Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Next Big Thing

Thanks to Gabrielle Prendergast and Ilima Todd for tagging me in The Next Big Thing! Melodie Wright told me she *will be* tagging me, so thanks in advance, Melodie, but I beat you to it. ha ha! (Two tags and one intended tag ... how could I say no?)

It was hard to pick which WiP to highlight, so I just closed my eyes and jabbed the air in front of me, pretending this action would somehow illuminate the correct choice.

What is your working title of your book?
Under Dark Water

Where did the idea come from for the book?
One evening I saw a teenager driving a student-driver car down the freeway and thought, "What if that were a stolen vehicle? What if that kid jacked it from his school and is out on a joy ride?" The novel has morphed into a completely different creature now, but that was the original inspiration. The next question was, "What kind of kid would do something like that?" That's where I got my main character, Hope Wallace.

What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary YA

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I hardly ever watch movies, so I have no idea! Though my MC's love interest looks a lot like the tallest kid in the "I'm Farming and I Grow It" LMFAO parody.



What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When sixteen-year-old Hope finds a suicide note from her brother, she sets out on a cross-state journey to save him, with a wanna-be skater boy and a ultra-conservative reality show star and his film crew in tow. 

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

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
One month! I wrote it during NaNoWriMo last year. (And my good buddy Christa Desir put herself through the hell of reading it. That defines friendship right there.)

May we see an intro?
Sure! First paragraph: He ran the vacuum cleaner late last night. It should've tipped me off. Or maybe I like living in denial.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Since I haven't pitched this yet, I really haven't thought about it. #fail.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Lots of inspiration: the student driver I already mentioned; the ultra-conservative families who live in my area; the reality show 19 Kids and Counting; cherry orchards; long drives to Portland...

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
My MC is half Hmong, which is an Asian ethnic group without its own country.

Now for the fun part: You're it!

Faith Elizabeth Hough
Julie DeGuia
Janet Johnson
Krista Van Dolzer
Kristin Rae

***
Rules of The Next Big Thing:

*Use this format for your post
*Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
*Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged. Be sure to line up your five people in advance.

16 comments:

  1. Wow! You wrote it in one month! Nicely done. Best of luck with this story. It sounds like a keeper.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooh, you have me hooked. Next big thing for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm interested too. It's fun to hear what others are working on.

    ReplyDelete
  4. WOW I don't think I knew you wrote it in one month!!! This WILL be the next big thing!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like an intriguing story! I love that you thought it up based on seeing the driver's ed car.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Stealing the student driver car is hilarious. And the eclectic group you've got going on this road trip...sounds like an awesome story. Thanks for playing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amy, your novel sounds awesome. I loved this meme because I got to see how your process works and your story idea. Good luck with it!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I absolutely love the sound of this book! It sounds so fresh (and heart-wrenching). Also, those farmer boys are adorable. Have to send that video to everyone I know now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for sharing these behind-the-scenes details, Amy. My fingers are double- and triple-crossed for UNDER DARK WATER and RED BUTTERFLY!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That sounds fantastic! I especially love how you came up with the premise. I do that all the time - see weird stuff and think, "What if?" People think it's crazy if I say it out loud, so I just channel it into books instead.

    Good luck with your WIP!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the concept of your story--and really really can't wait to read it. Road trip stories are awesome. :)
    And thanks for tagging me!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I want to read this! you've piqued my interest. And isn't NaNo awesome?!?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm so glad we're going to keep each other accountable this next month. It'll be fun! Christa read one of my MS's too. Now THAT'S love. :) Your MS sounds great. I look forward to hearing about your current project!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice! I love Nano - it's awesome for getting those drafts down on paper! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. How did I miss this? I've only undertaken NaNo once, and I wouldn't let anyone read it as is.

    UNDER DARK WATER is such a great title, and it sounds interesting. I'd love to read to read it. *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*

    ReplyDelete

Summer Recap

Summer!! has been a crazy whirlwind.  Are we actually starting school again in a few weeks? UNBELIEVEABLE. In the middle of June I finished...