The Next Big Thing

Hello folks,

The Next Big Thing

Last week, I was tagged by my friend/classmate at Seton Hill, Jennifer Loring.

Here’s what I’ve got to say.

-What is the working title of your book?

By the Fight of the Silvery Moon

-Where did the idea come from for the book?

NCIS—the TV show, not the actual government organization. I love the show and one day wondered “What would this be like with magic?” Make a few changes, build a magic system and ta-da.

-What genre does your book fall under?

urban fantasy/possibly paranormal mystery

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

Heh, no clue. Lol

-What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When Vern Sumac, former dryad to a Poison Sumac and current office assistant at the New York branch of the Magical Investigation Agency (MIA), witnesses the murder of a supposedly human Times reporter while he is in wolf form, she needs to rethink everything she knows about magic and help her boss/best friend, Inspector Warren Gazeban, find out who did it and why.

*That’s a long sentence.*

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

Issues with the way this is worded aside, I’m prepping to query it to agents. We’ll see what happens. *fingers crossed*

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

God, I’m not even sure. It’s gone through phases. Originally, it was a novella that took a year or so because I kept making changes. The version I have now took, probably, a couple of months. The last 50k was a pre-nanowrimo type of thing. (October instead of November)

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

I guess it’s comparable to Jim Butcher’s “The Drezden Files” and Shanna Swendson’s “Enchanted Inc.” series.

-Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Like I said, NCIS, but also the burning desire to write something purely fun. My writing was always so serious before I started on this project. I wanted a character that I could pour all of my sarcastic thoughts into and who could then think them on paper for the rest of the world.

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

I’ve read so many urban fantasy novels, I think I’ve lost count. Some have very refreshing takes on magic, others—not so much—and I’m thoroughly sick of any type of plotline that centers around vampires. So I deliberately picked a creature not given a lot of spotlight space (the dryad aka tree nymph) and then asked myself “what would the strangest thing that could happen to a dryad be?” Bingo, main character.