"The Next Big Thing" Blog Tour

I’ve had the pleasure of being tagged for “The Next Big Thing” Blog tour by two talented fellow romance authors,

Mary Hughes: http://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com/

and Val Clarizo: http://valclarizio.wordpress.com/

They are both working on exciting projects, so be sure to link back to their websites to see their Next Big Thing posts after reading mine.  I’m excited to share what I’ve been working on.

Ten Interview Questions for “The Next Big Thing”:

 

What is your working title of your book?

Bloodstone

Where did the idea come from for the book?

From a fairy tale and a myth:  Beauty and the Beast & Cupid and Psyche.  I also have visited many ruined fortresses in the United Kingdom, and the Rock of Cashel in Ireland (pictured here) is partly the source of inspiration for the ruined fortress Drakkonwehr.  Also much of the story  takes place in a forested no-man’s land called the Wehrland.

 

What genre does your book fall under?

 Fantasy Romance

 

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

 

My hero, the Shadow Man, is completely shrouded in black—face and all—for almost all the story, so any male actor with an athletic physique that would look good in form-hugging black clothing and who could handle a sword would do. Emma Watson with her “Hermoine hair” has the right spunk, athleticism, and courageous determination that Mirianna has.

 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

To save her father Mirianna promises the Shadow Man she’ll do "anything," but the beastly, insensitive creature needs her heart, freely given, and all her courage to help him defeat the mage who cursed him.

 

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

Hopefully it will find a home with a publisher.

 

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

A good 6 years.  I got diverted halfway in by my first book THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE being published and all that involved, and then I got stuck at the turning point until I had a brainstorm that unlocked the rest of the story.

 

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

Kathleen Eagle’s THE NIGHT REMEMBERS has a similar theme but in a contemporary setting.  Honestly, I try to avoid making comparisons, but I’ve been told my first book, which I think of as a Cinderella-type story, resembles GAME OF THRONES while BLOODSTONE is very much a beauty-and-the-beast romance combined with the legend of a guardian holding back evil and an unraveling spell that the characters have to race against.

 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I’ve always been fascinated by the Cupid and Psyche tale where a beautiful but lonely girl is carried away by a creature she is forbidden to look upon and who she initially believes to be a monster.  It’s a story about how love develops when appearance isn’t a factor in the attraction.  And it’s also a story about accepting oneself, flaws and all.

 

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

There’s magic, petrified dragon’s blood, and a mysterious she-lion I very much enjoyed creating.

Now that I’ve had all the fun talking about my book, I’m passing the torch to the five authors I’m tagging.  Please visit these blogs and see what “The Next Big Thing” is coming from them:

Eve James: http://eveajamesauthor.wordpress.com

Kayla Griffith:  http://writings.kaylagriffith.net

Anne Parent:  www.anneparent.com

Steve Mitchell:  http://scmitchell.wordpress.com/

Renee Wildes:  http://reneewildes1.wordpress.com/