I have been tagged by the very talented Dakota Douglas to take part in the ‘Next Big Thing’ blog hop. How could I refuse such a lovely offer and so here goes?
1. What is the working title of your next book?
To be perfectly honest with you, I haven’t got one yet. I am still mulling over my ideas and I always start with the characters. The title is always the last thing I decide on once the book is finished and edited. I find thinking of titles really tricky and none of them have come easily. It usually involved lots of potential titles being texted to friends and lots of howling with laughter on their part at my suggestions. I do tend to ask for people’s opinions but then I don’t listen and go with what I think anyway. I’m sure it drives my friends mad.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
Well, all I know is that it is going to be a standalone novel and the main character is a woman called Maggie. It’s going to explore the idea of sisters. I love having a sister and my women friends are really important to me. I always find it a little bit disturbing when women say they don’t like other women and prefer the company of men. I have actually conducted my own, totally non-scientific study on this and I believe that women who don’t like women either have no sisters or they have a poor relationship with their sister. I think having a great sister sets you up for life.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
It’s going to be a thriller with a pinch of romance thrown in. Although once I start anything could happen. I like to let my stories go their own way.
4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Well, that’s a tricky one because I haven’t written it yet but I could apply the question to my other books. Four of them are centred around a character called Georgie Connelly and I think I would
choose Emily Blunt to play her for no other reason than I like her and she’s English. Actually I don’t like the idea of books being made into films because I think they are always disappointing. Whenever I hear that a beloved book is going to be made into a film, my heart sinks because I know they will cast people who are nothing like my versions of the characters. I give you Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum and Trevor Eve as Jem Merlyn (that one scarred me for life and ruined my formative years!)
5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
It will be a story about likeable, strong, human women.
6. Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
All of my books have been self published. I submitted my first novel, Business As Usual to a few agents but none were interested and so I seized the opportunity that the growing popularity of eBooks has presented to anyone who wants to write. Hopefully the increased accessibility of self publishing has benefitted readers as well. I have found lots of great new writers within the ‘indie’ market; books which wouldn’t have been available a few years ago.
7. How long did it take to write the 1st draft of the manuscript?
It depends whether I’m working on it full time or trying to fit it in around a day job. I wrote Business As Usual around a full time job and that took about two years. The most recent one, False Allegiance was also done around a job and took about a year. The rest were written during periods of not being employed, when I could focus on them full time, and they took about three months to complete. It then takes time to edit and get them ready for publication.
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
It’s hard to say really. I have written thrillers; mainly because that’s a genre I enjoy reading. I tend to read serious, gritty thrillers whereas mine are more light-hearted. They aren’t as wacky as say the Janet Evanovich ones though. I think they are in the middle between serious thrillers and the full on comedy ones. I’ve also written two contemporary romance novels but they are more issue based than traditionally romantic and I hate to disappoint anybody but there’s not very much hanky panky in them.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’m not sure that any one thing inspired me. I’ve always loved writing and I’m a voracious reader so all of the writers that I’ve devoured over the years have played their part. I would have written the books anyway, for my own pleasure, but I suppose the most pivotal influence in my decision to offer them up for public consumption was the growing market for eBooks and the resultant accessibility of self publishing.
10. What else about the book might pique people’s interest?
I think if people enjoy reading stories that are character driven and love characters who are flawed and don’t always get it right, then they might enjoy my books. The beauty of
independent publishing is that, if you like the look of a book, they are so inexpensive to download it’s worth taking the risk. As a reader that’s how I have discovered lots of fabulous new authors.
If you want to read Dakota Douglas' answers to the 'Next Big Thing' blog hop, you can find them here:
http://www.dakotadouglas.co.uk/blog.html
1. What is the working title of your next book?
To be perfectly honest with you, I haven’t got one yet. I am still mulling over my ideas and I always start with the characters. The title is always the last thing I decide on once the book is finished and edited. I find thinking of titles really tricky and none of them have come easily. It usually involved lots of potential titles being texted to friends and lots of howling with laughter on their part at my suggestions. I do tend to ask for people’s opinions but then I don’t listen and go with what I think anyway. I’m sure it drives my friends mad.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
Well, all I know is that it is going to be a standalone novel and the main character is a woman called Maggie. It’s going to explore the idea of sisters. I love having a sister and my women friends are really important to me. I always find it a little bit disturbing when women say they don’t like other women and prefer the company of men. I have actually conducted my own, totally non-scientific study on this and I believe that women who don’t like women either have no sisters or they have a poor relationship with their sister. I think having a great sister sets you up for life.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
It’s going to be a thriller with a pinch of romance thrown in. Although once I start anything could happen. I like to let my stories go their own way.
4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Well, that’s a tricky one because I haven’t written it yet but I could apply the question to my other books. Four of them are centred around a character called Georgie Connelly and I think I would
choose Emily Blunt to play her for no other reason than I like her and she’s English. Actually I don’t like the idea of books being made into films because I think they are always disappointing. Whenever I hear that a beloved book is going to be made into a film, my heart sinks because I know they will cast people who are nothing like my versions of the characters. I give you Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum and Trevor Eve as Jem Merlyn (that one scarred me for life and ruined my formative years!)
5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
It will be a story about likeable, strong, human women.
6. Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
All of my books have been self published. I submitted my first novel, Business As Usual to a few agents but none were interested and so I seized the opportunity that the growing popularity of eBooks has presented to anyone who wants to write. Hopefully the increased accessibility of self publishing has benefitted readers as well. I have found lots of great new writers within the ‘indie’ market; books which wouldn’t have been available a few years ago.
7. How long did it take to write the 1st draft of the manuscript?
It depends whether I’m working on it full time or trying to fit it in around a day job. I wrote Business As Usual around a full time job and that took about two years. The most recent one, False Allegiance was also done around a job and took about a year. The rest were written during periods of not being employed, when I could focus on them full time, and they took about three months to complete. It then takes time to edit and get them ready for publication.
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
It’s hard to say really. I have written thrillers; mainly because that’s a genre I enjoy reading. I tend to read serious, gritty thrillers whereas mine are more light-hearted. They aren’t as wacky as say the Janet Evanovich ones though. I think they are in the middle between serious thrillers and the full on comedy ones. I’ve also written two contemporary romance novels but they are more issue based than traditionally romantic and I hate to disappoint anybody but there’s not very much hanky panky in them.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’m not sure that any one thing inspired me. I’ve always loved writing and I’m a voracious reader so all of the writers that I’ve devoured over the years have played their part. I would have written the books anyway, for my own pleasure, but I suppose the most pivotal influence in my decision to offer them up for public consumption was the growing market for eBooks and the resultant accessibility of self publishing.
10. What else about the book might pique people’s interest?
I think if people enjoy reading stories that are character driven and love characters who are flawed and don’t always get it right, then they might enjoy my books. The beauty of
independent publishing is that, if you like the look of a book, they are so inexpensive to download it’s worth taking the risk. As a reader that’s how I have discovered lots of fabulous new authors.
If you want to read Dakota Douglas' answers to the 'Next Big Thing' blog hop, you can find them here:
http://www.dakotadouglas.co.uk/blog.html
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