The Next Big Thing

I’m participating in The Next Big Thing blog hop, thanks to my good friend and brother from another mother, Dennis Upkins.  The Next Big Thing is a branching pyramid-of-prose for authors to discuss their latest release or WIP. Each author answers some preset questions (see below for my answers), and then tags five others to go next week.

Today I will be discussing my upcoming novel that is due out in January from Middle Child Press.

What is the working title of your book?   Tainted

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Usually, my novels result from the fusion of several unrelated ideas all at once.  I’ve always been fascinated with voyeurism and possession in the “mine! mine!” sense.  This should be of no surprise to my readers.  I’m an enormous Massive Attack fan, and their album Mezzanine is one of my all-time favorites.  I listen to it a lot.  Then Ankhesen Mié, my friend and partner in crime, interviewed Alexis Brown and I became a fan.  Finally, I took a trip back to 1984 when I first fell in love with someone who has a very powerful effect on my muse.  For a while, nothing happened.  After a period of time, nothing continued to happen.

Then one day, she (the muse) shat the entire book on my head, title and all. 

What genre does your book fall under?

Contemporary, supernatural and sci-fi.  “Craziness” would also be appropriate.

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

I don’t dreamcast my novels.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A book of interconnected shorties and poetry surrounds a creepy love story.   I’ll throw up a couple of teasers in a few weeks.

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

Middle Child Press will be publishing Tainted.  Guess that makes it self-published.

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

A couple of weeks, maybe three.  I mentioned that the muse shat the whole book out on my head and I had to set a speed record to keep up with her.  The cover took five minutes to create.  When it’s this easy, you do what you’re told.

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

I don’t believe that Tainted can be compared to any other book.  It’s different from anything else I’ve written.  I’m really not the best person to answer this question.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I’d rather not mention his name.

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

It’s got voyeurism, poetry, pictures of gorgeous Black women, stalkers, a bad-ass rock band named Pink Cage, incest, songs, complete and utter madness, a veritable Wonderland for readers of the DSM[1].  The book holds the potential for more if the muse is so inclined. With Tainted, I tried to see how far down the rabbit hole I could go.  I’ll let the readers judge for themselves.

Now, I tag these five authors to answer these same questions next Wednesday if they so choose:

Ankhesen Mie

Julie Nguyen

Cecelia LaPointe

Deborah Court

Richard Bristol

Thanks for reading. And well….stay tuned.  Tainted drops in less than a month.

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[1] Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders