(Quotes, Questions, and the Quadratic Formula)
After a little bit of a break, I’m back. (It wasn’t really a break, cause I worked a lot to make some changes around here! Look around a little.)
I missed you.
Who knew the lady with attachment issues could get so attached to people who read her blog! I can’t promise that I’ll write every day. Life. But I’ll try to keep some kind of a schedule.
To start things off, I’m going to answer a “Tag, You’re It!” post given to me by my writer buddy Sara Marie Allen. (Check out her blog!)
I think this is supposed to be about my work in progress, but since my first book ever is about to come out (just a few weeks now!!!!), I decided to answer the questions according to Through the Balustrade.
What is the working title of your next book?
Through the Balustrade
Where did the idea come from for the book? I started writing Through the Balustrade after a very difficult time in my life. It started out as a treatise on how trust works and ended up being more about self-discovery and love-discovery. Stories really do take on their own life once they get started, and the story of Roxan, Abiga, and Jonas took off to be their story of coming to terms with who they are, who they want to be, and who they were never really meant to be.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult science fiction, but it’s more about people and what makes them tick than futuristic gadgets and super-charged power sources.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
For Roxan I would have to choose Anne Hathaway. She has that wide-eyed-look-at-the-world thing going, but she can also be tough and talk fast.
For Abiga, I would pick Hayden Panettiere. Ever since she was that immortal cheerleader in Heroes, I’ve thought she’d make a good action star. And Abiga’s all about the fight.
For Jonas, I would choose Joseph Gordan Levitt. He’s got just the right mixture of handsome, brains, and underdog.
I could go on… Whitlock, Altrist, Thim, but I’ll stick with the POV characters.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A perfect world filled with freedom and fresh air finds Roxan 143B7 longing for just one answer…to know what’s wrong with her.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Through the Balustrade is being published by Taberah Press.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? Hmmmm….that’s really hard to say. From start to the end of the first draft was several years. I had started the novel, but it wasn’t until it placed in a contest that I decided to finish it, so glad I did!
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Well, I wanted to write it like Uglies with that easy to read and relate to feel even though the setting is not normal at all. It’s a dystopian tale, and similar to Hunger Games in that regard. But it has a little bit of Ted Dekker’s Blessed Child to it. Just a little. (That’s not in the same genre, but it’s a very good book. Thank you, Niki.)
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Life inspired this book. Not being perfect inspired it. Trusting the wrong people, and having no clue about purpose, and watching my two teenage daughters navigate this crazy world.
If you want to know who helped me finish this book, then the number one answer there is my husband. He’s pushed me, encouraged me, and given me room to figure stuff out, and he’s loved me through a lot. There would be no Through the Balustrade without him.
Michelle Medlock Adams and Vonda Skelton and many, many teachers at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference also guided me along some rough waters to finish.
What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
It’s a book for all ages, even though it’s being marketed as a young adult novel. It deals with parts of life we can all relate to, and questions of faith that cripple most people at one time or another.
It has action and fighting in it, cause I’m an action-adventure lover, and it has a subtle love story to it.
So VERY excited for you, friend!
Much love being sent your way right now!
Thank you! I’m excited that you’re excited. Thanks for cheering for me!
So very proud of you and for you! I always knew you were extremely creative, but was not aware your writing ability extended to the realm of novel author. Congratulations! (Can’t wait to get it for my Kindle.)
Thanks Becky! I sure miss all you folks.