The Next Big Thing ... I've Been Tagged!

Today folks, I’m “it.”  That’s right, when you get tagged, you’re “it”, right?  Well, Wendy Sotis tagged me, and I’m game, so here we go!

This is a blog game called “The Next Big Thing”, and it’s a mechanism for authors to shamelessly plug their work share valuable insights and amusing anecdotes about what’s up and coming in their writing pipeline.

The format is Q & A, like an interview. 

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What is the working title of your book?

I’m currently working on two books:

Constant as the Sun: The Courtship of Mr. Darcy – it is a WIP with the draft posting on several JAFF forums.

Dancing with the Rose – This one is on its seventh edit.  Only twenty-two more edits to go. J The title might not make the next edit…

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Constant as the Sun is the sequel to my debut novel, One Thread Pulled: The Dance with Mr. Darcy. It is an extension of that story, so the idea came when I realized that I could not do proper justice to their engagement without a sequel.

Dancing with the Rose was certainly Austen-inspired, but it is an original novel with spiritual themes as well as those of class and culture. 

What genre does your book fall under?

Both are romance.  Constant as the Sun is a Jane Austen FanFiction (JAFF) Regency, and Dancing with the Rose would be classified as religious, (LDS) possibly even venturing into the paranormal.

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

Oh, now we are into the realms of fantasy!  I have always thought that a young Hugh Jackman would have made a spectacular Mr. Darcy, but he’s probably too old for it now.  I would happily write a mature Mr. Darcy story if Mr. Jackman were lined up as the lead! Since that isn’t possible, any Colin Firth or Hugh Jackman look-alike will do!

I think that if there was going to be a movie, I would just have to insist and sitting in on the casting sessions – I’d know my leads when I saw them! (Dream on, I know – but like I said … realms of fantasy!) As long as we’re in that realm, let’s say it’s a much anticipated blockbuster … I think it would be really wonderful to have a film be an actor/actress who has paid their dues and not hit it big yet have the adaptation of one of my books serve as a breakthrough role.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

This is where we see the devious side of the framers of this game. They all know that things like a one-sentence limit can serve as the undoing of a writer unaccustomed to sparing words.  I refuse to be defeated by this.

Constant as the Sun: Before they may marry, Darcy and Elizabeth are forced to endure a six-month engagement that takes them through the London Season; unfortunately, the matrons of society are the least of their problems.

Dancing with the Rose: When Allison Rafferty, a struggling artist in a small town, meets Michael Conley, heir to a business empire, the chemistry is there, but he must overcome both her skepticism and the machinations of conspiring adversaries and relations to win her.

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

Self-published.  Give me a decade or so and then ask me if I made the right decision on that.  Only time will tell.

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

Constant as the Sun is a work in progress, so I can’t say, but I’m shooting for 6-8 months.

Dancing with the Rose was written in about a year and a half.

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

Would it be presumptuous to compare my story with Pride and Prejudice? Of course it would, but you can’t blame a girl for trying.

Actually, although I have read a great number of books in the same genre, I would have a hard time comparing, since I worked very hard not to repeat what others were doing.  The one time I had the audacity to tell another writer in my genre that I thought our styles were similar, I was slapped down—hard.  I won’t be doing that again.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Dancing with the Rose was written after a fairly obsessive marathon of watching the A&E Pride and Prejudice series, but the point of my effort was to try to inspire the same sort of feelings, not to tell the same sort of story.

Constant as the Sun was inspired by dozens of readers who begged me not to end One Thread Pulled. So although I gave it a proper Regency ending with an engagement and a kiss, I didn’t wrap it up neatly – There may have only been one thread pulled at the beginning of the story, but there is a whole lot of “threads” dangling at the end.  I believe that's called a set-up for the sequel.

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

Constant as the Sun explores the dire predictions that Lady Catherine de Bourgh makes in the original Pride and Prejudice, about how Elizabeth Bennet will be regarded in the first circles of society and among the aristocracy.  Jane Austen never addressed this question.  Elizabeth Bennet’s season in London has high stakes, although she does not know it.  If she is not happy, Mr. Bennet will rescind his consent.

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

This is the hard part – I have no idea who has previously been tagged, since I’ve been doing more writing than reading lately.  Sincere apologies if this is a duplicate (and if it is, I think you’re off the hook.)  When you get the notice that you're tagged, let me know if you'd like to see the link point to a different URL or have your name displayed differently.  Send me a note at: diana.j.oaks@gmail.com.

Laura Hile: http://crownhillwriters.wordpress.com/laura-hile/

Jennifer Redlarczyk

Gayle Mills: http://crownhillwriters.wordpress.com/gayle-mills/

ElfineStarkadder

Sarah

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Rules of The Next Big Thing:

***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 the 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.