Week 8: The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Hello All,

I got tagged in a work in progress blog hop called 'The Next Big Thing' by my friend and agent, Donna. It's week 8 of the blog hop, and it consists of answering some questions about the book you are writing, and then tagging some other authors to do the same on their blogs next week. I guess I better get started... 

What is the working title of your book?

Sebastian and the Afterlife Book III (Sorry to be stingy, I'm not ready to release the rest of the title yet).

Where did idea for your book come from?

It’s the third installment of a series I’m writing about a 17-year old boy’s surreal adventure in a spirit world after death.  I feel like the idea for the series was really born out of my characters, Sebastian and Sarah. I knew I wanted to write a young adult dark fantasy, but I didn’t know what it would be about. I came up with two of the main characters, Sebastian and Sarah; I knew they were in love, and that there was an obstacle between them, but I didn’t know what it was. Then I realized that the obstacle between them was going to be death… at that point I realized I was going to be writing a ghost story. Soon the story all came together in my head.  

What genre does your book fall under?

Middle-Grades/Teen Dark Fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play the characters in your book?

I don’t have a lot of the characters cast in my mind; maybe just a couple. Even when I was writing the first book, I always saw Sid as John Cusack. I could also see Logan Lerman (Percy from the Percy Jackson movie) playing Sebastian

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? 

A teenager finds that his greatest adventure begins after death.

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

The book is currently in the editing process and should be released by TWCS Publishing House in 2013.

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

I believe I spent about 5 months on it. Starting out casually, and then really writing a lot more as my deadline approached.

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

Probably Harry Potter, Twilight or Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Beyond what I mentioned before about getting the idea from my own characters and their situation, I guess a fear of mortality could have played into it. Death is such a disturbing subject; it’s nice to be able to deal with it in a way that is approachable. If what lies beyond life is a fantastic adventure story, maybe I can manage dealing with my worries a little better.

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

While the book is about a pretty dark subject matter, it really is more of an adventure story... Even to the point that you forget at times that the lead character is actually a ghost. You don’t have to be into dark literature to enjoy it.

I am really supposed to tag 5 other authors to continue on with this blog hop next week, but I was only able to round up three. So let me pass the torch. They are:

http://cynthiahillbooks.com/

www.jebriggs.co.uk

http://rosiesmith-nazilliwrites.blogspot.com/

 Rules:

1-      Answer the questions about your work in progress

2-      Tag 5 other authors to do it the following week