The Next Big Thing!

As part of the “The Next Big Thing Blog Hop”, I was tagged by the hugable Ashley Quinn. The purpose of participating in this fun project is to discuss my book(s) and introduce readers to other possibly new (to you) authors that I highly recommend checking out as well.

I will be answering the same questions about my book(s) that Ashley and those before me answered, and the authors I tag will also answer about their works in progress (or published works) next Wednesday.

Okay, grab your reins and let’s ride~ 

–What is the working title of your book? 

The manuscript I’m working on at the moment is called Positive Lightning. However, the book scheduled for a Feb. 2013 release is called Right Out of Nowhere. I had no idea what I would entitle A Kiss Before Dawn and it nearly drove me crazy (some may agree there were earlier symptoms). Fortunately the next two were easier. But I’m already stressing about what I’ll call the sequel to AKBD.

-Where did the idea come from for the book? 

A Kiss Before Dawn started formulating in my mind shortly after I got rid of the personal baggage I’d been subjecting myself to for years. Writing that book was very therapeutic for me. Chris and Mary Jo, the main characters started talking to me almost immediately afterward and I became nearly frantic to write their story. It seems they were waiting for just the right time. I had no idea where the story would take me, nor how it would end. I was just along for the ride…and to take their dictation it seems.

I’ve loved the outdoors and horses/dogs (okay, let’s face it…all animals) my entire life, so the story for Right Out of Nowhere came easily and was fun to write. The most difficult part was choosing the location, which is set deep in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho.

-What genre does your book fall under?  

They’re both lesbian romances, with dabs of suspense and intrigue.

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

Sandra Bullock could play with me any…oh…I guess the question was play the characters. *sigh*

Let’s see…in A Kiss Before Dawn, I would choose KaDee Strickland for Chris, Sasha Alexander for Mary Jo, and Dianne Wiest for Frances.

Salma Hayek would play Selena in Right Out of Nowhere, and Taylor Schilling would star as Roni. Jake Gyllenhaal would be perfect as Jeff.

(O.M.G. I can’t believe how hard that was!)

-What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

I’ll pick Right Out of Nowhere for this one: Roni Oatman and Selena Ayala are search and rescue crew members who must learn to trust one another in order to survive perilous missions. Both learn how to define love.

-What is the longer synopsis of your book?

Roni Oatman belongs to a crew that conducts Search and Rescue operations for the Forest Service deep in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho. They save lost and/or injured people, but Roni is a bit lost herself. She loves a woman she can’t have and constantly dwells on what is out of reach. So she buries herself in her work, or in her other business of training horses. Which, to her chagrin, isn’t going to smoothly either.

When the SAR crew is short a member, Selena Ayala is assigned to fill the empty position. Still on the rebound from a sudden breakup with her girlfriend, Selena has a few issues of her own. But she has to find a way to gain the crew’s trust and gain it quickly. Often the missions in this rugged and unyielding wilderness are matters of life and death, and the SAR members have to be able to depend on each other.

Just when Roni and Selena are forming a tentative relationship, Selena’s ex shows up, leaving both Selena and Roni with uneasy questions.

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

Blue Feather Books represents both books.

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

The first draft of A Kiss Before Dawn took about three months to write. But I really consider that an outline because I went back and rewrote a real first draft. All told, I think it took me about 6 months. Right Out of Nowhere took about 3 months to write a first draft. By then I’d learned so much about the craft that this one seemed much easier. But I’ll know better when I go through the final edit. *grin*

-Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Years ago (not telling how many) my college English professor tried to convince me to switch my major to literature. I declined, promising her I would someday write a book.

That’s a boring answer, albeit the truth. Here’s a more interesting story. About three days before A Kiss Before Dawn was due to be released, the distinct scent of my Gram’s sweet rolls in the house. I scoured the kitchen looking for the source, but to no avail. Linda couldn’t smell it, but that delectable smell haunted me. Friday night, as we were getting ready to go out and celebrate, Jane Vollbrecht called to tell me she was holding the galley proof and it looked wonderful. The news brought happy tears and tremendous giddiness to our home. So Linda and I went to dinner. When we arrived home and pulled into the garage, I saw a shooting star. Pretty cool considering it was in the eastern sky and no meteor showers were forecasted. When we walked out, I looked in the direction where I saw it, and lo and behold didn’t another go streaking by. I stood there dumbfounded.

Two days later, my book was released, and the smell of sweet rolls disappeared. I believe in my heart it was a sign from my gram, hence the dedication to her in my debut novel.

Wasn’t that better? *grin*

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

Well, let’s see….horses, dogs, the outdoors, sex, …not necessarily in that order, but plenty of each.

Thanks for stopping by! Next Wednesday check out these author’s blogs to find out about their Next Big Thing.

Cheyne Curry:  http://cheynecurry.com/www.cc.com/Welcome.html 

Decky Bradshaw: http://www.rebradshawbooks.com

Joan Timberlake: http://reasonablereader.com/2012/04/01/hello-world/