The Next Big Thing Meme

What's the next big thing you ask? I was tagged by the adorable Cesya McRae Cuono (The Collector, Battle Scars) and the remarkable Shannon Delaney (13 to Life series, Weather Witch series) to join their blog tags for The Next Big Thing Meme. So, here it goes:

What is the working title of your next book?

Blonde Ops, which is co-authored with Natalie Zaman, or Lethal Dose, my solo novel.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Our editors at Thomas Dunne (St Martins) Books, Peter Joseph and Kat Brzozowski, came up with the idea for Blonde Ops (‘Jane’ Bond, Roman Style), and Lethal Dose was my NaNoWriMo project.

What genre does your book fall under?

Blonde Ops is YA hacker adventure humor (is that a new genre?) and Lethal Dose is a sci fi adventure.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmmm. For Blonde Ops, I think Bec Jackson, the main character would be great played by Chloe Grace Morelz (500 Days of Summer, Hugo, Dark Shadows). Of course my co-author may disagree… For Lethal Dose, I would like the main character Dalen to be played by Sean Faris (Christmas With Holly, Bonnie& Clyde, Burn).

 What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Blonde Ops –Bec Jackson is a non-conformist teenager who becomes “Jane” Bond, and goes to Italy, taking her hacker skills to save the First Lady. Lethal Dose- Dalen doesn’t poison anyone who doesn’t want it—or deserve it.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Blonde Ops will be published by Thomas Dunne (St Martins) and debuts Spring 2014. Lethal Dose is on my laptop, awaiting the final chapters and mucho polishing before it goes to my agent.

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

Blonde Ops took several weeks for the first draft, but that was working from a detailed chapter by chapter synopsis. If you add synop & ms writing time, a little less than six months. Lethal Dose was written as a NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project, so it took 28 days (I skipped the last two, but I guess I should have finished it.) I’m hoping to finish it by the end of December, so two months!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I think Blonde Ops could be compared with Ally Carter’s Uncommon Criminals series. Lethal Dose I really have no idea because it involves science fiction elements and a teenaged poisoner. Maybe you know one?

Who or what inspired you to write this book? Our agent, Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Lit, sent our book Sirenz to Kat and Peter. They were looking for someone to write a book based on an idea they had. Our style meshed with their need. As for Lethal Dose, the idea of a teenage poisoner, who helps support his family a little like Katniss in Hunger Games, roaming around different planets because Earth was destroyed by an asteroid fascinated me. I wanted to do something completely different from the Sirenz series and Blonde Ops.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Hmmm. For Blonde Ops, I think Bec Jackson, the main character, would be great played by Chloe Grace Morelz (500 Days of Summer, Hugo, Dark Shadows). Of course my co-author may disagree… For Lethal Dose, I would like the main character Dalen to be played by Sean Faris (Christmas With Holly, Bonnie& Clyde, Burn). 
 

Who or what inspired you to write this book? Our agent, Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Lit, sent our book Sirenz to Kat and Peter. They were looking for someone to write a book based on an idea they had. Our style meshed with their need. As for Lethal Dose, the idea of a teenage poisoner, who helps support his family a little like Katniss in Hunger Games, roaming around different planets because Earth was destroyed by an asteroid fascinated me. I wanted to do something completely different from the Sirenz series and Blonde Ops.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest? Blonde Ops has fashion, technology, international intrigue, an Italian hunk… And Lethal Dose has a male main character who uses poisons, but with a caveat- he doesn’t poison children, the innocent, or for political/monetary gain.

Now that you've gotten your sneak peek, let me tell you about my co-horts-

I met Cesya at PAYA (Pennsylvania loves YA). Another person with a severe obsession for writing and reading, we chat on FB and she was the first to intvite me to The Next Big Thing Meme blog tag. Look for her book, "The Collector" to debut shortly- she's started the countdown on her blog.

Shannon I met at Unmask the Writer Within, a Halloween event thrown by friends Melissa Marie and Patricia Locatelli and the Mysteries on Main Street Book Store. (Great peeps, all!) We've done a few signings together and keep in touch via FB too. Watch for her new series, The Weather Witch a 'stormpunk' novel which debuts soon too.

So now I pass the torch to my fellow KidLit author and friend, Alissa Grosso (Popular, Ferocity Summer). I met Alissa through Natalie, we had a very nice lunch at a tea house, and we've been doing signings and meeting at the annual SCBWI conference together since then. She has a new book coming out, but I'll let her tell you about it...

And between Cesya, Shannon, Alissa and myself, it looks like there will be plenty of exciting books coming out. Stay tuned!

Char