Tagged: The Next Big Thing

I've been tagged by the talented and generous Donna Galanti, author of The Human Element and my fellow debut at International Thriller Writers, in a blog game called The Next Big Thing. The game involves answering questions about your work in progress or a new piece that you'd love to become the next big thing! For me, that's the sequel to the The Crown,  now out in paperback.

Is my "stuff" good enough to be the Next Big Thing? You be the judge! In turn I'm tagging five other authors to take part. So here goes:

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

1.) What Is the title of your book?

"The Chalice"

2.) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I've always been fascinated with prophecy. Tudor England was a time rife with prophecies and mysticism and magic; I believe it was fed by the anxiety of the time, as religion changed (sometimes violently), the ideas of the Renaissance poured in, and the Middle Ages morphed into the Early Modern Age.  So I took this reality of 16th century prophecy and I put my main character, Joanna Stafford, at the very heart of a dangerous one.

3.) What genre does your book fall under?
Historical thriller.

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

I can't choose between the wonderful actresses out there to play Joanna Stafford, the protagonist of my series. But I do think that Ralph Fiennes would make a fantastic Bishop Stephen Gardiner--he is the wily antagonist of "The Crown" and the Bishop of Winchester definitely makes his presence known in "The Chalice."







5.) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young woman driven from her nunnery in Tudor England discovers her life is intertwined with a danger prophecy and she must take control of her destiny before it's too late.


6.) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
"The Chalice" was bought by Touchstone, the publisher of my first book, this year. It's coming out March 2013.


7.) How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? And read the intro.
Just about one year.
First sentence of "The Chalice":
"When preparing for martyrdom on the night of December 28^th, 1538, I did not think of those I love." 
 

8.) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Oliver Pötzsch, "The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter"
Deborah Harkness, "Shadow of Night"
Danielle Trussoni, "Angelology"


9.) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I very much wanted to write a sequel to "The Crown," but I was determined to raise the stakes. I wanted to try something darker and more epic, but also I wanted to make the second book more romantic. :)


10.) What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
Some of the real people who lived in the late 1530s pop up in The Chalice, including not one but two women who would marry Henry VIII. Joanna Stafford also comes face to face, at last, with...Thomas Cromwell.

Donna Galanti tagged me and I'm tagging some of my favorite people!


Sophie Perinot
Lydia Netzer
Debra Brown
Authoress
Doug Solter

Please visit their blogs. They will be publishing their answers to the questions in week 13 (between the 18th September and 24th September)

Message for the tagged authors and interested others:

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 your 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.

Be sure to line up your five people in advance.

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