Hey kids! I got tagged in a blog hop. My first ever! Woot!
Renata Barcelos tagged me in the Next Big Thing which is a chance for writers to talk about what they’re working on next. I’ve got two in the pot right now, the second book in the Lizzy Speare series which I’m calling Lizzy Speare and the Hall of Hecate (maybe) and the book I talk about below. Ready? Allons-y! (that’s French for “Let’s go” for those of you who don’t watch Doctor Who…or speak French.)
What is the working title of your book?
The Chess Book or the Kings Game or Gambit’s Defense or Perpetual Check. I really can’t decide. At this point I just refer to it as the Chess Book.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was home in my apartment in Brooklyn one day and someone slipped a menu under the door. I looked up just in time to see it slide across the floor and for a split second I thought “what if it was an invitation” and then “what if it was an invitation for someone else and not me” and it sort of spiraled from there. Funny thing, that moment doesn’t even happen in the book. Inspiration is a strange beast.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult/Science Fiction/Romance/Mystery maybe? I don’t know. The character’s are teens and, to quote The Doctor, some weird “wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff” goes down.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Ha! That’s a good one. I have no idea who would play Kate cause I’m terrible with younger actors but I would pick Evan Peters from American Horror Story for the main male character. In fact, minus the blond hair, he’s VERY Evan Peters, only less, you know, murder-y.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Never trust your memory.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Well if my agent likes it (fingers crossed) it’ll be repped and subbed. If not, I would definitely put it out myself.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About 7 months or so. But it’s a looong book (currently at 150K words). Revising has taken close to 2 years but I was also working on other things at the time. Ahem…making excuses’ much?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Wow. I have no idea. Literally none. Clearly, I broke my first rule about good writing being all about reading.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The menu story above. Oh, and my main character is named Kate because of Linda Buckley-Archer’s book Gideon the Cutpurse which really deserves more attention in the States than it gets. It’s a fantastic three book series and one of the main character’s is named Kate. After reading it, I knew I would use that name, just as an homage to such a beautifully written character. She was unforgettable and I guess it’s just my way of saying thanks to Ms. Buckley-Archer. *Sniffle.*
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Let’s play word association. I’ll say one word and you say whatever comes to mind.
1. Time Travel
2. Chess
3. Stolen Memories
4. New Love
5. Street kids
6. Lies
7. Heartbreak
8. Doppelganger
9. Cockney Accents
10. Underground Resistance Movements
So now…what say you?
I tagged a couple other friends of mine Jen McConnel and Patrice Caldwell so they can play, too. So go check out their answers next Wednesday!
Ally Malinenko 
You had me at Time Travel 🙂
Be forewarned it’s not hardcore time travel – like going to medieval london or anything. More like stolen days that you can move around and cause trouble in.
Fingers crossed some day I’ll have a copy for you to review then!