Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Next Big Thing Q&A

I've just been tagged by a very lovely and talented pair of writers, Jaclyn Aurore and Julie Rainey in the Next Big Thing Blog Chain Whatsit. (I believe that's the full name, though I could be mistaken).

Apparently, we each answer the same ten questions or something, and then choose five more people to carry this on, until no one's left standing. It's basically Highlander, I think.

Anyways, here are the ten questions:

1. What is the working title of your book?
Try Not to Burn.

2. Where did the idea for the book come from?
I originally wrote a short story just out of high school, about a man who wakes up in purgatory, and meets up with a group of other people who died before asking forgiveness for their sins. I later took that story and wrote a pair of novels out of it, the first of which has just been published.
I've always loved horror stories, and there aren't too many things that scare people more than death, and what might be awaiting them if they mess up in life and go to the wrong corner of the afterlife. 
 
3. What genre does it fall under?
It's a mixture of horror, suspense, and sci-fi. It's not exactly a romance (the sequel starts to kick it up a notch, though), but there is a bit of a love triangle aspect thrown into the mix. 
 
4. What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Brandon Morales: Edgar Ramirez from Domino.  
Samantha Reiss, a natural beauty with a mean streak and a ponytail: Evangeline Lilly from Lost. 
Jane Calrin: I just saw Dredd last night, and Olivia Thirlby looks quite a bit like what I imagined when I wrote the character, even down to the haircut, although Jane's a redhead. 
 
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A horror novel set in purgatory, about three lost souls struggling towards redemption. 
 
6. Will your book be self-published or be represented by an agency?
It was published by Post Mortem Press, a small independent publisher from Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Two or three months, I think, though this was a number of years ago. I've done a few other drafts since then, all of which took a ton of time themselves. The first draft was when I was just getting started writing, so it was pretty rough. 
 
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The Divine Comedy or Paradise Lost would probably be the closest I could think of, though the Bible--I think it was self-published a while back--is also a pretty big influence. My publisher has called my book “The Hunger Games in Hell,” though that book's still on my “to read” list. And by that, I mean I'll probably catch the movie at some point and tell people I read the book. 
 
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Depending on what you believe in, it was either me or God. I'm still not quite sure myself, sometimes.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
It's funny, it's heartfelt, and it asks serious questions about life and death. Does everyone deserve forgiveness? Would God condemn a good man to suffer for all eternity, or is there another reason why Brand was sent to this place? And if you're like Sam, and you've given up all hope of redemption and accepted your fate, can you ever start believing again?
Is it too late for some of us, or is there hope for us all?


And now, the next links in the chain:

I'll be honest, I'm not much of a stickler for rules, so this might end up being more of a blog loop than a blog chain.




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