THE NEXT BIG THING - All about my WIP!

I was tagged by the awesome Marisa Cleveland - a fellow author and the newest literary agent at The Seymour Agency! 

I have two works in progress, but I think I will take this moment to introduce you to DIVIDE - my NanoWrimo project. 

(My other work in progress is EVER TWO - book two in The EVER Trilogy, in case you couldn't tell by the awesome title. It's coming along slowly but surely, and I'm excited to see where the story takes Ever, Frankie, Toby and Jessie.)

So anyway, without further ado, let's talk about the NEXT BIG THING! 

Rules for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop:

***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?

DIVIDE. It is a standalone, upper young adult supernatural romance, loosely based on Beauty and the Beast and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So, DIVIDE is a fairytale redux mashed up with an old gothic horror story. One day - when it's finished - I'll have a clearer vision of what shelf it will go on. For now, DIVIDE doesn't want to fit nicely into any specific little genre boxes. 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Honestly, I had this idea floating around in my head for a while. A Beauty and the Beast redux unlike any others. I figured I'd get to it in a few years when I was finished with the EVER series. But then, when I sat down to start working on finishing EVER TWO for my first NanoWrimo, DIVIDE started spilling out onto  the page instead. So I went with it. 

What genre does your book fall under?

Young Adult Supernatural/Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Redux. LOL! Seriously. I'm going to have to work on that. 

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

 That's tough. My male lead looks a lot like Max from The Wanted, but I don't know what actor would best fit the part. The female lead would be perfect for Elle Fanning, but not for a few more years. She's too young right now. (Luckily we have a little time before we start casting the movie officially. lol) 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

 I have no idea! Why did you do this to me, Marisa!? lol 

Um ... let's see ... flying by the seat of my pants here, so bare with me. Its going to be terrible. 

Cursed by being a descendant of the original spellbound Beast, Holland Briggs must fulfill her own fairy tale destiny by finding love, or becoming the beast she knows she is destined to be - but when love doesn't break the curse after all, Holland will question everything she's ever known to be reality. 

Ha! That is the worst and longest run-on sentence in the history of words. Oh well. I was winging it.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

 Well, excuse me while I take offense to this question. As an author AND Acquisitions Editor for a small publisher, I'd like to clarify that there is another, just as awesome option - small indie pub houses. My first book EVER was released by Curiosity Quills Press, and I imagine my future works will be as well. We will see! 

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

I'd like to say one month, because that is, after all, the point of NanoWrimo. However, I am stuck at about the halfway point now, and November is almost over. So only time will tell. 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

 I have no idea. I hope it is unlike anything else out there. Its a step outside the norm, I think. (I hope?)

Who or what inspired you to write this book? 

I don't know. I guess I continued to be inspired by the need I have inside me to write. I also get a lot of support from my critique partner and my editor. I think if either one of them gave up on my writing, I'd have a hard time believing I was any good at it. 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Well, aside from *hopefully* being unlike anything else out there, I think the readers will love my main characters, and there will be kissing! YAY! 

And now, to tag five other writers! 

Feaky Snucker: My number one girl, my critique partner Tamara Mataya (aka Feaky Snucker). She's an amazing writer, and an even better friend. 

Mittens Morgul: The wonderful Laura Hughes has been an amazing supporter and critiquer of my work, and I'm so happy to have met her through this online writing community. 

Kay Froebel: I met Kay after she reviewed my book. She's an awesome reviewer and I'm so glad to know she's also a writer! One of these days I'm going to convince her to submit to CQ!

Ink in The Book: Talynn Lynn is one of the most supportive online friends I've met thus far. She is actively involved in supporting her peers and promoting their accomplishments, and the writing community is lucky to have her! 

Amanda Burckhard: Let's just say Amanda is "the one who got away." She's the first person I offered publication to when I began in Acquisitions at Curiosity Quills. She rejected me and went with an agent I adore, so I can't be too mad about it. lol ;-) But I can say that I can't wait for her awesome book to hit shelves!  

I tried to add my writing buddies that haven't done this hop before, but if you have and I missed it, I apologize!