The Next Big Thing – Writer’s Blog Journey

One of the eight phenomenal authors in my Writer’s Group, Scott Eder, has given me the honor of tagging me in The Next Big Thing author’s round-robin interview. He writes contemporary fantasy, and his super-heroes are hot, hot, hot … literally. Check out what he’s all about here.

In the tradition of this Writer’s Blog Journey, I will answer the interview questions below about my work in progress. Afterward I will tag another couple of authors.

What is the working title of your book?
Saving Whitaker. However, I’m not settled or sold on this one. I may even ask for suggestions when I get closer to publication.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Why, real life, of course. Real life gives us great fodder for fiction.

What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary Women’s Fiction.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
This is a great question and one I hadn’t thought about before this interview. I got a bit stumped. Since my three main characters are living every day real life scenarios, I wouldn’t want unrealistic physical beauty portraying them. In addition, the novel spans over a period of twenty years. The first half of the novel the characters ages are in their twenties and thirties. The second half of the novel they are in their forties. I’m not sure how to do it with the age difference, but here is who I came up with.
Ava Whitaker might be played by Marissa Tomei.
Meg Whitaker might be played by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Jocelyn Whitaker Ward is the antagonist and might be played by Elizabeth Perkins.
I’d have to do a lot more searching for the men who play their husbands, but they are secondary characters.

What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Married to dysfunctional brothers, Ava’s and Meg’s marriages are in the ditch when each discovers the excitement of another man, one who understands the needs of a neglected wife.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m not sure yet whether to shop it around, or self-publish, but I’m leaning toward self-publish.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Well, considering that I edited each chapter as I wrote them after critiques from my writer’s group, landed in the hospital last Thanksgiving with a two month recovery period, and worked on getting a book of short stories published, it took two and a half years.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’d like to think my plotline is unique, though there may be others similar in structure.  There are some similarities in a novel I read called The Book Club, about women and their troubled marriages. However, I believe my story is more grounded in reality. I loved The Prince of Tides and its portrayal of how family dysfunction affects us. My female characters face some disturbing dysfunction, but nothing as tragic as Conroy’s, Tom Wingo character.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always been fascinated by human behavior and how our emotions drive us. I wondered how different people might act to the moral implications of an affair. So, I wrote two different choices, and two different outcomes for the Whitaker women.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
My writer’s critique group enjoyed analyzing the decisions made by the characters and the possible outcomes of those decisions. It often became a lively exchange of ideas, pushing my creativity to new levels. As the values of our society appear to be crumbling, I think the moral dilemmas in this novel may give pause and contemplation for the reader. Not to mention make a good discussion piece.

In continuing with the tradition, I’d like to tag other great authors for them to share about their latest work in progress.
Robin Coyle my strong & weak words guru.
Anneli Purchase a wonderfully descriptive writer whose genre might be comparable to my WIP.

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