The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: All About My WIP

**Updated 1/2/2013**

I’ve been tagged by lovely authors Kate Meader, Marisa Cleveland, Liz Flaherty, and Melissa Hayden in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Thanks a bunch, ladies! 😀

Kate is the author of the Hot in the Kitchen foodie romance series. The first book in the series, Feel the Heat, will release in Spring 2013 from Grand Central’s Forever imprint.

Marisa is the author of the South Beach contemporary romance series, coming soon from Entangled Publishing.

Liz is  a multi-published romance author whose most recent novel, Jar of Dreams, releases in January 2013 from Carina Press.

Melissa is the amazing mind behind the fantastic book review blog, My World…in words and pages, and is working toward realizing her own dreams of publishing!

Make sure you check out their Next Big Thing posts as well and find out about their fabulous works in progress!

 

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?

My current WIP is Along Came a Spider, the third book in my Transplanted Tales Series. This one is scheduled for release in August 2013. Red (Transplanted Tales #1) came out in August 2012, and The Better to See You (Transplanted Tales #2) comes out February 7, 2013.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea for Red actually came to me during a conversation with my son. We like to have what we call “What if” conversations where he’ll ask me a question that’s totally out there and then we chat about it. The question that day: “What if fairytale characters were living next door to us?” We went on to discuss who it would be, what that Tale would do for a living, and so on. And as we chatted, I started to get a very clear picture in my head of a tough, hard-hitting version of Little Red Riding Hood — all grown up and ready to knock some heads. I practically ran to my computer to get it all down.

I fell in love with Seth Wolf while writing Red, so I knew his story had to come next. And there is a scene with Lavender Seelie (Cinderella’s fairy godmother) in the first book that made me realize she had a compelling story to tell and that she would be the perfect woman for Seth. They’re the MCs of The Better to See You.

The MCs in Along Came a Spider are Trish Muffet and Nicky “Little Boy” Blue. It’s tough to talk about Trish and Nicky’s story without letting some spoilers slip, but the idea of putting them together came to me when I was writing a scene they share in Red when Trish is flustered by Nicky’s attentions to her. There are some obvious obstacles to their coming together, but Nicky’s situation has changed dramatically by Book 3.

What genre does your book fall under?

The series is technically paranormal romance, but it definitely has a strong urban fantasy edge to it. Understandably, some readers have embraced it more as urban fantasy, which is totally fine with me! I just told the story that I wanted to tell in the way that it came to me.  I love that there’s some cross-over!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This is actually a tough one! With the first two books in the series, I had very definite ideas of who I’d want to play the characters — or at least had very specific physical models in mind. I haven’t really found actors that fit how I envision Nicky Blue and Trish Muffet. Probably the closest I’ve come on Trish is Sophia Myles. There are several actors who embody some of the features I picture for Nicky, but no one who I’ve seen and gone, “Oh my gawd — that’s him!” I guess the actor who comes to mind most often when I’m writing is Jensen Ackles.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Ah, hell — I don’t even have a blurb yet for this one! So let’s go with the teaser for the series (which is actually part of the blurb for The Better to See You):

“Once upon a time, a spell went awry and Make Believe characters were cast into the ordinary world. And the results aren’t always happily ever after…”

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

My series is published by Kensington under their eKensington imprint. And I’m represented by the absolutely amazing Nicole Resciniti with the Seymour Agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I usually write the first draft in about four months and then spend another month or two revising and editing. About six months total writing time.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Wow, that’s a tough one. I honestly haven’t read books that are similar to mine. That’s not to say they aren’t out there; I just try to avoid reading anything too similar to my projects while I’m writing them. I might have to let some of my readers answer this question! 😉

I can say that I always try to make sure there’s a balance of humor and drama in these novels so they don’t get too “heavy”.  My characters can be very snarky, and I certainly don’t shy away from “salty” language or the smexy stuff if/when the story calls for it. But Red and the subsequent books are a bit lighter and more tongue-in-cheek than some other PNR/UF novels. Along Came a Spider is definitely the darkest of the three, though.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I have two degrees in English Literature, so I was finally able to put it to use by drawing characters from the works of Jane Austen, Shakespeare, the Restoration playwrights, etc.

And, of course, I was also inspired by The Brothers Grimm and various cultures’ mythology and folklore.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I held a contest that gave readers the opportunity to help me name a character in Along Came a Spider. It was great fun to involve my readers in the actual writing of this story!

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

I tag the following fabulous writers:

1) Jen J. Danna – Forensic Crime Writer whose debut novel, Dead, Without a Stone to Tell It, is scheduled for release in May 2013.

2) Kait Ballenger – PNR author of the Execution Underground series, which debuts in September 2013.

3) Macy Beckett – contemporary romance author of the Sultry Springs series, which debuted earlier this fall with Sultry with a Twist

4) Lauren Layne – contemporary romance author whose novel, Accidentally in Love, will release in Spring 2013 from Grand Central Publishing.

5) Cecy Robson – Urban Fantasy romance writer whose Weird Girls series so far includes her novella, The Weird Girls, and the full-length novel, Sealed with a Curse. I don’t think Cecy officially blogs, but she visited my blog in November, if you want to stop by that post and find out more about Cecy and her novels. 🙂