The Next Big Thing

(Yes, this is an Emergency Post, because I posted on a Wednesday. Crud.)

The wonderful Debra McKellan tagged me in this, so here I go :) Thank you! Now go visit her blog :)

1- What is the working title of your book?

Pure Sea, Grey Waves for my YA Fantasy (This took FOREVER to come up with.)
Saving Penelope for my Adult Contemporary, but this post will concentrate on the above book :)


2- Where did the idea come from for the book?

Oh gosh, this is a long story, but I'll cut it short for you. First of all, I'm a painter, and a few years ago I painted a scene with a golfer golfing in space. Well, that scene (literally) became the start of my novel, and then, I either had a dream or a daydream (I can't remember) of a big beast floating around in space. The original golfer idea was cut out entirely, but that gave birth to the idea of an underwater world on a different planet.


3- What genre does your book fall under?
YA Fantasy :)

4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Well... they are a species of underwater creatures... so, maybe Ariel? Ursula? I'm thinking Jaws, that might be a good one, or maybe Nemo. Any other ideas? (Ignoring the fact that my creatures kind of look like humans, hehe.)

5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

AHHH!!! NO! I REFUSE! Fine, here it is (my Twitter pitch. I have NaNo to do, I don't want to go crazy honing a one-sentence full pitch).

In an underwater city where prejudicial law tears Alphi and her only friend apart, she turns her wand against the royal tyrants -- her own family.

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

Hopefully, I will get agented. I don't have the skills to tackle self-publishing (I'm at a loss on how authors do it. I have tons of respect for them).

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

Two years :) Yup. However, right now, I'm doing a full rewrite on it.

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

Oh gosh, I really don't know. Maybe in terms of character arc, A Tale of Two Cities? (ONLY in terms of character arc. I am nowhere near as good as Dickens.) If you know a story with an underwater world, please tell me, because I need comp titles for my query :)

9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?

JK Rowling kind of gave me the desire to write for publishing (I had been writing a LOT before I read Harry Potter). However, the actual material in this book is inspired by my inspirations (see Question 2) and my own life experiences. Writing this book was sort of like therapy for me (and still is). However, I might not have chosen magic if not for Harry Potter. I love magic.

10- What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I think that one of the biggest compliments I could ever get about this book is that it made someone cry. Pure Sea, Grey Waves is all about redemption, pain, and breaking through it all. It's about hope. If this book lingers in someone's mind at night, I would be very happy.

Oh, and the book is magical. And underwater.

Tagged for next week (Week 24) are other awesome people/writers. Check out their blogs next Wednesday when THEY have to answer these questions.

(I'm a little late to The Next Big Thing, and although I tried to find people who haven't been tagged, I apologize if you've already done this before. Sorry! :D)

Kela McClelland
Brighton Luke
Utsav Mukerjee
E.B. Black
Kendra Conine
Morgan Shamy

Thanks again, Debra, for tagging me in this!