"The Next Big Thing" Blog Hop


My good friend, A. E. Stueve, asked me to participate in the blog hop of “The Next Big Thing.” You know, one of those setups for some good ol’ fashioned self-promotion. Basically, it asks a few questions of writers and what they’re currently working on. So, without further ado…

1) What is the working title of your next book?
Frenetic Connections

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
Seeing as it’s one that I’m working on with my coauthor, Holly Cagney, it stemmed from one of those conversations where we were, mostly, talking about something else, and the novel grew from tossing around a few “What about…”

3) What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult Contemporary—though for the older crowd since the characters are on the verge of graduating, and seeing as the novel is set in Vegas…

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Much as I love Michael Cera and think he’d do a great job here, I’m thinking that Andrew Garfield would knock one of the narrators, Donovan, out of the park. As for the other narrator, Frances, while she doesn’t really look the part, who wouldn’t want Ellen Page?

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When Frances gets Donovans valuables stolen on the Vegas Strip, their flight home isn’t the only connection in jeopardy of being missed. (This totally came from my coauthor, so in this vein, I guess I cheated.)

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The goal is to be represented, though it’s a bit from the querying stage still.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
As mentioned above, it’s still not ready to be queried, and that probably has quite a bit to do with the fact that the manuscript isn’t finished yet. Still, we’ve only been working on it about a month, and even with the holidays, we’ve gotten about ¼ of the way through our word count goal.

8)  What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Any of the YA romances with multiple narrators, but most notably Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Most of it stems from enjoying the coauthoring setup as much as I have. Once we finished the first book, we knew that we were going to write another. And while the last novel was more on the “quiet” side of things, we wanted this one to be—and I quote, “Mother Fuckin’ LOUD.” So, since I was currently living in Vegas and got to know the area fairly well, well, it doesn’t get much louder or more frenetic than Vegas.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
While it’s set in Vegas—and even much of it taking place on The Strip—this isn’t the typical Vegas most are used to through the traditional Las Vegas films, The Hangover and the like. This is less party-tastic and more a tribute to all the colorful characters that inhabit this space, including cosplayers like Winnie the Pooh and Kratos from the God of War video game series. It’ll hopefully be a peek into the Vegas that most don’t see or ever know—unless you’ve lived there.

There you have it. And if you’re interested in what others are doing, there should be some posts coming next week, Jan. 9. from a few folks I know. (I’ll provide links as I receive confirmation of their participation.)