Author Maureen O Betita tagged me (quite a while ago, but I won’t tell if you won’t) in a game of blog hopping and chatting about books. According to author Shel Delisle, the idea is “about a lot of authors getting together to share their readers and to help them to find other great authors to read.” We are supposed to answer ten questions about one of our books, or a work in progress, I’ve got… way more projects than I want to admit to in progress, and I’ve already talked about my published works, so for today I’m going to go squarely in the middle and talk about a pair of books that are both In Progress AND Published, because they’re being published in ongoing serial format over at Juke Pop Serials. The books in question are Blank and Blue Bloods. Without further delay, the questions:
1- What is the working title of your book?
Well, in both cases I’ve got the actual title up there. Blue Bloods and Blank. Of course, the title ‘Blank’ caused some confusion at the publisher. They actually wrote me saying ‘we need a title, but you left it blank’.
2- Where did the idea come from for the book?
For Blue Bloods, I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of normal, everyday people developing powers. It’s not a new concept, but I like it enough to try putting my own spin on it.
For Blank, I’ve been working on the world it’s set in for a while. When someone asked if I had any YA, I truthfully told them ‘no’, but that same night I had a dream about a school ship lost in space. I forgot about it before I wrote it down, and promptly got a screaming migraine. The next night I had the same dream, and remembered to write it down the next day. Thus Blank was born.
3- What genre does your book fall under?
Blue Bloods is a Superhero story. I’ve been told that’s Contemporary Fantasy, although I’ve far more Science Fiction in my story than pure Fantasy. Call it a Superhero Science Fantasy and be done.
Blank, on the other hand, falls solidly in the Young Adult Space Opera genre.
4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Blank has three main characters, Dustie, Guy, and Tomas. The story centers on Dustie, so she’s the most important casting, but she needs the right Guy and Tomas to work with (sort of how you need the right Luke and Han for Leia).
Dustie – Emma Stone / Christina Hendricks : At one point in the story (haven’t hit it yet) Dustie matures suddenly, but both before and after should be curvy. Additionally, both actresses can act like they don’t think they’re the most attractive woman in the room even if they are.
Guy – Brett Novek : Dustie comments a few times on how attractive Guy is, in an ‘annoyingly distracting’ sort of way, but doesn’t go into too much detail beyond his coloration. Brett doesn’t have the right colors, but he’s got the angular, narrow look I envisioned for Guy.
Tomas – Marc Megna : Tomas is much harder to cast. He’s supposed to be built like a tank, which lead me to guys who have played professional football. It’s difficult to find one of them who doesn’t look a little battered, but Marc fits.
Blue Bloods is an ensemble cast, with lots of important characters.
Drew / Midnight – Angie Harmon. No questions on this one.
Walker – I’d like to go with a young William H Macy, but that’s not really possible now, is it? That said, he’s got the everyman look the part calls for.
Steve / Axeman – Played straight, much though I hate to say it, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino. Played for laughs (which he could be), Ben Stiller
Charlie / Kronos / Luminar – Again, age is a factor, but a young Nicholas Cage would do nicely. That said, he doesn’t look his age yet, so he might still work.
Jack / JackHammer – Kurt Russell, as is. Solid, all-American guy with more than a hint of ex military bearing.
Angela / Widget – Claudia Schiffer, but dressed down rather than up.
Jesse / Stretch – Lucy Liu is the only one that comes to mind, although her younger roles, where she had a more rounded look, would work better.
Damien / Angel - Christian Bale, maybe. He’s quiet, with a dark side, but he’s also got a sense of humor, and I’m not sure Bale could do that.
Katrina / Shriek – Maybe Vanessa Hudgens, maybe Mila Kunis, maybe Selena Gomez, but none of them is quite right.
5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Blue Bloods – A group of everyday heroes gains superpowers just in time to deal with a global catastrophe and all the problems which ensue.
Blank – A young woman tries to escape the legacy of her parents, which is only made worse by the memories she carries of theirs.
6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Both are currently being presented via Juke Pop Serials. I suppose I may self-publish a compilation at some point, although I wouldn’t be averse to going through a publisher if one were interested.
7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Each episode takes from four to eight hours to write the first draft. Since it takes equally long to edit and post, and I’m doing two a week, and this is *after* my eighty-a-week day job, that gets a little hectic.
8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Blank – Starbridge by AC Crispin, or perhaps one of the Honorverse Academy novels.
Blue Bloods – Soon I will be Invincible by Austin Grossman
9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Blue Bloods is a story I’ve worked on for a long time. I’ve tried it in different formats, and just thought it was time to tell it all.
Blank, as noted, came from an insistent dream.
10- What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Blue Bloods has something for everyone. Action, drama, intrigue, even a little romance here and there. Also, it’s the first super hero story I’ve heard about where feminine hygeine products impact the narrative in any way, which should give you an idea of how far outside the box it wanders.
Blank is, at its heart, a coming of age story. If you’ve liked the Harry Potter novels or Hunger Games, or occasionally thought Bella was a twit, you might like Dustie, a female teenager who is blissfully unaware she’s the focal point of a love triangle, because she’s got too much to do learning who she is.
Okay, my turn to tag some folks… Who shall it be?
How about PJ Schnyder, Dana Marie Bell, Dellani Oakes and (just because I can’t wait to see what she says) Deanna Wadsworth.
(For those of you staying here, a short short version)