Happy 2013 to you all!
'The Next Big Thing' blog posts have been doing the rounds for a while, the idea being that writers tag other writers to blog about their next book. My friend Uuganna Ramsay has tagged me, asking me to answer the questions below.
Before I go on to write about my own book here’s a summary of Uuganna’s non-fiction memoir, ‘Mongol’: Guuye, who grew up in a yurt living a nomadic life eating marmot meat and distilling vodka from yogurt in Mongolia ends up in Britain and gives birth to a disabled son who becomes a symbol of union and disunion; cultures and complexity; stigmas and prejudices; and religions and superstitions.
I first met Uuganna six years ago when we did a postgraduate course together. I wish I’d spent more time talking to her about her life in Mongolia than career guidance as she has some fascinating stories to tell. You can follow her blog here .Uuganna has secured a publisher for her book and I can’t wait to read it.
I thought about using the questions below to talk about my first young adult book, Follow Me, but seeing as that’s currently being read by an agent it’s probably best I don’t jinx things by referring to that one as ‘the next big thing’.
What is the working title of your next book?
Only You Know. Usually I come up with a title really quickly but for this one it took me forever. And I still may change it!
Where did the idea come from for the book?
An article I read in a magazine about teenage girls writing to notorious killers in prison and ‘falling in love’ with them sparked off the initial idea. I’ve also been fascinated by high profile murder cases in the past where the accused have been subjected to a ‘trial by media’.
The way in which the media influences public opinion of my accused character is a big part of my story.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult; mystery/romance
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Hmm, this is difficult as all the actors I’d want to play my characters are too old! So I'll say a young James McAvoy type for Chrisitan and a young Karen Gillan for Darcy.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Hate trying to do this! I managed to perfect a one page synopsis but this is harder, so I've kind of cheated and extended it to two sentences:
Sixteen year old Christian Henderson is convicted of murdering fellow classmate, Louisa, at a Halloween Party, amidst a media storm of character assassination and public outrage. Newcomer Darcy followed the press coverage of the case from day one, and suspecting Christian may have been unfairly convicted, strikes up a friendship with him via letters and emails, determined to piece together what really happened that night at the party.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m currently seeking an agent. Please agent, take me on!
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I've yet to complete the first draft. I wrote the first 10,000 words in the space of about 3 weeks
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
As mentioned previously it was reading about teenage girls writing to prisoners which sparked off the initial idea. I hate injustice and also hate the negative influence the press can have sometimes; so I guess I feel inspired to explore both of those themes.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The description of my book probably makes it sound really serious, but it's very character driven and the developing relationship between Darcy and Christian is a main thread of the story, as is the friendship she develops with his best friend, Daniel.
I'm supposed to now tag other authors to write about their next big thing but as I know a lot of them have already taken part in this you should instead go to my Blog List (displayed down the right hand side) and read all of the blogs listed there!
