The Next Big
Thing . . . we all like to think we will be.
I suppose there can only be so many Twilight’s
in a lifetime, but you never know . . . right?
We are blog hopping our way through some new reads. For those who aren’t familiar
with a blog hop . . . to me it’s kind of like a treasure hunt – once you find
something on one blog you hop on over to the next blog link for more treasure. In this case, the treasure is a wealth of new
and exciting books. Some are still being
written, some are just being released.
Either way, for fiction lovers . . . it’s a treasure and I’d like to
thank Lisa Vandiver for
tagging me to participate.
In this
particular hop I answer 10 questions . . . you get to learn about my current
WIP (work in progress), some of the characters I’ve come to think of as real,
and how I got to the point of being nuts enough to write down over 70 thousand
words worth of what the voices in my head have been whispering to me. When it’s all said & done . . . comments
and questions are always welcome.
Q & A
What is the working title of your
book? Lullaby,
it’s Book 1 in my Book of Dreams Series. Books 2 & 3 are tentatively: DreamWalker and Awakening.
Where did the idea come from for the book? I know it sounds a little
familiar, but I had this crazy dream.
Off and on for years I’ve written dreams down so I’d remember them, but
this one was different. I didn’t write
it down . . . at least, not right away.
It was persistent. It kept
replaying in my mind all day through work.
When I got home, it was still looping over & over. It demanded to be written down. Finally, after doing the typical mom stuff, I
sat down to write. Literally write, not
type. When I stopped (notice I don’t say
finished) I had over ten handwritten pages.
It was my “here’s your sign” moment.
After writing in some way for years, it was time to listen to the voices
and REALLY write.
What genre does your book fall
under? This is tough. I’ve had Beta Readers from the ages of 14 through 55 who have categorized it slightly differently. But they all keep
wanting the next chapters before I’m done writing, so I'll take that. My story covers a lot of territory. Let’s
try this: it’s a supernatural edge-of-your-seat, what’s gonna happen next story
with a decent dash of romance, a good bit of action and enough mystery to make
you want to keep reading. (I hope)
Which actors would you choose to play
your characters in a movie rendition? WOW
. . . that’s a tricky question and I won’t lie, I’ve thought of it many
times. Truth is, this story plays like a
movie in my head and I just write down what I see. I’d say this:
Halle – (An ordinary, slightly mature
for her age, 18 year old – on the outside. But she's far from ordinary . . . only
she doesn’t know it yet) Possible
actresses: This is a hard one . . . maybe Grace Phipps.
Aedan – (Alpha male type Guardian all
the way, has been all business for thousands of years, his hard shell of a
heart was untouchable, until now) Possible
actors: Ian Somerhalder or Tyler
Hoechlin.
Jenna – (Halle’s BFF since 7th
grade, a bit of a wild child exterior with a knack for talking Halle into things)
Possible actresses: Chloe Moretz, Juno Temple or AnnaSophia Robb.
Matt – (Poster boy-next-door type, loyal friend, closest thing to a brother
Halle’s ever had) Possible actors:
Honestly . . . I imagine my oldest son in this role, Patrick Curren O’Grady. He’s a pretty darned good actor. You never know.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your
book? I came up with two but this
one won out:
Halle
Michaels feels like she’s on the brink of insanity, but balancing on the edge
between insanity and reality is the one place where she will uncover more than
any sane mind would ever imagine - about herself, her family, and her entire
existence.
Will your book be self-published
or represented by an agency? I intend to shop for an agent and
see how that goes first, but I’m inpatient and will likely self pub if shopping takes too long. After all, if I have readers already, doesn’t that mean I shouldn't make them wait? lol
How long did it take you to write the
first draft of your manuscript? It
will have taken me just over 2 years when I’m done (within a few months), but I
took about 10 months off in the middle of writing for personal / family reasons
and I spent a few months on research.
What other books would you compare this
story to within your genre? I
honestly don’t know. I have avoided
reading books within the paranormal and supernatural genres while I have been
writing. I didn’t want any other
storylines mixing in my mind and intertwining with mine. I will say this . . . if you love paranormal/supernatural romances - I think you'll LOVE this series.
Who or What inspired you to write
this book? Hmmmm . . . I suppose my inspiration ultimately came from God
since this spouted from a dream that didn’t want to leave me be. Since then, inspiration to go on has come
from my Beta Readers. If they hadn’t
loved it so much . . . I probably would have moved on to another story.
What else about your book might
pique the reader’s interest?
~Halle~
For as long
as I can remember, the voices have haunted me. They used to be faint and encouraging . . . recently,
not so much. And my dreams . . . don't
even get me started on the dreams. It
seems that my reality isn’t so realistic anymore. The question is, am I going mad or is someone
– or something – trying to get my attention?
~Aedan~
I am a
Guardian and a Warrior of the Highest Realm . . . sworn to protect. I allow nothing to interfere with duty. Guarding Halle Michaels will be no exception. Many of my kind would say that you have to
feel in order to effectively protect. I
disagree. Emotions are for the weak and
I refuse to ever be weak again.
Normal is overrated.
Halle
Michaels is on the brink of insanity, at least that what she thinks. Each dream she awakens from is one step closer
to the last ounce of normalcy she knows slowly seeping from her life. But the edge of reality is the one place where
she will uncover more than any sane mind would ever imagine - about herself,
her family, and her entire existence. Her
world becomes a journey through discoveries and deceit, her past and a future
no typical mortal could face, forbidden romance and the true meaning of
selfless love. Just when she thinks her
sanity is lost - along with any hope of a normal life - she discovers she was
never meant to be normal.
She was born
to be so much more.
List of my tagged blog hop buds
for next week. Check out their blogs next Wednesday to read about their WIPs and New Releases:
Krissy Clowe
For those who haven’t heard me go on and on over on Facebook . . . and Twitter . . . and my Facebook Author page, ok, you get my point. I’ve gone on and on. But for those who haven’t heard it yet, Lullaby is currently in the running for the SoYou Think You Can Write competition being sponsored by Mills & Boon and Harlequin. 
For as long
as I can remember, the voices have haunted me. They used to be faint and encouraging . . . recently,
not so much. And my dreams . . . don't
even get me started on the dreams. It
seems that my reality isn’t so realistic anymore. The question is, am I going mad or is someone
– or something – trying to get my attention? 
I am a
Guardian and a Warrior of the Highest Realm . . . sworn to protect. I allow nothing to interfere with duty. Guarding Halle Michaels will be no exception. Many of my kind would say that you have to
feel in order to effectively protect. I
disagree. Emotions are for the weak and
I refuse to ever be weak again.
