It feels like such an accomplishment to be writing this blog post for The Next Big Thing and to know that my name is forever linked to some of my favorite Indie authors is a little overwhelming. Okay and I’ll admit a bit flattering. Although, I would be a bit more flattered, if I was connected to Jon Etheredge and his Goodreads blog: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5116484.Jon_Etheredge.
Now, I feel a bit more flattered. A thank you is in order for Sabine A. Reed for choosing to link to me as one of her five author tags. She has a new book that readers might want to check out. So, here is a link to her blog to see her NBT that she is working on for all of her reader fans: http://sabineareed.com/.
So, without further ado, I would like to introduce my work in progress that will be published either the end of the Summer 2013 or Winter 2013: Finding You (Síth Souls Trilogy #1)
Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
1. What is the working title of your book?
Well, like I stated above the title is Finding You, which is a part of the Síth Souls Trilogy. I named my book Finding You, because it is about the male protagonist finding his one true love, but also in the process, he finds out about himself and that good and evil is not so black and white. The name of the trilogy is Síth Souls, because the Gaelic word for faerie is Síth and the series deals with the concept of the rarity of Síth souls.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was actually inspired by a role playing group here on Goodreads. I was role playing this character and his life. The other players on Goodreads acted in with their own characters and those interactions inspired this book and the whole series. I feel compelled to give this male protagonist a different ending and I wanted to discover what would happen, if he took the road not taken.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
My book’s genre is fantasy, but it has some dark paranormal elements to it. It is also action packed and very dramatic. I wanted to take the lives of ordinary people and punch it up to an almost unrealistic degree. I wanted to mix in all of my favorite paranormal aspects into one. It has faeries and their realm, but it also has normal humans mixed in with some gifted ones. And what is a paranormal book without a shape shifter? My novel is a mix of everything including romance. It has a very strong romantic element, but if I had to limit my book to one phrase it would be ‘troubled paranormal romance’.
4. Which actors would you chose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
*laughs a little at this question, then pulls out the character profiles*
Well, for Noel Holland, I would want the actor that plays Noel on PLL(Pretty Little Liars) to play him, because they both have that dark mysterious quality to them. I want Victoria Justice to play Allie and Arianna Grande as a blonde to play Serena. Gus would be played by Gregg Sullen and Fiona would be played by Selena Gomez. There are so many characters that I will short hand the rest. Hannah = Ashley Benson; Lolita = Miley Cyrus with long red hair; Katherine = Sarah Hyland. The list will become extremely long, if I did everyone and no mystery.
*smiles*
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
*takes a deep breath*
Prince of Summer Shadows, Noel Holland finds himself falling in love only to lose it, until he escapes Otherworld and meets an ungifted human named Allie, whose naivety might cost Noel more than his heart, but his life.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Once I finish the last three chapters of the book and looked over the manuscript, I will try to find an agency to represent me, but this is a difficult thing to do in the publishing world. If worse comes to worst, I will self-publish my work so that my fans and readers will be able to enjoy my writing. I will probably self-publish in an eBook first, before print.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Well, as you know, I am still not done with it. I worked on my book in the Summer of 2012 and have yet had time to go back to complete it. Between work and college, finding time to write is difficult. I am going to try to complete it during the winter/spring, but will probably finish in the beginnings of Summer. It will be edited and everything by the end of 2013, so that it can be published in the same year. So far, it has taken me two full months to write 400 pages. I expect 50 more pages for the ending to write. Then with editing and cuts, the novel will be around 400+ pages.
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I would compare my book to the Wicked Lovely series, because it has the troubled romance and a certain darkness to it. I do not believe my book to be quite so dark, but the point of view is by the Síth Prince and I hope I do him justice by making him a little cold like the otherworldly characters in that series. The female characters are strong and fierce. They have a bit of fire in them, but of course, some of them are bitchy and manipulative, while others are caring and thoughtful. I crafted my female characters to be realistic, but also a little clichéd.
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?
A Goodreads role playing group inspired me to write this book. I am writing specifically for them and I hope to make them proud. I took a very creative license with this story, because I did not want to be taking anyone else’s ideas but my own. So, the book is very different than from what actually happened in the role playing group.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Well, there are a couple of blood scenes, so readers beware. The book contains course language, allusions to other works and pop culture references, and at times, innuendo. This book is very descriptive, because that is something I enjoy as a reader. There is drama and a whole new futuristic world that no writer has ever written about before or at least, I don’t think so. I have never read of a book that made a star-crossed lovers theme with a faerie and a human, a paranormal mafia, a faerie realm that has a Shadow court and Light court, a school for Troubled Gifted Youth with one paranormal power each, and a backstabbing friend lurking in the shadows as the world they call earth crumbles into a turbulent war between paranormal creatures and the humans that want to use them and crush them.
These are some fellow Indie authors to keep your eye out for:
1. Margaret Aranda: http://www.drmargaretaranda.blogspot.com
2. Devorah Fox: http://devorahfox.com
3. A.M. Hartsock: http://www.amhartsock.com
4. Marian D. Schwartz: http://mariandschwartz.com
5. Jaq D. Hawkins: www.jaqdhawkins.co.uk
Thank you to all of my readers for reading this!
With Love,
~Hannah Andronic ~The Social Butterfly~