As part of the Next Big Thing Tour, Colette Ballard, author of the upcoming RUNNING ON EMPTY tagged me. The tour is a way for readers to discover authors they might not yet know about. So on to the questions!
1. What is the working title of your next book?
The working title was In Case of Emergency, but I'm grateful to have an editor who is better with titles than I am. The official title is These Gentle Wounds.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
Over the years, I worked on a number of freelance articles on the Susan Smith murder trial among other similar case. When a similar event happened in New York State in 2010, it made me wonder what sort of the life the surviving child might have.
I do want to say that this story does not mirror either of those cases and it isn't a Law & Order type story. More, it's about resilience and trusting yourself and those who love you.
3. What is the genre of your book?
Young Adult Contemporary.
4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in the movie rendition?
This is seriously the most difficult question I've been asked about this book. In everything else I've written, there is at least one character that has a "dream" actor for the role. But....I've always heard Gordie's voice so clearly I'm not sure I can think of anyone who perfectly fits.
I can say that Max Thieriot from Bates Motel wouldn't be miscast at Kevin. And for Sarah...maybe Maia Mitchell who is currently on The Fosters.
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Just like the title, I'm sure that my publisher is going to come up with something FAR better than this. But here is what we used for the sale announcement:
THESE GENTLE WOUNDS is about a boy with PTSD and survivor's guilt who must call upon strength he didn't know he had in order to save himself and those he loves when his abusive father reenters his life.
6. Who is publishing your book?
Flux (Llywellyn Worldwide)
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Well....I don't really draft. I also don't write in order. And I tend to obsessively revise as I go along. I'd say that the entire book took 2 years, but even that's a guess as I was working on other manuscripts at the same time.
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Heidi Ayarbe's Compulsion is the first thing that comes to mind. Also, some of the work of Susan Vaught.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
See above. It was really a "what if?" type of situation that I wanted to answer for myself. I never really expected anyone else to read it. But Gordie really struck a chord with many of my early readers and I was thrilled to find the other people cared about him as much as I did.
10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
It has an AWESOME playlist filled with bands you probably haven't heard of unless you know a lot of the bands coming out of Oxford (UK) and there is molecular gastronomy in it. One fun recipe in particular that I'll link to on my blog at some point.
Now, I'm fortunate enough to be able to tag two other authors that you're going to want to check out.
Emily Lloyd-Jones' ILLUSIVE will be debuting with Little Brown in 2014.
Kathryn Jones' CAMELOT BURNING will release from Flux also in 2014.