You may have heard about the latest blog trend where authors “tag” each other and have them write about themselves and their work. It is kind of a way to help readers get to know authors.
Well, fellow author Rob Watts tagged me for The Next Big Thing. I accepted his tag and here I go with the questions:
1) What is the title of your next book/work?
I am currently working on the sequel to my first book, “The Dark Proposal” and it looks like I’ll be calling it “Blood Ties”.
2) Where did the idea come from for the book/work?
I knew I wanted to write a trilogy when I came up with the idea for my first book. I had two ideas for a vampire story and I figured it would be best to combine the two. “Blood Ties” will essentially be about how Claire McCormick adjusts to being a vampire while trying to maintain her humanity. She has to choose to be loyal to her fellow vampires – remember she never really wanted to be one – or be loyal to humanity. Life is getting tougher for vampires and she has to decide who’s side she is on.
3) What genre does your book/work fall under?
My book is an Urban Fantasy.
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Good question because I usually envision actors playing my characters if they ever came to the big screen. Maybe for the role of Daniel, I would choose Tom Weston-Jones who is on the BBC America show Copper. He looks similar to the way I described Daniel, he is about the age Daniel turned into a vampire, and I think he can play the conniving, cold character my antagonist is.
As for Claire, there are some actresses I think fit her physically, but I do not know if they can pull off her personality.
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young woman is forced by her vampire boyfriend to choose eternity, or death to those she loves.
6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’ll be honest. Although I self-published my first book, I’m looking for a small publishing house for the sequel. This is because self-publishing is very time consuming, which is tough when you have a full time job (I didn’t have one when I released “The Dark Proposal”). So to save time and energy, I hope to find a publisher to release my books.
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
About five months. I tend to edit as I write, so I would say I came to the finishing line of my novel in five months. After that, I did more editing before turning it over to a freelance editor.
8)What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Hard to say because Urban Fantasy books tend to be more romance focused with the vampires as good beings who are unhappy with what they are. Mine is the total opposite of that.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Firstly, I always wanted to write a vampire novel because they are fascinating beings. I was inspired to write this story while watching True Blood last year and I used to fantasize about a sexy vampire coming into my life. But then I realized vampires are evil beings, so from there I wrote about the dilemma and trauma of a young woman discovering her boyfriend is a vampire.
Secondly, I’ve always wondered why vampires seem to elude investigators and hunters despite all the technology out there. It is much easier to track down criminals then compared to 20 years ago, so if vampires existed, wouldn’t they be more easily caught? I would think a vampire would be baffled with the way human technology has evolved, and might feel threatened by it.
10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
It’s quick, gets straight to the point. No over descriptions, and I made sure every scene and every word counted.
Again, thanks to Rob Watts for tagging me!
Now its my turn: Lauren Blakely has a New Adult novel coming out next month, so I thought she would be a good choice. Here’s a link to her blog: http://laurenblakelybooks.blogspot.com/
Tag, Lauren!
Megan Cashman 