Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Next Big Thing

Last week, talented author Suzanne Tyrpak (who I will always admire not only for her talent, but because of my jealousy of her friendship with equally talented Blake Crouch) tagged me in her "The Next Best Thing" blog post.  I feel like I've just boarded a train with friends that never stops...so let's see if we can keep it chugging right along, shall we? 

For my part, I will be answering a series of questions and then tagging five other authors to do the same one week from today. 

Here we go...(I keep wanting to say "choo-choo," but that would be entirely childish of me)

1) What is the title of your next book?

I've just released a new book, called Stranger in Town, and I'd rather discuss Stranger over what I am currently working on, since I've got at least three irons in the fire right now.  How's that for rebelliousness? ;)



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

I knew this question would come sooner or later, so why not sooner? 

When I was a girl, about the age of sweet Olivia, the girl in my story, I had a frightening experience that could have ended much worse than it did.  In my story, I took Olivia and put her in the same situation, except I changed the outcome.  I am all about the "what if's" of life, and this seemed like a good opportunity to draw on the fear I still feel when I recall the experience today.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Mystery, suspense, thriller, romantic suspense...shall I go on?

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I am never able to answer this question.  No matter what I say, the actor is never quite right.  Therefore, I cannot answer this.  Sorry!

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

One sentence will not suffice.  So here's a few.

Six-year-old Olivia Hathaway tiptoes down the center aisle of Maybelle's Market, stopping once to glance over her shoulder and make sure her mother isn't watching. But Mrs. Hathaway is too preoccupied to notice her daughter has slipped away. Moments later, a frantic Mrs. Hathaway runs up and down the aisles, desperately searching for her missing daughter. But little Olivia is already in the arms of a stranger.

Makes you want to go back and read how I answered question two, doesn't it? 

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

I am represented by Pixie Publishing, but I own the rights to my books.   

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

Four months from the first line to the publish date.  Dilly-dallying does not exist in this dojo.

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

Truthfully, I don't know.  I haven't ever read anything that reminds me of my story to any great degree.  Maybe a really, and I mean really, loose version of Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark.  But, I only started that book and never got around to finishing it, so...

As a side note, I love Mary Higgins Clark with a capital L.  I never finished it because life got in the way, and by then, I'd forgotten a lot of what I'd already read and had moved on to about three other novels.

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

I believe I answered this in #2, but I will add to it.  I wanted to take my main protagonist, private investigtor Sloane Monroe, and throw her into a case that's very different from what she's used to.  I also wanted to get her the hell out of Utah and felt introducing her to the dashing Cade McCoy was an excellent idea, since he will be having his own series ***spoiler alert***.

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

The ending isn't common.  The reader will NEVER guess until I point them in the right direction when I'm ready.  And readers love that.  I like taking a plausible, realistic situation and then turning the tables.  If I can find a way to spin a story so what the reader thinks is going to happen ends up being completely different than what they've assumed (because readers love to see if they can figure out the ending before it comes), I've done my job. 

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And now to throw five more irons into the fire...sorry gals, but you've been tagged.  What are friends for?  Look for me to link their posts from here next Wednesday...and may none of them be too angry with me over this.  It is, after all, holiday time.

Christine DeMaio-Rice

Julia Crane

JCarson Black

Carol Davis Luce

Elle Chardou

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