The Next Big Thing: Where Will You Turn?

I recently read Sandcastles and Other Stories from the gifted mind of Justin Bog. I was blown away by this collection of short stories. It took me back to my college days; to my literature classes where I read creative tales penned by classic authors who challenged me to think outside the box. Yeah, it's that good. Of course I was interested in whatever he was going to write next. Imagine my surprise when he tagged me in his blog entitled "The Next Big Thing: Wake Me Up." I am truly honored. Thank you so much for thinking of me, Justin.

Since I recently published the second book in my urban fantasy/paranormal romance series, I was caught a little off guard with this blog. I have very little to go on for my third book, since I tend to be a "pantser." In the third installment of my Díon series; Raith and Mari are back to uncover the paranormal creatures behind the recent rash of human disappearances. Unfortunately, they suspect that corruption may not be limited to the human world. When the most powerful paranormal creatures sworn to protect humans become the hunters, where will you turn?

Here are the rules:

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, and link back to my page. Be sure to check out Justin's blog about his next big thing: Wake Me Up.

1.   What is the working title of your book?

Right now I'm calling it Book 3. My friend suggested Where Will You Turn? I know it can be good to have some kind of continuity with titles in a series, but that might be overdoing it a bit. I'll have to give it some thought.

2.   Where did the idea come for the book?

This book will follow the direction the series has taken. As for the original idea that started the whole thing? Honestly, I'm not sure. When I get bored, I come up with stories to entertain myself based on something around me. It could be as simple as a song on the radio or a person walking by who interests me.

3.   What genre does your book fall under?

Initially, I thought it was a paranormal romance. After doing some research, I think it may fall more in the urban fantasy genre. The romance is actually more of a sub plot. It isn't the focus of the book.

4.   Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This was a tough one. I have been asked this question several times, so you'd think I would be prepared...lol. The problem is that I see my characters so clearly in my head that it is hard to "cast" them as someone else. So, I asked some of my readers for suggestions, and they came up with some great ideas.

 

Raith – Taylor Kinney	Mari - Rebecca Romijn Stamos
Reinn – Chris Hemsworth	Kylee – Emma Stone
Aileana – Charlize Theron	Deacon – Gerard Butler

 

 

5.  What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? (Ok, so it's a gigantic sentence.) 

Raith, Mari and the rest of the team believe that the founding members the Díon, a group of paranormals sworn to protect people, may be behind a conspiracy to kidnap and sell humans to the creatures who feed on them; but can they stay alive long enough to prove it?

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

Self published. I'm too much of a control freak.

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

Since I haven't finished the first draft, I can't answer that one. Although I will say (based on the other books), I could probably write a book in about 3 months if I could write full time.

8.   What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?

I have been told by readers that my books remind them of the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris; The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost; The Immortals After Dark Series by Kresely Cole, and the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter among others. Since those are some of my favorite authors/books, I was incredibly honored.

9.   Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My sister, my best friend, and I love paranormal romance/urban fantasy books. We were all talking about some of our favorite authors one night when I shared some of my story ideas with them. They inspired me (translation: hounded me) to write "Where Will You Run?" and the series has continued from there.

10.       What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

In my books, I use the existing lore from different countries/regions to develop my paranormal creatures/characters. There is so much information out there about monsters. I research each character I want to create and use the historical stories from the area the creature comes from to develop that character's powers, strengths, weaknesses, and even physical traits. I try to stay as true to the lore as possible, but sometimes I have to get creative to fill in the blanks. Readers may learn something new about the monsters that haunt their nightmares.

 

Here are the five authors I have nominated (mostly because I'm curious about what they are up to). Click on the name to go to the author's blog and click on the title or “here” links to check out their books.
 

Thomas Amo – Thomas writes in many different genres. Check out his recently YA release, Forever Me and his other books here.

Christina McKnight – Christina writes historical romance and urban fantasy. Check out her book on her Amazon author page Only in Her Dreams.

Ingrid Michaels – I’m a big fan of romance, so it’s no surprise I am curious to see what this romance author has in store next. Check out her books here and on her blog (plus awesome vegetarian recipes).

Dennis Sharpe - Dennis writes paranormal fiction, dark urban fantasy and poetry. Check out his books on his Amazon author page here.

Jean Booth – Jean is an awesome story teller. Check out her recently released novel Created and her other books on her blog.

 

 

Thank you for stopping by and happy writing!