I don’t usually participate in blog tagging posts, but every once in a while, one comes along that fits in well with my blog. On Tuesday, Janice Hardy tagged me for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.
As NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month—write a 50K word novel during November) is all about writing “the next big thing,” I decided this would be a fun tagging game to play. I’ll answer the official Next Big Thing questions about the story I’ll be working on for NaNo, and down below I’ll tag five others who aren’t just writers, but are some of my NaNo Writing Buddies—because we’re all in this together.
Then in the comments, everyone is welcome to join in with boasting or bemoaning or anything in between about their Next Big Thing. *smile*
Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing
What is your working title of your book?
For the first time, I came up with a title I loved (I’m usually awful with titles). Pure Sacrifice
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Even though I write paranormal, I don’t write the typical stories about vampires (sparkling or non-sparkling). I love finding other creatures or approaches to the unusual. This one is about a shapeshifting unicorn, but not the glitter and rainbows kind. Nope. Here, everything you think you know about unicorns is a lie. *evil grin*
What genre does your book fall under?
Paranormal Romance
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Anyone who’s checked out my Pinterest inspiration board can see that unique faces or eyes or expressions appeal to me more than simply a celebrity name. So I don’t have a good answer for this because many of the characters of this book are inspired by “no names.”
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Ugh. You all know I’m terrible at this, right? *smile*
A shapeshifting unicorn responsible for protecting the chosen virgin from the modern world discovers she’s the biggest threat of all.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Not a clue. I’m nowhere near that point yet.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wrote the first act in about 3-4 weeks, but life has conspired to limit my writing time beyond that. However, I will finish it during NaNo, so that would be a total of about 2 months. (Yes, I’m a NaNo Rebel because while I’m writing 50,000 new words, I’m continuing a project I already started. Trust me though, post-Act One is the hardest part for me, so it’s not like I’m letting myself off easy. *sigh*)
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My favorite author is Kresley Cole (like her Immortals After Dark series) because she mixes great action, characterization, humor, and depth. I’d love for my paranormal romances to end up in a similar vein.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Unicorn stories haven’t been done to death, and I knew my worldbuilding twists would make it even more unique. Other than that, my reason for writing this book is the same as why I wrote all my other books—the story wouldn’t leave me alone.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Hmm, what can I say without giving too much away… There’s a virgin, a shapeshifting unicorn, and a seduction. And nothing is as it seems.
My five NaNo Writing Buddies to tag:
Buffy Armstrong is the one I’ll be crying to when I fall behind in NaNo words (she’s been there—she’ll understand). Meeting her in person remains one of my favorite things about going to the RWA National Conference this past summer.
Melinda Collins will be my music supplier for all that writing time. In addition to helpful blog posts, she often offers weekly roundups of writing links too, and—bonus!—she’s a wonderful person and a great friend.
Gene Lempp helped me the last time I did writing sprints, so I’m hoping he’ll help keep me in line for NaNo sprints too (pleasepleaseplease!). Another great friend, he also does a fantastic roundup of writing links every week on his blog.
Todd Moody is more than a great friend—he’s also exceedingly brave. When I needed an emergency beta read, he volunteered—even though it was a romance story! *snicker* His blog posts are often equally brave, full of thoughtful observations about life.
Jordan McCollum is one of the first fellow writers I met after starting on this path. She’s written several free writing guides (available off her blog) that really helped me when I was a clueless newbie.
Rules for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop:
***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?
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.
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What’s your “next big thing”? Feel free to answer any of the above questions, or just share what makes you most excited about working on this project? What’s the trickiest aspect of the story?
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