It's time for another entry for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh. You can view the other participants here.
The Next Big Thing meme has been
going around the blogs, and it got me thinking, “Don’t we all wish our novel
would be the ‘Next Big Thing’?” I admit that I do. I imagine my novels on the
big screen or seeing them at Walmart. Having lines of people awaiting the
sequel. Wouldn’t it be cool to be the next Stephen King or JK Rowling?
It never hurts to dream, although I
think often the “Next Big Thing” comes with a healthy dose of luck with a dash
of good storytelling.
And since I was tagged by Jamie BMusings, Hart Johnson,
and LG Keltner, I’ve decided to answer the
questions on the book that I would choose to be the “Next Big Thing.”
What
is the working title of your book?
The
Phoenix Prophetess
Where
did the idea come from for the book?
A Harry Potter role-playing game. I
had this character named Clarissa Black, who was a seer. The idea behind her
being a seer involved her being dead at birth but the god Apollo looking
favorably upon her and her father and bringing her back to life with the gift
of prophecy. I basically kept the idea of Clarissa’s birth and re-birth and ran
with it for Yssa in The Phoenix
Prophetess.
What
genre does your book fall under?
YA Epic Fantasy
Which
actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Personally, I would love for some
unknowns to play the three main roles of Yssa, Liam, and Tym. I see Zendal as Simon
Baker, and I think Charlize Theron with dark hair would play a spectacular
Queen Amanra.
What
is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A seventeen-year-old prophetess,
Yssa dares to change Fate to save the people she loves.
How
long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Nine months. I started on January
15, 2009 and finished the last chapter on September 15, 2009. It was my very
first novel, so I took it slow and averaged a chapter a week.
Will
your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m not sure. I’m rewriting The Phoenix Prophetess in November for
NaNoWriMo. Then, I plan to use January-March to get a final draft. I might try some
publishers first, but I don’t mind the idea at all of self-pubbing it. At this
time, I can’t really see querying agents for it.
What
other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Oh, I’m terrible comparing it to
other books. I’ve been told the style is a bit like Tamora Pierce or Robin McKinley's novels.
Who
or What inspired you to write this book?
Two people: my sister Kara and my
critique partner Christine Rains. I sent them chapter by chapter to get their
feedback. If they hadn’t kept pushing me, I don’t know if I ever would’ve
finished it.
What
else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I do use some fantasy clichés in the
book, so you’ll just have to deal with it, but The Phoenix Prophetess does have a complex plot. Nothing is quite
what it seems to be. For people who like mythology, they would really enjoy The Phoenix Prophetess because I use
various mythologies to create my world and characters. For example, the god
Apenth is a combination of Apollo
(Greek), Enki (Sumerian), and Thoth (Egyptian). And the world is like an alternate dimension of Ancient Rome.
Feel free to consider yourself
tagged if you want.
Do
you sometimes daydream that your book will be the “Next Big Thing”?
27 comments:
Sounds cool. Have fun with the rewrites next month.
Never thought of my books being the next big thing. Next big movie, maybe...
And your interview is live at the A to Z Blog!
Yes, I often dream that my book will be the next big thing lol! That's normal, right? :D
To become The Next Big Thing would be awesome. It's nice to dream big.
I really like the premise of your book and your answers in the meme. How great it must be to have a CP like Christine to push you on and encourage you, I think she's amazing!
Sounds pretty epic, Cherie. And you had me hooked at, "A Harry Potter role-playing game." inspired it. :-D
I'm not sure I care about being the next big thing so much as I care about just being A thing. lol
The Phoenix Prophetess sounds like it will be an interesting read. Have fun putting it together next month.
The Phoenix Prophetess sounds excellent! Love your one-sentence synopsis. :)
"deal with it." I love it!! I recently did a post on cliche conundrums, and I say do what feels right for the story. General readers don't care about cliches, it's all the writers and agents. lol
It sounds like an interesting world.
I do occasionally have that fantasy. And then I realize I probably wouldn't enjoy that very much. And then I fantasize about it again...
Love your MC's backstory. The novel sounds fantastic.
Yay for you writing an epic fantasy. Wow! That's so ... epic. I stick to YA because it's shorter and I'm lazy! lol
There's nothing wrong with a good old fashioned daydream of being the next big thing.
I say you've gotta dream--anything strove for begins with a dream and the success comes in trying. An appearance on a best seller list would be fantastic, but just making some money off of my efforts would be fine.
Lee
Tossing It Out
I daydream a lot that my stories will be the next big thing. I'd be the new and female Stephen King! As you said, it never hurts to dream. :) And I'm very glad to have helped push you to writing TPP. It's a fabulous story! Heh, funny how some of the greatest characters have come from HP RPGs. ;)
Tamora Pierce and Robin Mckinley... that sounds wonderful!
Allison (Geek Banter)
I'd be lying if I said I never dreamed about my book making it big. Although, I have resigned myself to just getting it out there to begin with. I am enjoying having my story be told and soon to be shared with everyone else.
And I love Robin McKinley! I'll have to read this series for sure. :D
I agree with Kyra...I daydream about I'm writing a book and it becomes the Next Big Thing in the blogosphere. I highly doubt it'll happen since I don't write novels.
We can always dream big and if someone else can make their big dream come true, they can be living proof and show us we CAN DO IT no matter how many stumbles we have to endure.
Nice to meet you! *shake hands*
The Phoenix Prophetess sounds like something I'd love to read! But I've got another book that just came in the mail the other day that I want to read...you may have heard of it, it's a trilogy called Gravity... (;
That last answer got me really interested! And hey, I can totally deal with fantasy cliches. I love fantasy, after all!
Sounds like a fun story, Cherie. I look forward to it making its debut.
My preschooler wants to learn how to write words so he can write stories and try to be famous too. Fame is definitely not my goal. I just hope some people want to read what I wrote.
I had hoped to be done with the first draft and most of the edit of my mystery WIP, Not a Whisper, so I could do NaNo. Now thinking I'll have to pass...kind of overbooked myself lately.
This is a cool tag that I might just do! I love to find out all the details behind a story, even though I currently know nothing about yours because you haven't published it yet. Still, I have that curious mindset.
I love that the world building is like an alternate version of Ancient Rome. I'm likely doing that in a future book series, myself.
Sounds like fun. Keep dreaming big! My son is big into the Lightning Thief right now. They are reading it along with talking about Greek mythology so we're full of fantastical awesomeness at our house these days!
Sounds great! I love mythology and ancient civilisations :)
The Phoenix Prophetess sounds like a great read! That's a good idea to do the rewrite during NaNo!
Sounds like a great read!! I think deep down, we all want that "next big thing" status. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, I just want to finish it :P
book sounds fantastic! great job!
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