The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

The Next Big Thing: A Turning Point

The idea of this is that a writer puts up a post on his or her own blog answering ten questions about his/her work in progress, and then “tags” three – or five, depending on which version you see – other writers to do the same. Then, the writer posts a link to his/her “tagger” and to the people he/she is “tagging” so that readers who are interested can visit those pages and perhaps discover some new authors whose work they’d like to read. I was tagged by Cameron Lawton: http://www.cameron-lawton.com/2012/11/the-next-big-thing-blog-hop.html

What is the title for your book? 

A Turning Point

Where –

It takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. More than a bit of a cop-out, as I work out of Salem and am intimately familiar with the Witch City, but I can challenge myself with trickier settings later. This is a Christmas story, and Salem is beautiful at Christmas. We have snow, pretty cobble stone streets for romantic strolls, classic New England architecture, and tasteful decorations.

What genre does your book fall under?

I consider it a pretty fluffy romance, but I’m usually bad at calling these things. Best wait for the feedback to roll in to get a good answer.

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

Micah’s a sad, gloomy ball of self-hating angst. I think Cillian Murphy would be a great choice for him. Nicholas Hoult (Beast in X-Men First Class) has Jamie’s eyes, so if we pinked up his hair he’d be good. Austin is supposed to be a typical attractive jock, maybe Channing Tatum? And in an effort not to spend all night on IMDB fan casting this, I’ll pick Mandy Patinkin for Joe. That man can play anything, and he’s already got Joe’s smile.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Micah’s relationship with his emotional boyfriend is already straining from his natural reticence, but over the holidays it will be further tested when an old flame reappears, and a sickly old man teaches Micah how to open up.

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

The good folks at MLR are publishing this baby.

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

Fun story. A friend and I were talking about the followings our respective fanfics have garnered, but that our original work was languishing. We challenged each other to bust out an original story and submit it within two weeks. That’s how I wrote A Turning Point.

I did kind of cheat though. I severely revised an ancient, unfinished novella I started when I first graduated high school. The thing was all but unreadable, but there was a lot of potential in that poor, neglected little word file.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’m not really sure. My cousin reads a lot of fluffy romantic Christmas stories, and as my personal writing cheerleader I asked her to look over my draft for me before I submitted it to MLR. She said that even though it was a good read, it wasn’t like most of the Christmas novels she reads. So…I know I’m not like Debbie Macomber (Jenn’s favorite).

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

In addition to two steamy love scenes, this story has strong characterization, drama, and a fluffy happy ending. I’m writing as a twenty something in a transitional period of my life, and that struggle comes across in my characters. I think it’s easy to empathize with them.

TAGGING

I stumbled across this blog hop from Cameron Lawton, who will also be featured in MLR’s Ho-Ho Holiday series. I’m still too new to this professional writing gig to have anyone else to tag, but I wanted to participate anyway. This was fun. Thanks for sharing Cameron, and good luck with your projects 😀