Did you just call me big? The Next Big Thing!

I was invited by my friend, author Joanna Campbell Slan, to participate in The Next Big Thing.  Joanna blogged about Death of a Dowager the next book in the Jane Eyre Chronicles due out in April 2013.  Check out what Joanna has to say about the inspiration behind her book, who’d she pick to play the characters in the movie, and much more. http://www.joannaslan.blogspot.com/

 

MY ANSWERS TO THE TEN INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE NEXT BIG THING

1. What is your working title for your book?
Borrowed Time (Book #2 in the Aspen Moore Series).

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
When I am asked this question, I always wish I had some inspirational, hysterical, incredible answer, but the truth is I decided I wanted to write a mystery series and now I am.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
Humorous Mystery

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Gosh, if someone said they wanted to make the Aspen Moore series into a movie, I’d be speechless, unable to say who I’d want to play the parts. But it is fun to dream….

Aspen Moore – I’d love to see Emma Stone play Aspen. She’s just the kind of person who makes you smile. She’s sexy, but tom boyish and someone I think could bring Aspen to life. Of course she’s a bit taller than Aspen, but I don’t think people would care…oh and she’d have to have the FX department double her cup size.

Peter Parker – Can David Beckham act? I mean really, wouldn’t he make the perfect Peter Parker? Perhaps when I finish posting this blog I should go back and write in a scene which requires Peter to take his shirt off!

Jack Arbon – Bradley Cooper. Pop in a couple of gold-colored contact lenses and he’s good to go!

Stephanie – Lindsey Lohan. I mean she’s got experience!

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
For those who know me, they understand this is a hard questions for me to answer because it is often a challenge for me to fit anything into one sentence!  But I will give it a try….

Diamond’s and monkeys, oh my!  Is it a diamond monkey or monkey diamond? Aspen doesn’t really care what the diamond is called as long as she can get her hands on it because her landlord’s been kidnapped and Aspen’s committed to doing anything, even the unthinkable, in order to guarantee a happy ending.

*** Three sentences, not bad…and I even fit in a variety of punctuation marks!  Who knew?

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m currently an Independent Author and as such, I am responsible for everything from writing, to publishing, to marketing. I format my own books, I create my own covers, and I manage my own website.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The first book, Buying Time, took around six years to find its way into print.  My current book, Borrowed Time, is still a work in progress. I am going to miss my deadline of December 2012, but I promise this one won’t take six years.  Look for it in early 2013!

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Readers have compared the Aspen Moore series to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series and the Heather Wells books by Meg Cabot.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Since Borrowed Time wouldn’t be in process if it were not for the completion of the first in the series, I’d like to answer this question as it relate to my first book Buying Time.  It is the book that finally showed me I have nothing to be afraid of in this life except not trying. Here is an excerpt from the acknowledgements page of my first book Buying Time:

“Inspiration is such an important component when it comes to believing in your dream. I received mine compliments of my late mother-in-law Mary. While her children were at school, she typed away on her typewriter, completed her novel and mailed it to the publisher. With each rejection, she continued to write more novels, sending those off too. The inspiration did not come from her getting her novels published, because she never did. The inspiration came from her sheer determination and commitment. The satisfaction derived from penning the final page of a novel is tremendous and I have Mary to thank for that.”

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
You can do some of your own sleuth work!

In my first book, Buying Time, I pay homage to Mary my late mother-in-law.  She had a pen name she used on her manuscripts. One of my characters has the same first name as Mary’s pen name. Mary’s AOL userid had the word ITS and then the first name of her pen name, like ITSMARY or ITSKELLY. I specifically rewrote dialogue in order to use Mary’s old AOL user id….so you can tell which character has Mary’s pen name by finding the dialogue that reads “It’s the name“.

The second book, Borrowed Time, will continue with common threads as most series do, but I’ve added two tidbits that will pop up in each book. So when the second book comes out you can use your sleuthing skills! If you think you have found one or both of the tidbits, contact me through my website letting me know you are answering the Sleuthing Challenge. If you are the first person to correctly identify one or both, I will send you a signed copy of Borrowed Time and I’ll name a character after you in the third book of the series!  (sorry, contest not open to people who know me personally and are privy to the answers!)

If you are interested in being notified when Borrowed Time is published, complete the contact us form with your email address.  The Sleuthing Challenge will be open for three months after date of publication.

For more information about the series, go to www.AspenMoore.com

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Check it out, The Next Big Thing continues!  I’m passing you along….

Catherine Leggitt, author and inspirational speaker is a native Californian born in the Bay Area. She’s raised two daughters and is currently the proud grandmother of six beautiful children. She is author of the Christine Sterling Mysteries, PAYNE & MISERY (won 2nd place at the 2010 Orange County Christian Writers Conference), THE DUNN DEAL, and PARRISH THE THOUGHT.  She will be blogging about PARRISH THE THOUGHT, which made it into the quarterfinals in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest before being published by Ellechor Publishing in 2012.

Pop on over to Catherine’s blog.

 

 

 

 

On December 6, 2012   /   Uncategorized   /   1 Comment