm willing to show people
then hopefully it will go forward with agency representation.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
This story is ongoing, but my last first draft took
around six months, fitted in around my day job.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Hopefully none! I lie
awake worrying that someone will have come up with a similar idea to one of
mine and that a publisher will already have it on their desk. Authors don't write in a vacuum. Inspiring events, films, books, newspaper
stories etc are all around and it's inevitable that other creative people may
take an idea in a similar direction. And
good luck to them if they have, I genuinely wish them every success with it.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The original gearbox concept came from a college exercise. I was on an illustration course and the
project was to combine a piece of technology with a fantasy element. I had an overgrown mini gearbox in my garden
and wondered what it would be like if tiny creatures lived in it.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The whole thing takes place inside a computer tower
(apart from the bits that don't ;)
The fab authors I'm tagging are:
Sam Hawksmoor - author of The Repossession and The
Haunting
Caroline Green - author of Cracks and Dark Ride
Addy Farmer, who invited me to take part (and author of
amongst other things the heart warming Grandad's Bench)
Sharon Jones - author of Dead Jealous and lover of
poodles
Please check out their sites and responses to the Ten Big
Questions.
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