Monday, November 26, 2012

The Next Big Thing -- Learn What I'm Working on Now

The charming and generous Donis Casey tagged me for this Next Big Thing blog chain. Donis is not only a talented historical mystery author, whose Alafair Tucker mystery series has achieved well-deserved success, she’s a sweet person who posted her own Next Big Thing last week that I'm sure you'll enjoy reading. You'll find that link further down.

At the end of this blog, I’ll also tag other writers who will tell you about their Next Big Thing next week, or at some subsequent date. Each of us will answer the same ten questions about our upcoming books. 

Here are those questions:

1. What is your working title of your book?:

The working title for my current WIP, which I’m pretty sold on as the permanent title, is WHERE THE ROCKS BLEED RED.

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

I credit the breathtaking red rocks of Sedona, Arizona for my inspiration, and the history I’ve learned about the original, prehistoric peoples who regarded this land that I cherish as sacred. WHERE THE ROCKS BLEED RED is a contemporary story, but it has deep roots in the past, in some cases, roots that go all the way back to the early peoples who lived on this land. 



3. What genre does your book fall under?

It’s a thriller with supernatural overtones.
 

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

Hmmm…. I would cast Cote de Pablo from the NCIS TV show as my protagonist, Colt Tanner, and Brad Pitt as Erik Wolf, her love interest. Or someone equally cute for Erik, and perhaps a bit brooding. Colt needs to be a woman who is on the small side, with darkish coloring, and who gives off a great feeling of individuality and strength, albeit with a reckless streak.


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

When a desperate daughter takes an unconventional path to keep her vegetative father alive, she unearths a secret that could prove deadly to her and others, which demonstrates that the roots of greed ripple through every culture and that secrets corrupt even after generations.


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

I’m a traditionally published author, and I intend to remain so. I have not tried to sell WHERE THE ROCKS BLEED RED yet.


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

It’s hard to say precisely. I write two mystery series, my Tracy Eaton mysteries and my Samantha Brennan & Annabelle Haggerty magical mysteries. WHERE THE ROCKS BLEED RED was my back-burner book for a long time, but now, as I’m entering into the final draft, it’s demanding to be front and center in my focus. I would estimate I’ve invested eight to ten months writing and researching the earlier version, spread out over several years.


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

It follows in the tradition of the late Tony Hillerman and Margaret Coel, but it employs more of a thriller pace than mystery, with a thriller’s greater sense of danger.


9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

It may sound awfully woo-woo, but the red rock energy of Sedona really did inspire me. While sitting on rock off a hiking trail one day the basic premise and the major characters just came to me. I should also credit my husband Joe for encouraging me to write it. Because the storyline and the characters just walked into my mind, it almost seemed too easy — I’m used to struggling with story setup! But Joe felt it had such a strong premise, it deserved to see print.


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

The Native American history and perspective should interest some readers. I also wanted to address the question of when is a person still alive and when should we let them go; basically, when does the body just become a shell — some people should find that intriguing. Lastly, I suspect lots of readers will vicariously enjoy the idea of rushing off somewhere and reinventing your life. I’ve enjoyed experiencing that along with the character!


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

Here’s Donis Casey’s Next Big Thing blog:


And here are the people I’m tagging:

Kate Wyland is the author of Wyoming Escape, a Triple H Ranch mystery:

Lori Hines, paranormal mystery author: http://lhauthor.wordpress.com/

Linda S. Reilly, author of Some Enchanted Murder, will be guest-blogging here on my blog next Monday, December 3: 
--> http://krisneri.blogspot.com/

Sally Carpenter, author of the Eureka! Award-nominated mystery The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper," who will blog on December 12 at: http://otpblog.blogspot.com.

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