The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I got tagged by Van Allen Plexico for this, and it seems like a good idea.  Here are The Rules.

Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog.  Tag five writers/bloggers and add links to their pages so we can hop along to them next.

I'll tag:  Rachel Hunter, Bobby Nash, James Tuck, Derrick Ferguson, and John Hartness.

Okay -- here we go:

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
What is the working title of your book?

Drought -- A Love Story

Where did the idea come from for the book?

From a dream, actually. That usually doesn't happen with me. I have no idea what precipitated that dream though. (Did you see what I did there? "Precipitated.")

What genre does your book fall under?

It'll be a genre I really haven't worked in yet, Young Adult Urban Fantasy.

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

Wow. Normally this is a fun question, but I don't know a lot of teen actors, so I'm kind of at a loss here. But in the interest of completing this questionnaire, I did some research, and the two main characters, Sam Evans and Rayna Doe, would be good fits for RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad and Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Once every 100 years, Rain and the other elements of nature, are allowed to become human in order to appreciate the  people and creatures they protect or destroy; this time, Rain disappears, only to fall in love with a human boy.

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

Neither actually. I will take it to a reputable publisher, but I don't have one associated yet. This will be the first time in many years that I write a story without a publisher already lined up, in order to pitch the book around to publishers and agents.

Mock up cover to keep me inspired.
Not actual cover image.

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

I'm still working on it. I hope to be finished by early in 2013, providing the Mayans don't destroy the world first.

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

In tone, it's going to have a lot in common with Gaiman's Mirror Mask and American Gods, but filtered through a YA lens. In audience and plot, I expect to hear more comparisons to the Percy Jackson books, since it's about kids thrust into a supernatural world and forced to rise to the occasion to become heroes.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Two things really. One, the dream I mentioned earlier. And two, the need to write a longer form work (usually I do stories and novellas or graphic novels) that I might have some luck with at a larger publishing house.

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

I'm not a big fan of truly happy endings, and I believe we learn more through bittersweet resolutions. So if you're tired of seeing all the ribbons wrapped into bright shiny bows at the end of your YA stories, you might really dig Drought.