The Next Big Thing

I was tagged by Dawn Colclasure. After you check out my next big thing, go check out her Next Big Thing!

The rules of the blog hop are simple: Answer ten questions about your WIP (Work in Progress) and tag five more writers/bloggers to do the same. A chain of links will lead you, dear reader, to a forest of wonderful writers all busy creating new books just for you… or so I'm told. So here's my contribution to the chain.

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What is the working title of your book?

Rehearsal: Of Chaotic Currents

Where did the idea come from for your book?

This is book 3 of a 6 book series (originally meant as a 4 book series but it has grown!). The idea came way back when I was a pre-teen following my favorite band of the moment. I’m a curious sort, and so I always wondered what their lives were like behind the music, behind the fame. As a kid in the middle of the Midwest and all of its glorious cornfields, I had to use my imagination. The basic story and main characters were created them. Over time, I did plenty of research into music background stuff. Of course, I’ve never actually toured with a band, so I’m not claiming every detail is true, but it’s as close as I can possibly make it (unless a touring band out there wants to invite me and hubby along). It is fiction and imagination, but with many true things thrown in.

What genre does your book fall under?

No neat “market” genre. It’s what I call Literary Romance, a mix of the two genres, as is most of my work.

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

That’s a tough one. Susie is very slight and 5’2”. She’s half Irish descendent and half Native American, with blue eyes, pale skin, and very dark straight hair. Evan is powerfully built, a football type, of Irish-English descent, short brown hair, brilliant brown eyes, 5’10”. Duncan is smaller at 5’9” but muscular, Scottish (accent and all), dark brown hair slightly wavy when it’s wet, blue eyes, with model looks.

Then we have Stu the keyboardist who has a slight build, medium brown hair and a humorous laid-back slightly raunchy attitude; Mike the lead singer with an average build and dark blonde longish hair and a bit of a chip on his shoulder; Doug the drummer with light brown hair and better than average build, along with a gentle grounded nature; Kate who is fiery and independent, a small-time model by trade, with wavy brunette locks; and Alison, the all-American girl who fights a few extra pounds and works in her family’s restaurant while studying to be a teacher.

I’m not horribly familiar with actors, not enough to find ones who match, but I’d love to hear reader suggestions for matches!

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Raucous surges its way up the musical ladder and abroad, until a detour reroutes their path and threatens the band’s livelihood.  (Just created it: how does it sound?)

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

All of my books are self-published. I studied the market well before I started and their way of publishing doesn’t work for me. No offense to the industry or industry authors, only a personal thing. I have no plans to try for a contract or an agent, although I suppose if I were offered a big advance, I could consider that direction. Depending on terms.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your book?

That’s hard to say exactly. Way back in 1996, I started writing this story on paper with pencil in scenes here and there as they came to me. I will say the 2nd of the series came out in 2008 and I’ve worked on it off and on since then but I’ve also published three other books since then. Also, what will be book 4 was originally part of this one. It got too long, so I recently separated it.

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

Also hard to say, since I don’t know of other books called Literary Romance, but I do know of other authors who write about music/bands, sometimes with romance thrown in: Jessica Bell (also a musician), Susan Gottfried, Michael Scott Miller..
 
Who or what inspired you to write this book?

That was answered above. It was basically my love of music and curiosity about the inner workings of people and relationships.

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

Basically, this is a series that revolves around a rock band in the 70s (and a bit beyond) that is also an in-depth relationship study, to include not only love relationships but also friendship and family, with cultural/societal backgrounds plus plenty of mentions of the major bands and singers of the era.

My characters are very in-depth. You will feel like you truly know them and what drives them to the extent you could guess what they would do in any given circumstance. Chances are very good you might fall in love with at least one of them.

Note: The first two books of the series will be re-published to match the covers of the rest of the series. Cover reveal to come soon! Stay tuned (pun intended).

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Blogs I’m tagging:

Firefly’s Locket
Malla Duncan
Amanda Borenstadt
E.A. Irwin
Thomas Wilson

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