I’m in “Trying to Write while Life Happens” mode, so I haven’t posted in a long while. Maybe it’s because I need to exercise, but a game of tag sounded fun when I heard about the ten interview questions for The Next Big Thing. Here’s how the game works: I answer ten questions about my work in progress (WIP) and then give you links to other authors and their answers about their WIP’s.
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book?
Dictator of Disaster (I’m positive that won’t change. I really like it.)
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Dictator of Disaster is Book 3 in a four book series, following Master of Emotion (Book 1) and Supreme Chancellor of Stupidity (Book 2). The idea for the series came from my teenage daughters. They were complaining about Bella (Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series) and I asked them what they would want in a book or main character. They wanted an adventure/romance from a guy’s point of view, without any whiny women. “Oh,” a daughter added. “He needs to have some cool power … and be sensitive at the same time.” So my mind started churning, and five months later I’d written my first novel.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult Paranormal Romance – Although it’s set in the real world, the main character is trying to cope with an extra-sensory ability.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I’d want to find a young Enrique Iglesias to play Jonas –
… playing alongside Victoria Justice as Gabriela –
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Sorry – I still need two sentences, and even those two sentences still need work:
Touch can be a sensitive tool or a lethal weapon. JONAS, a sensory enhanced kid with anger issues, tries to save his kidnapped sister by himself, rather than relying on the twins and the others like them.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published. I’m loving the whole indie publishing thing which is leaps and bounds better than getting query rejection letters. It’s so much fun!
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
I’ve been writing this manuscript while self-publishing my other three, so it’s taking me too long. But here’s a glimpse at my first chapter (The whole first chapter is available at the end of Book 2: Supreme Chancellor of Stupidity):
I shook my head as I watched him go. He was such an idiot—suggesting a truce. And what was that insanity about shocking a tree? It wouldn’t work, and knowing Bryce, he probably knew something I didn’t. Maybe the shock would reflect off the tree and jump back to jolt me. Then he could get even without touching me.
That thought made me more curious, so I ducked under a branch of the mulberry tree and laid my hand against the rough bark of the trunk. I paused, wondering if Bryce was looking out the window, ready to laugh at me; but I decided he wasn’t smart enough to plan that kind of revenge. Maybe I’d try his suggestion so I could tell him, again, that his idea was stupid. But just in case, I sent only a tiny shock into the tree.
No ricochet. No jolt back to me. And although I didn’t feel the same surge of adrenalin as when I shocked a human, still, it felt good to drain a tiny bit of my pent-up energy. So I tried it again, sending the tree a stronger mental blow. The release of energy was much slower than if I’d had my hand on Bryce’s arm. It felt like pushing my power through thick tar.
Eager to release more energy, I gripped the trunk of the tree with both hands and laid my forehead against the coarse bark. I closed my eyes and concentrated with all my might on drawing memories of physical violence from all over my body. My hands shook from the effort by the time I discharged the most massive strike I had ever released.
I heard her voice and felt her hand on my arm a millisecond too late. “Jo—” But I didn’t understand the odd gurgling sound or the thud to the ground until I opened my eyes and saw a thin, pale hand lying in the dirt at my feet.
My sister’s hand.
I hadn’t heard Alia approach.
I spun around, throwing myself on the ground next to her. She lay in the dirt with her eyes closed and her normally fair skin ashen. Something was very wrong. She was too still.
I shook her thin shoulders. “Alia?”
No answer. No movement. Then I realized—no breathing.
My sister wasn’t breathing.
I shook her again harder.
Nothing.
“NO!” I punched the ground. She couldn’t be hurt. Not Alia.
I rolled her onto her back and laid my hand on her chest, hoping to feel her ribcage rise. Her head lolled helplessly to the side.
Nothing.
I dug my fingers into the soft, hollow space between her windpipe and her neck muscle and searched for a pulse.
Nothing.
My shock had stopped her heart.
I had killed her.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Good question. Normal kids, normal setting, unusual abilities. Any suggestions? Please reply and tell me.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My oldest daughter called one day, asking for help with her “bucket list.” She’d been to a class that suggested they decide what they want to accomplish in life and then spend a few minutes each week toward that goal. She wanted to write a book. After talking with her, I realized I wanted to write a book too. Thanks, Auj.
What else about your book might piqué the reader’s interest?
Each of the books in the series is from a different male character’s point of view.
Master of Emotion is from Beau’s POV:
When a reclusive teen with the enhanced ability to read others’ emotions finds more teens with similar powers, he must confront his fears before a budding romance and his twin brother’s life fall into the hands of the devious doctor who created them all.
Supreme Chancellor of Stupidity (Book 2) is from Bryce’s POV:
With the threat of the demented doctor still looming, BRYCE, Beau’s twin, enlists a fake girlfriend to learn how to control his habit of touching everyone to read their thoughts in order to win the trust and affection of the girl he loves.
Dictator of Disaster (Book 3) is from Jonas’ (Bryce’s nemesis) POV:
Touch can be a sensitive tool or a lethal weapon. JONAS, a sensory enhanced kid with anger issues, tries to save his kidnapped sister by himself, rather than relying on the twins and the others like them.
Servant of Sense (Book 4) is from Sam’s POV:
Enhanced taste buds hardly qualifies as a super-power. But that’s all that SAM has to work with. He must face his insecurities and use his very normal, but nerdy, brain power to rescue his friends and capture the evil doctor.
I was tagged by Tamara Heiner at http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/ . Thanks, Tamara! Go read about her Next Best Thing.
Then, I’ll have some friends posting about their Next Best Thing on Halloween Day! Stay tuned. If this sounds fun and you want to be tagged here, then answer these questions and send me your blog address.
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? May we see an intro?
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 piqué the reader’s interest?
Include the link of who tagged you and the people you have tagged.
I’m having fun! Are you? So … Tag, you’re it.
D. Ogden Huff
I love this meme and learning about peoples’ WIPs. Nice!
I’d compare your books with Orson Scott Card’s
Ender series. I’ve read the published ones and enjoyed them.
Here are the links to the reviews I’ve written about them:
http://margaretlarsen.com/?p=2660
and http://margaretlarsen.com/?p=2539
I love your characters and style of writing.