Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Be Inspired: The Q&A Meme Of Your Current WiP

   
Guess what? I've been tagged by Suzanne Furness with the Be Inspired Meme. What does this mean? I get to answer a few questions about my current project and pass this on to five others. Problem is I'm at a bit of a crossroad with two projects, so I'll flip a coin between Woven and The Undead Road. Here goes ... Woven wins!



What is the name of your book? - Woven

Where did the idea for your book come from?
- I would love to say it was all my idea, but I can't. My good friend told me a concept for a story he had for ten years, after reading a manuscript of mine. The premise was simple and I fell in love with the concept immediately. I was like, "why have you not written this yet? It's the most original thing I've heard in half my life!" So we teamed up and added tons more to the concept. This story required two artists to write it.

In what genre would you classify your book?
- Short version: YA Fantasy. Long version: YA High Fantasy with paranormal elements.

If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition who would you choose?
- We recently scanned over a few actors for character models to help our character description. They might be a little too old for the roles now, but I always imagined Lucas Till and AnnaSophia Robb as the lead guy and girl. Given a few years, I can totally see Elle Fanning in the role, too. And who wouldn't love to see Christopher Lloyd as a wizard? Seriously, he is who we want. Still deciding on who would fill in the other characters best.

Give us a one sentence synopsis of your book?
- Nels must rely on a princess to help him find a magic needle that can sew him back to life.

Is your book already published?
- It should be, but not yet.

How long did it take you to write your book?
- Three years. That seems like a lot, but collaborations do take more time. We also planned out a trilogy in case the first book (which we wrote as a standalone) is received well. We both moved at one time and I sustained a head injury. I literally had to learn how to write again.

What other books within your genre would you compare it to? Or readers of which books would enjoy yours?
- Our alpha and beta readers have compared our book to the fantasy works of Shannon Hale, and Gennifer , the author of the upcoming Crewel (which also has a sewing magic system) endorsed our take on the similar concepts we shared. If you happen to like the nail-biting pace and grit that's found in James Dashner's books, it has that appeal.

Which authors inspired you to write this book?
- Again, Shannon Hale, but mostly my coauthor, Michael R. Jensen.

Tell us anything that might pique our interest in your book?
- What's made this book special for me are the subtleties and the attention it took to feel real. Magic plays a small role in the overall story. There are no mythical or magical creatures. It's a ghost story set in an alternate medieval Scandinavia. Most important of all, it's a story about character, of overcoming fears and filling your potential. It's a story about unity and purpose, how everyone is connected, or woven - as it were - and the effect we all share in our reality.

That's the scoop! Hopefully we'll find a home for this soon so you can check out this story. Until then, it's time to pass this to five others. From those who commented in my last post, I randomly select:

Michael Offutt
Caroyln V
Tracy Bermeo
Susan Gourley/Kelley
Angela Brown

That's all for now, friends. Have an amazing day!

I'm David, and I don't know what Spirulina is, but I drank it!

29 comments:

  1. David, I love the synopsis. And, food for thought: Gary Schmidt said it takes him three years to write a book, and my daughter recently said James Dashner's Maze Runner is one of the best books she's ever read. So, you may be on to something big here. :)

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  2. Christopher Lloyd would make a good wizard! And I know how long I take to write a story, so no sweat on three years in the making.

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  3. Magic needles that sew you back to life. Awesome concept, I like it.

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  4. That sounds like a great book! I would love to read that!!! Thanks so much for tagging me David! (And to be honest, I have no idea what Spirulina is either. I hope it was good.) ;)

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  5. That's an intriguing synopsis/concept. I love the sound of the setting, too!

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  6. Loved your story when I read the query on WOC! Love it now! You're right, it SHOULD be published because I want to read it!

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  7. I love it. I think it rocks & I would totally read it. Awesome concept, David!

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  8. Hi, David,

    LOVE the concept.... I would read it too! Using ghosts, medieval Scandinavia(Highly original) and sewing the character back to life.... Super creative.

    All the best in finding it the proper home.

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  9. I love stories set in Scandinavia. It's such an overlooked area, yet absolutely beautiful with an amazing mythology.

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  10. A head injury is a very good excuse. It makes all my excuses seem lame.;)

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  11. A very intriguing premise. I'm interested!

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  12. Thanks so much for the tag. I've often wondered how two people work together on a book. You would really have to understand each other. It makes sense it takes longer than when one person writes a book.

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  13. Oh cool. I have my Thursday post all right here.

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  14. I love your answer to the "Is your book already published?" question. It should be! :)

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  15. Wow! The premise sounds so cool. Love it! And I would love to read your notes about Scandinavia. I am working on a fantasy set in Sweden. It has ghosts, too. But I think mine may be more of a creep factor. I hope you find your agent soon. I can't wait to read your story.

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  16. I do love the premise of your book. I suppose it may seem interesting that the WiP I'm self-publishing involves soul weavers employed by Death to sew and un-sew souls from their physical forms. Maybe we're part of some trend?

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  17. I'm going to try to get my answers to this meme in during next week. It's a cover reveal week for NEVERLOVE so that would be fitting.

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  18. Neat interview:) I especially like the part about casting Christopher Lloyd in the theatrical version!

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  19. love the story behind the story! hope it's published soon!

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  20. Sorry about the head injury. Do you think the healing process helped with creating great scenes? Mending. Finding the magic needle.

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  21. I'm currently collaborating with another writer too. Isn't an exhilirating process...your story sounds pretty darn good. I have a magic needle...it's called caffeine.

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  22. This book sounds very, very cool. My favorite book of my dad's was written with two other authors. They helped conceptualize and edit, and he wrote it. He described the process as quite frustrating and wouldn't want to do it again, but it produced an amazing book!

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  23. Also, I'd love to hear more about your head injury and how you overcame that. Have you blogged about it already?

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  24. I didn't know you suffered a head injury. Injured folks of the world UNITE (I've found making light of the otherwise extremely terrible situation is one of the few ways I've coped with mine, so excuse me if you aren't amused).

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  25. Nice job. And I like what you've done with the place!

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  26. Your premise sounds so cool! And Christopher Lloyd as a wizard is perfect! My husband's grandma had a minor stroke a while back and had to re learn how to read. Yikes on a head injury bad enough to affect that part of your brain! Glad you're recovered and back in action ;)

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  27. Very awesome!! Would love to read it...tell those agents and publishers to get onboard. ;)

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  28. I still love this idea and am excited to see it get out there!

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  29. Sounds intriguing. I hope it's published soon.

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